What to look for in an Online University Program

Online courses and programs have been highly successful and has become a popular choice for students who donโ€™t mind taking classes online. Many universities are making their classes available online even after their campusโ€™ have opened up and live classes have returned. Due to numerous universities venturing into the online education market, it has become overflooded with amateur, below par online programs.

Choosing a university to attend live is straightforward. You can view the classrooms you will be attending classes in, look at the list of professors you will be taught by, and the quality of life around the campus. But for an online university program, it is much more difficult to get a grasp of the educational experience you will be receiving.

 

(How would you compare the instruction of your college-level online learning experiences with your college-level classroom experiences?) Most people don’t notice a difference in quality if the course is taught online. Source : Statista

Online Program Services

While attending a university online, your interaction with the university will predominantly be online. Due to the communication between you and the university being online, it is crucial to make sure the university has a streamlined online communication platform. Some universities hire teams just for interacting with online students and you should always look universities that have these dedicated teams.

Live or Recorded Lectures?

There are predominantly two types of online programs; recorded lectures and live online lectures. Making sure you find out if the online program the university offers are recorded lectures or live online lectures is crucial to understanding what your educational experience will be like in those programs. Having live online lectures requires you to attend classes on time and possibly interact with the professors. Recorded lectures, on the other hand, tend to have a more relaxed attendance period and little to no interactivity with the professors. In summary, live online lectures offer a more of a traditional class experience online, while the recorded lectures are leaning into the full online education experience.

Part time or Full-time education

One of the options when attending an online university program is the considerable availability in part-time programs. Especially if you are currently employed but want a graduate degree to progress your professional career, a part-time online program is ideal. On the contrary, if you are out of a job and are left with a year of free time, a full-time one-year program could help you secure a higher job position. In summary, choosing either a full-time or part-time online program entirely depends on your time availability.

Conclusion

Choosing the correct program and university for an online education is no simple endeavor. Thorough research of the universityโ€™s online program is key to ensuring you pick the correct online program for you.

These are some of the important questions you should ask yourself about the online programs of your choice.

  • Do they offer high-quality online support?
  • Are the classes live lectures or recorded lectures?
  • Do they offer part-time education or is full-time the only option?

Read more: Australia’s Effort to bring in more International Students in 2022