Is online learning right for you?

Q&A talks about online education with Peter Diplock, interim director, Center for Continuing Studies at the University of Connecticut. UConn offers many online graduate, undergraduate, certificate and non-credit courses. For more information, visit: www.continuingstudies.uconn.edu.

Q: Is a degree earned online equivalent to one earned on campus?

A: Yes, identical degree requirements, the only difference is in the format of teaching (online vs. face-to-face) with some programs adopting a hybrid model combining low residency face-to-face time coupled with online instruction.

Q: How do online courses work?

A: They follow the same semester timelines as traditional face-to-face classes. They are asynchronous, which means that students and faculty communicate when convenient for each to do so. Some courses require synchronous meetings where everyone logs in at the same time but this is rare. As face-to-face courses are broken out into weeks, so too are online courses broken out into ‘modules’ that are time bound. A combination of text-based lecture (contextualizing the learning activities), with additional multimedia are utilized to establish learning objectives for each module, outlining reading requirements and timelines for deliverables (contributing to discussions, case analysis, papers, etc.). Online courses are ‘very’ interactive and afford greater opportunity for peer-to-peer (student) interaction, as well as greater opportunity for faculty-to-student interaction. Most classes are capped at 25 students.

Q: How do I know if online learning is for me?

A: Students need a base level of technological proficiency and solid organizational skills.

Q: How much does online learning cost?

A: The exact same as face-to-face.

Q: Is someone available to explain my degree plan and help me select classes?

A: Yes, all ‘programs’ have advisors and staff is well positioned to advise students on enrolling in an online class.

Q: Will I be able to complete all of my required coursework online?

A: Generally no. Certainly not at the undergraduate level. UConn does have a few entirely online graduate programs, but many have low residency requirements, e.g., the MSA in accounting, or the MPS in human resource management.

Q: How will my courses be graded?

A: Generally the same criteria as it would be in a face-to-face class. Assessments that are aligned to course learning objectives which include gradeable assessments (papers, quizzes, writing assignments, case analyses, discussion postings) and often non-graded quizzes.

Q: Why is accreditation important?

A: It serves as an important signal to prospective students about the threshold and baseline level of quality related to courses/programs.

Q: Are online degree programs eligible for financial aid?

A: Yes.

Q: How will potential employers view my online degree?

A: I think employers at the moment are more apt to view an online degree at the graduate level more favorably than at the undergraduate level. At the graduate level, increasingly there is little difference in terms of employer valuing.