Are Online Degree Programs Becoming More Legitimate?

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Once regarded as the lesser alternative for on-campus learning, online degree programs are now the most credible form of education. As the covid-19 situation continues to endure, how are the Accredited Online Degree Programs going to be considered against their conventional counterparts?

Students, amidst the pandemic, are suffering the most. Especially the ones who are going to college, or would go in a few months, have no choice but to opt for an online school. Here comes the scope of the best accredited online colleges.

Fully online certificates and degrees are quite popular these days. However, not all of these are accredited. There is always an issue with the image and the legitimacy of the degree program. Given the pandemic situation, however, online degree programs experienced a rush of interest, as well as the need for online learning, with even the conventional universities coming online. Could this situation be a trigger, or turning point, for virtual degree acceptance?

If you consider the number of students enrolling in Accredited Online College Courses, it is highly possible.

This pandemic has blurred the difference between learning, which started online versus courses designed to be taken in person, which essentially is now remote. Simply, students are only taking online courses now.

Perhaps, the ones who chose to enroll in an accredited online degree program even before this pandemic could have an edge. Conventional universities are compelled to improvise online teaching on very short notice, whereas the pre-existing online learning setup delivers a more engaging and interesting experience because it had been designed to always be online.

Paving The Way To The Future, Online

Undoubtedly, online degrees are popular and the industry is huge. It is also predicted to grow further. However, that does not mean these virtual degree programs would become universally respected. There is a stigma associated with online degrees, almost marking it to be an easier way out than on-campus degrees.

However, students believe that Accredited Online Degree Programs are equally challenging as conventional on-campus degrees, if not more. As it is required for students to work independently, the challenge just doubles. It also provides students with transferable expertise that is not easily found on the campus.

Universities play a key role in reinforcing the distinction between online degrees and real degrees. A few years back, degrees with ‘e’ and ‘i’ were mushrooming in different parts of the country – an eMasters or an iMBA was looking promising. It was, then, just a few universities making a change to virtual/remote/online learning, without affecting their brand image.

However, as people get accustomed to this form of learning, with soaring demand for quality higher education, that distinction should be less pronounced. Universities, professors, as well as learners are hopeful that post-pandemic, the stigma shall be removed considering the necessity of online learning.

The primary reason for this could be that everyone is into online learning. Even junior schools are online.

Today, what is happening is that people who did not willingly want to enroll in an online course are forced to do so. As a result, everybody is bound to think about the situation. Going with the flow, most universities are trying to innovate ways to increase the chances of legitimization of virtual education. The most critical part of this is to find a solid way to teach those subjects, which were once difficult to instruct, or impossible to teach online.

For engineering subjects, for example, some universities pioneered online courses in the first year. The course incorporated computer games and virtual reality technology, allowing students to participate in virtual labs.

Impact of Accredited Online Degree Programs

The question still looms over the impact and scope of online degrees. Will online degrees have the same scope and impression as on-campus degrees? Will the online learning ubiquity devalue conventional degrees?

Instead of looking at it as a threat, online studying and degrees from the Best Accredited Online College should be treated as an opportunity. If such universities have their online offerings to attract new students who would have never considered attending in-person classes, then they might increase the income stream.

It is highly unlikely for traditional colleges to go away. However, the online learning process is likely to grow even further.

It is too early to predict exactly how much this pandemic shall transform online education. The answers lie in the education culture of the country and the shift to online learning.

Experts opine that once this pandemic is over, even conventional universities are going to continue with the new method – blended learning, which is a combination of hands-on training and online learning. There is a lot of scope for additional innovation, which might even change the learning space rapidly.