Being an Online Degree Holder and Proud
of It
One
of the great myths of the early 21st Century is that an online degree is worth much less than that of an on ground equivalent
and the credits are not transferable. Nothing on the transcript should read that the degree was or was not acquired online,
nor should there be anything on the diploma to suggest it.
To pose
the idea that the acquisition of a degree online is less than one acquired by study in a classroom is ill-informed prejudice
of the worst kind. The fact that most of this comes from disgruntled academics who see tenure and their classrooms going the
way of the dodo bird is neither astounding nor surprising. Traditional classroom teachers have long been in denial over online
education.
If the branch of the university one attends has an online
education division and it broadcasts to the world that the degree was earned online by listing it on the transcript and the
diploma, this is not a school one should aspire to attend regardless of the reputation of the school. The mere fact it is
mentioned is a sell out of the student as it connotates something that is slightly less than a traditional classroom school
offering. This is an example of a college or university controlled by a faculty of purists and certainly not one any serious
student of higher education would want to be a part.
In the world of
higher education, it is no longer an embarrassment to acquire a degree online or for that matter to be apologetic for studying
online. In fact, it is a pretty trendy thing to do these days because, if anything, it really does diversify the learning
experience and opens incredible options that just a few short years ago were non-existent. Fellow online classmates can be
from anywhere in the world and contacts through the advent of social networking have made a remarkable breakthrough in bringing
individuals and scholars together that otherwise might never have been able to meet or network.
The icing on the cake remains the instructor. S/he just might be the best in the world in the course subject,
something normally not available at your local 'brick and mortar'
______________________________________________
The copyright article may be reprinted with proper reference
to the Author.
The Author: Dr. Fred DiUlus
is a noted pioneer and expert in online higher education. He is also the author of the
Best Worst Online Degree Program Providers, the annual free rating and rankings of online degree providers worldwide .He is the Director of the Center
for Ethics in Free Enterprise (est.1996), and the developers of the international
online university builder, Global Academy Online, Inc. 
