What do you say to distance learning/online degree haters?

Hey guys, I'm just wondering what you say to people who don't understand distance learning or try to undermine online degrees? Thanks!

[If this thread has already been created and answered at length, I apologize in advance (but in that case, could someone please link it here?)].

 

You tell them to get over it! We are in a new paradigm. The days of the old fashioned Wall crank phones are long gone! This is the era of Satcom, facetime and other high tech. Go ahead and suffer backaches sitting on some piece of crap student desk and watch a teacher draw on the chalkboard. onder:

 

I show them my pay stub. Granted, I haven't earned any of my degrees via distance, but I really enjoy showing people how much money I make.

 

I agree. I struck this the other day when I was at a committee meeting. There were a number of people at the meeting from universities. One challenged a distance learning degree for human services. She argued that she did not see how the students would get the benefit of the lecturer in doing the practicum.

She said that she always sat in with the student when the student commenced counseling. I told her that I had managed a state wide drug and alcohol rehabilitation service that had a large student intake for their practicum from some big name universities here, and I had never seen a lecturer sit in with a student during counseling (it was not possible because of student numbers). They left that to my supervisors and received a report on the student performance from them. Why couldn't a distance learning college do that (knowing full well that one did)? She then left.

She was unusual in this country as normally nobody questions a distance learning approach. I think it was more a case that I was doing something from a US university and some academics here seem to be fearful of that. Globalisation is something they want to do to others, but not have done to them. Anything that challenges their comfort zone will be resisted and no amount of evidence will change that, so why bother? Their arguments will later be seen as quaint, irrelevant and used in college courses to demonstrate costly fixated thinking.

 

In time this will all change. Just a couple of decades ago people who earned their degrees in night school were the butt of jokes. For some reason people had a hard time wrapping their minds around the idea that courses offered of the evenings and weekends were just as good as those offered during the day. Now, evening and weekend programs are so common that no one questions them.

DL programs will continue to be more accepted as time passes.

 

I have only seen "online degree haters" on the Internet. Nobody else in my life that I know of has ever expressed being a distance learning/online degree hater. When I worked at a B&M University, they had some completely online programs and I did hear some of the tenured traditionalists express disdain that their university was offering this, but I still would not say it was at the level of them being online degree haters. The same university hired me with my Ph.D. earned online and never asked me even one question about this degree, but I know they checked to see that it was RA accredited. They also asked me a few questions about my dissertation when I was interviewed.

 

I recently landed a fairly significant accounting position. Anyway, the interviewers were clearly impressed after I mentioned I earned my Mba online. Holding down demanding positions and earning an MBA at the same time could have been what differentiated me from other candidates. In my opinion, online students should use this to their advantage by bringing it to the forefront as a strength, an accomplishment, or having a proven background in meeting demanding deadlines.

 

Nobody has ever said anything to me. I am not sure this is a real issue in the real world. In fact, in the real world- online degrees are fast becoming the norm for anyone over 21

 

I'm not so sure I'd go as far as to say online degrees are "the norm". What are you basing that on? Did you read it somewhere or just your own personal observation/opinion?

 

Once again, I hate to use the term "online degrees". Are they "non traditional?" Yes. However distant learning incorporates a variety of platforms including "online" instruction. Many programs require on campus intensives "hybrid" and others require conference calls, video conferencing, practical experiences, etc. It's just not the proper term for persons obtaining a degree through distant learning! In addition, many schools do not differentiate on the transcript how the course was taken. Is it the "norm"? Well, I believe it is the "norm" to utilize the available technologies to facilitate learning whether it is "traditional" classroom or "non traditional" learninig!

 

I was only using the terminology nongard1 was using. Thanks for the paragraph diatribe though, appreciate knowing how offensive you find the term "online degree". By the way, where did you earn/are you earning your online degree?

 

I ask "why?"

Then, I listen.

 

Master of Science from Stony Brook University in my home state of New York and yes, some of the coursework was taken online. The school required on campus component as well as 1000 hours of clinical rotations in medical facilities. So was it an "online degree"? No! Was it non traditional? Indeed! Did it get me a license to practice as a Family Nurse Practitioner? Yes!

 

More than "offensive", I find the term inaccurate. In addition, Stony Brook University used to distinguish between "on campus" and distant learning (DL) learners on the official transcript. This distinction caused grief and problems for Nurse Practitioners searching for gainful employment. When the school administration dropped the "DL" distinction, it was one less hassle to overcome in an interview. I am not trying to hide anything, I just believe folks have an inaccurate picture of "online degrees"!

 

I don't think it has ever come up at all. Nobody worth knowing would look down on anyone else's education or efforts to better themselves. I guess I know lots of people worth knowing!

 

Hrm.

Let me see.

I have had interviewers ask me if I earned my degree online, but they still went on to ask me if I wanted the job. Therefore, it has not hindered me in any way that I can discern at this time.

Hope this helps.

 

Is your degree in Business? Well, mine was in a medical field, which may bring a slightly different level of scrutiny. In any case, "online degree" is not an accurate description unless you bought one online from a diploma mill! More accurately, is "distant learning" or "non traditional" as in my case which combined on campus with distant learning and clinical rotations.

 

Simply put, Distant learning is not necessarily equal to "online study" and an "online degree" is not an accurate term. The degree is awarded from accredited institutions many of which are brick and mortar and not from the internet!

By saying I got an "online degree", I believe one is lowering its value and not accurately describing the learning platform. I hold a Master of Science degree. If it comes up I earned it through distant learning. if it comes up, the distant learning included live lectures, conference calls, rotations in clinics with live patients and yes I submitted many assignments via the internet! Is "online degree" an accurate description or is it missing something?

There are now numerous universities that offer graduate degrees in advanced nursing and many of them have great names! My point was that I faced scrutiny in the workplace because it was "non traditional" and that fact was posted on my official transcript. My hope is that the scrutiny will diminish for future distant learners as the public becomes more aware what "online degrees" I mean distant learning degrees really are.