How Online Degrees Have Changed in the Past 5 Years
By Choices on Jan 28, 2008 in Associate Degrees
Students who attended online schools or took online classes five years ago probably think that they have a solid understanding of how online education works. However, if those students went to an online class today, they might find themselves a little bit lost. That’s because the technology that is used in online classes today differs significantly from that used when they attended school.
Communication is the biggest area of change for online degrees. Communication online five years ago was primarily by email and included some use of discussion boards and instant messaging. A rare teacher here and there might include a chat room. Today, VoIP technology and video conferencing make it possible to hold online classes in real time with interactive communication happening across dozens of different computers.
Other changes have taken place in online degrees as well. Students who used to have to go to local testing centers to complete exams can now do the entire thing online. Students who had trouble finding jobs in the past because employers were skeptical of online degree programs rarely find this to be a problem today. Indeed, the student who went to online classes five years ago would find that it’s a different world today. But that world isn’t so foreign that it’s impossible to navigate so these students shouldn’t fear returning to school to gain some additional skills.
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