Instructions

Things you’ll need:

• reliable computer
• motivation
• time management skills
• discipline
• school supplies

1. Enroll in accredited online colleges such as Strayer University, University of
   Phoenix, and other accredited online colleges.
2. Research the most suitable degree programs which will attract your interest level.
   Don’t waste your time and money on an ineffective program.
3. Discipline yourself to meet deadlines. Work on time management skills.
   Schedule time have some fun so you associate online education as interesting.
4. Complete assignments at the beginning of the week. Don’t wait until a few
5. hours before the deadline to begin working on assignment. The goal is
   to avoid making online education stressful.
6. Print out the course syllabus, course documents, and communicate with the
   instructor about any potential problems you experience in the course.
7. Make it a habit to engage into weekly discussions. Communicate with students
8. about the course content – analyze content using an open mind. Be a proactive
   learner.
9. Start outlining course papers ahead of the due. Outlining a paper helps to make
   the writing process go much more efficient.
10. Respect online education for what it can do for you. Online degrees offer great career
    advancement.

Tips & Warnings

• Communicate with instructors about any course content issues
• Take part in discussion board communication to improve critical skills
• Find a tutor who will assist with course content
• Strengthen time management skills to become a disciplined learner
• Don’t wait until the last minute to submit work
• Avoid procrastination
• Don’t assume that online education is easy
• Avoid instructors that don’t cater to your learning style

Resources:

JobCareers.org

DegreeField.com

OnlineAdultEducation.org

MagicWriter.blogspot.com

Have been doing research lately for a masters or a PhD program from an accredited university and what one finds is the high level of fees that are beyond the reach of the average student. Banks, as helpful as ever offer educational loans setting students back by at least $30,000 to $40,000, even before the graduate starts out on his first day at work. What a huge load to bear, as if to say that it is your fault that you wanted to educate yourself.

The traditional full-time route to study for a degree is truly ruled out in such circumstances, unless you manage a full scholarship. These are much in demand and competition is tough. So where does this leave the average learner intent on pursuing further education. Nowhere really until he starts thinking out of the box, yes he needs to think about the various online/distance learning courses on offer. Here in this sphere of activity too we have the grand old universities/institutions, I refer to them hereon as G.O.I’s masquerading like they have suddenly woken up to the needs of the average student, by no means, do not be fooled. Do you know that the G.O.I’s advertise their online courses as offering the student the convenience of online study from home or office and yes it is true that online distance learning does offer this convenience, but what about the costs, well surprise, surprise these courses are not much different from the full time courses as far as the courses fees are concerned. The only benefit is … you guessed it, convenience. The average learner, the average cash strapped learner for all his interest in the subject is left in the lurch because what he wants is affordable education not convenient but unaffordable education.

A few universities have addressed this problem but the happiness of our cash strapped student is at stake because none of these low cost universities are accredited. They are not accredited because in the US, for an institution to get accredited, it costs anywhere from $1 Million to $3 million a year depending on the accrediting agency that is doing the honors for that university. A few good low cost institutions tried to get accreditation but found that in order to be able to pay the accreditation fees, they will have to start charging fees similar to fees charged by the G.O.I’s.

There is one other way out for the student he can apply to institutes that allow him to test out of many courses thereby reducing the total costs, well that’s what they say in their websites. This realm is dominated by a Charter oak college, Excelsior and Western Governors university but these worthies charge a huge amount to test out of specific courses approximately $200 to get rid of each credit,in addition to $ 2000 evaluation fee, in effect sending the student back into the waiting arms of the G.O.I’s. Welcome back to where we were before this discussion started.

So there you have it, get into an affordable institution and your degree is unaccredited, or pay a kings ransom and get your accredited degree, the choice is entirely yours.

The US has quite stringent laws to deal with low cost universities that offer distance learning/online programs which are unaccredited. Many have been closed down and many more have set up offices overseas in foreign locations. The state governments provide separate lists of institutes that are unaccredited and strict penalties are imposed for using such degrees to get jobs in the respective states. The government has done its job as far as enforcing the rules are concerned and the G.O.I’s are a pleased lot as the student has no other option but to pay the huge fees and get an education.

It seems quite possible that the G.O.I’s are nothing more than a powerful syndicate that can get its way on the force of sheer money power. Any student researching the internet in order to find an affordable online masters or PhD course would come across the various forums where courses are discussed and any attempt at getting to an informative discussion about unaccredited courses is strictly prohibited. The student appears to have no choice. This is where the government needs to step in to make education affordable and accessible to the average student.

The first thing that needs to be done is to make accreditation more affordable and accessible to institutions that are interested in getting accredited. At the same time standards of accreditation should be maintained to the highest levels.

