by Nadia Ghanny

Created on: July 29, 2007   Last Updated: September 03, 2011

REVISED MARCH 21 2011:

Before ever attempting to commence serious studying online via the internet, you must first 'research,' and have the necessary facts about the institution. Furthermore, make certain the learning institutions you are committing to will be committed to you, meaning they have to be accredited.  Another point, make certain the program you are interested in is something you are able to do online and that it will be recognized.

Accreditation means the institution of learning has to follow a set of standardized rules/guidelines focusing in the areas of the administrative body including academic policy. If you go on Google and search for universities/colleges that are accredited, you will get the info from the most popular to the least. The potential student can then evaluate and research them accordingly before physically applying. If there are questions write them down to ask the administrator or academic counselor of the school you hope to attend.

The questions should include the tuition fees/other incidentals, the outline of the program, the maximum time you can complete this degree, and how is the format of the class designed? Will it be one instructor or more than one? How many students overall in the class? Is it one on one with the professor or will you have a student body? Is the program right for me? Are credits transferable from a former university/college which will be credited to my new degree program? How often I am required to be online? Is it 24/7? Because it should be this is one of the main reasons when we commit to doing an online program, it has to have the flexibility to accommodate our busy lives.

What is the overall policy of the institution about academic dishonesty? Grading, publishing, copyright etc. these things could in some small way determine if this is a good internet based learning institution. For example if the institution does not place a great deal of value on academic dishonesty and how they would handle this type of behavior, is it zero tolerance or is the grade given a zero, either way it can tell you something about their philosophy and ethics of learning. Also, you might want to obtain a financial annual report about the university/college online to further evaluate their financial stability.

In some cases learning institutions experiencing some financial difficulties will not be able to provide you with the necessary information, resources, or other things which is important for you to succeed. Another

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