by Kathy Million

Created on: March 07, 2009   Last Updated: March 08, 2009

Online education is truly the wave of the future. The internet has made it possible for working adults and homemakers to pursue higher education without uprooting their lives. Online universities are now offering degree and certification programs that equal or surpass those offered by traditional schools. As online schooling is becoming more frequent and widely accepted, the high quality of education provided by many online universities is being noticed by potential employers.

As a non-traditional college student myself, I have had tremendous success. As a result I am highly supportive of online education. I earned my Associate of Science in Interdisciplinary Studies - Educational Paraprofessional from Kaplan University Online. In the fall I will be attending Phoenix Online to begin working toward my Bachelor of Science - Elementary Education. So far my experience with online degree programs has been favorable and highly regarded among employers. I have found that my supervisor has been impressed with the overall quality of my education and my knowledge as an education paraprofessional. I have never had an employer or faculty member question the credibility of my university or my credentials.

I researched both traditional and online schools before deciding on Kaplan University. The degree program offered by Kaplan covered the same courses offered by local colleges, and the professors were all highly qualified. The entire faculty had a either a Masters or a PhD and several years of experience. The courses offered were excellent in comparison to other courses I have taken in traditional college classrooms.

Online education is constantly improving as technical advances are made. Many colleges are now offering video and audio courses as well as interactive classrooms. These classrooms provide all of the support and opportunities that students will find in traditional schools. Another advantage to online education is the personal attention that students receive from their instructors. A lot of traditional universities use lecture type classes that are very impersonal and do not provide a lot of communication with the instructors. In online schooling, the professors read and respond to each student's work and questions personally. Classroom discussions are also used in online education. Students will post essays and answer questions in a forum, and respond to the work of other students. This allows students to learn from each other, debate points, and enhance their understanding of the material. This was one of the features of online learning that I valued the most as a student. I am extremely happy with my online college experience. The education that I received from Kaplan University was extensive and relevant to my degree program and the academic support I received from Kaplan was excellent. I found it to be extremely beneficial to my career and I highly recommend online education to anyone seeking to pursue a degree or certification while maintaining a career or raising a family.

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