It is quite possible that with accreditation becoming affordable, the many good low cost providers of online education get the accreditation they seek without passing the costs of accreditation onto the student as is the case with the G.O.I’s. This will result in affordable, accredited education for students intending to pursue higher education. Most importantly it will be a wake up call to the G.O.I’s who will see that they no longer have a captive customer base for their courses and this will result in moves to lower the fees that they impose on the hapless student.

To understand the problem, the gravity of the situation, so to speak, we must first know who the average student is. He is certainly not one who can apply to the traditional brick and mortar universities. This is because even if he gets a place, he will not be able to put together the finances required to complete the course. On an average, in the U.S, a two year full time masters program costs upwards of $ 70,000 excluding accommodation costs and other additional expenses. It has to be noted that what you get is top notch stuff, an accredited degree much revered and valued by the recruiters in the job market. The question is how one gets there without the financial resources available either through personal funds or scholarships. The average student who has an interest in studying the subject has no other option other than shelving his plans for pursuing a higher degree. He just cannot afford the costs.

Since the turn of the century, we have seen the advent of online courses. These courses offer the convenience of not having to attend university classes and hence cutting out the accommodation and additional expenses from the entire picture, but what about the course fees?

Well, it almost remains the same. A master’s course can be completed in a year and a half for about $28,000 at the ‘convenient and affordable’ North Central University; what’s more you can even attend the graduation ceremony on campus. Other online universities like Phoenix, Capella and Western International University charge much higher course fees for their masters programs. What the student gets is an accredited degree, much valued in the job street, but is this education still beyond the reach of many students who are interested in higher studies, you bet it is.

The main question to be raised is why the student is being charged as much as $30,000 – $ 40,000 for online degrees when in reality the courses can be classified as distance learning courses. The main components of the full-time program of study are not available to the online learner, namely direct contact with the tutors, interaction with classmates and face to face discussions. I raised this question directly with an online university and they replied by explaining that learning was conducted in a synchronous format, wherein classes were conducted online, students could view lectures conducted on campus through their computer screens, ask question and interact with other online learners simultaneously through discussion forums. They explained to me that the program was quite high tech and this is what prevented them from keeping costs low at the online university!

I certainly think they may have a point there, it has to be accepted that online universities do serve a large segment of the student population which cannot attend university full time, it gives them the convenience of studying from their home and the courses are priced well below the levels of fee charged for the full-time version of the program conducted on campus. But is online education affordable to the average student, put in another way, is online education the answer for someone who is on the lookout for an affordable masters program, the answer is a yes and a no.

Yes, a program does become much more affordable, once it is off the manicured lawns of a sprawling campus.

No, online education is still not the answer, because the costs remain high due to the technology that online universities use to deliver their programs.

Well then, what’s the answer you may ask, the answer is distance education, pure and simple. Distance education as we know it traditionally. A student applies to study on a course, gets selected, university sends his study material to his address ( or names the text books to be purchased by the student) with contact email of the faculty in charge of his particular course, student studies the course material/text books , interacts with other distance learning students through the university website discussion forum and clarifies any doubts by email with his tutor, submits assignments by email and gives an online multiple choice final exam for each of the courses completed. Results are announced on the university website and students’ degree and transcripts are couriered to his address.

As you can see, there is no synchronous conducting of classes, no live streaming videos of lectures being held on campus, no conference calls with lectures, any high tech tomfoolery that only ends up raising the fees students have to pay should be avoided.

The answer is distance learning with technology being kept to a bare minimum. This will cut the flab off most programs and to prove my point, I give the example of a university that manages to do this very well. Breyer State University, a one year distance learning course there costs about $ 6000, and this is the fee range that is affordable to the average student. However, it has to be noted that this university is unaccredited. The degree awarded may have limited utility in the job market. The reason they remain unaccredited is the high costs of fees charged by the accreditation agencies that are recognized by the US dept of Education. Believe it or not, it costs upwards of $1.5 million per year to maintain an accreditation with these agencies. It is no wonder that the accredited universities charge such high fees as they pass along the costs incurred for accreditation onto the students.

The problem of affordable education can be solved if both the universities and the government work together. A university like Breyer State has come up with an affordable solution; a wonderful combination of distance learning and latest technology like email, discussion forums and online final exams, technology is kept to a bare minimum and hence keeping costs at check. This results in saving of $22,000 for the student.

(Comparing NCU and BSU costs)

That’s a whole lot of flab off the students back!!!!!

The only sticking point is accreditation, and I can see a steely grin from the accredited university representative. This can be sorted out by the government if it can bring down the costs of accreditation. This will result in more universities seeking to offer much more affordable courses without trying to factor in the huge costs of annual accreditation fees charged by the accreditation agencies that are recognized by the US Dept of Education.

This two pronged approach can get the student out of the debt trap that he falls into while trying to pursue an education he cannot afford.

This two pronged approach helps universities to offer affordable and accredited education to students.