Experience with Distance Learning

I have two bachelor's degrees- one earned on campus and the other one earned through Florida State's distance learning program. The coursework I took to earn my second bachelor's degree in Computer Science through distance learning was very challenging. The exams and computer programming projects were difficult. I had to get a proctor for all of the exams I took. The exams consisted of short answer/essay questions and writing code. Some of the questions on some of those exams consisted of drawing diagrams and truth tables. I had programming projects that consisted of writing a parser, simulating a router, etc.

My distance learning classes had an online discussion board where my classmates could discuss the reading material and assignments with the professor. The instructors I had gave a lot of help.

I work in the IT field and the degree I earned through distance learning prepared me well for my current job.

By the way, I earned my first bachelor's degree in Communication Studies on campus from a state university. The coursework I took for my Computer Science degree was much more challenging than the coursework I took for my Communication Studies degree.

In addition to Florida State, I took some distance learning classes from the University of North Dakota. The calculus courses I took were challenging, but the history of western civilization course I took was very easy. The history exams were so easy that I completed them in five minutes and got a perfect score.

Speaking from my experience, some distance learning courses are very difficult and some are easy. The computer science and calculus courses I took were challenging, but the history of western civilization course I took was easy.

 

You can't compare computer science and calculus to communications and history. In general, regardless of the mode of delivery, computer science and higher mathematics courses are going to be more difficult than most other courses. Sorry if I offend anyone, but communications is known as the easy degree that's especially appealing to college athletes. It has nothing to do with online vs. on campus.

I saw an old thread where a member said his MBA from a for-profit did more for him than his bachelor's in criminal justice from a non-profit. Well, I would hope so since a business degree is much more marketable than a CJ degree no matter where it comes from (as long as it's accredited).

 

True. My DL experience has been the same. But, then again, my experience with butt-in-seat classes has been the same, too. Course difficulty typically has less to do with the method of delivery and much more to do with individual instructors. Some profs are just more difficult than others. It's always been that way.

 

Well said and quite true!

 

Your post was thought provoking as it made me think why intrinsically a computer science or calculus degree would be moe difficult than a degree in history. For those who are good at mathematics a calculus degree might not be that difficult, while a history course with excellent professors may be difficult to do well.
An example might be comparing an MBA to a MA in hostory, I have both. Unequivocally I can say the MA in History degree I received required a much higher level of academic ability,logic, and study than any course I took for an MBA- and I took history courses on subjects I had studied on my own for most of my adult life.

 

Business is not a difficult subject, in my opinion. If one believes in the accuracy of IQ and graduate admissions scores, business majors rank toward the bottom. It is one of the most popular degrees, so it can't be difficult for most college students to do. There are some people who find math easy and struggle with majors that require high verbal intelligence, but overall, I believe most people have more difficulty with advanced math than non-quantitative subjects. Either way, it's not fair to compare online vs. ground courses based on two completely different subjects. For all we know, the OP would find communications easy regardless of the mode of delivery.