On-line courses and on-line universities?

Question

Where can I find information about how effective on-line courses and universities are?

I'm not trying to go to one... I'm already attending a university... I'm just trying to write a paper.

Answer 1

Try today's New York Times (Sunday Feb 11, 2007)

It has a great article about the University of Phoenix, the most famous and largest online school.

The article explains how they got the largest fine in the history of education for "systematically" lying about their programs, and how at some of their campuses less than 5% of the students ever graduate, and how they are facing lawsuits that may bankrupt them and put them out of business.

Many of us have been trying to warn students about this for years, but they wouldn't listen

PLEASE protect yourself - go to a real college with real professors and a real campus where the people are dedicated to a lifetime of learning and teaching, not a for-profit business that calls itself a university and only cares about making money from you and giving you the least possible education they can get away with!!!!

Answer 2

I'm currently enrolled in an online course through Penn State's World Campus. Not to completely turn you away, but it's the worst school-related experience I've ever had. This could be due to the professor, but some of it might just be the nature of online courses. I work full time, so I thought I could handle taking one online course with no problem. Boy, was I wrong! Although I've always been a great student, this class is kicking my butt. One lesson is due each week, which includes reading 2 or more chapters in the text, 2 supplemental professional articles, and answering 5 essay questions. After working on a lesson for 8 or 9 hours, I still won't be done and I don't read the supplemental articles. The professor provides no type of outlines or real study guides for the course and the first exam spans 11 chapters. There are 2 exams, with multiple choice and essay questions, plus there will be a 6-8 page paper to write. I knew about the 2 exams and paper when I enrolled, but had no idea how much material would be covered or how little help or structure the professor would provide. I haven't taken an online course from anywhere else, but I would suggest that you find out as much as possible about any you might be considering before enrolling! And if you aren't working or work only part time, it may be easier for you. Best of luck!!

Answer 3

I think a lot of universities have online courses. I wrote coursework for a consortium of Stanford, Carnegie Mellon and others. My daughter who is a professor at Florida State was working on a project to put their courses online so they could reach students too far from Tallahassee. Different schools treat their online courses differently. Some, like my daughters, import existing courses to the internet. Others start them from scratch with professional course developers. I would suggest that you find a school you want to attend and then do some research about their online programs.