Excelle

I currently attend University of Phoenix. I love it until I do not understand something. It is like pulling teeth to get help.

On the up side it allows me to be a parent and keep a full time job.

I have been taking classes with University of Phoenix for a1 year and in that time this is the first teacher I have had this problem with.

I took a majority of my classes toward my Bachelors degree on-line. I am a single mother, and didn't have the resources to go, unless I went on line. So I think getting an education is awesome...yes, I admit, when you don't understand something it gets difficult, because at a certain point you are teaching yourself...but there are usually forums where you can pose questions, and get understanding. There are some classes though, that absolutely should NOT be taken on line...but for the most part, it's great. You have to have a lot of discipline too.

One of those classes is math, I'm taking Liberal Arts Math 1332 and I really need to be in a class room with this particular subject and this is the last chance I have to take it before going to undergraduate school, but they only offered the class online.  Oh well, guess I can't have every class my way.

Vanessa

I loved it also.

I was only able to complete my Associate degree because I had the ability to have online classes. I did not attend the various online colleges that are strictly online. I attended a college where I live, and had  the majority of my classes online. I work and with family and their needs, my ability to return to college with my schedule I needed the flexibility of online classes and the available of hybrid classes. Hybrid is a class where you may have 3-4 times at campus for lecture and the rest online. The online area was in a BlackBoard area where if you had questions or discussions, answers were there for you or discussion of subjects for the class where even if you never met the other students, you gathered for discussion and ideas.

Most colleges have very similar flexibility in scheduling for students.

If you want to take online classes from a strictly online college--make sure it is an accredited college. If you have the ability to do the same thing from your local college--I would choose them first.

 I would start small to see if you like online classes, try something like a health and wellness class, which is usually a class that must be taken (Health or PE) in even business degrees. A computer or Software class is another good choice, to see if this is something you don't mind scheduling your day or week of homework.

Online classes have to scheduled just like you were on campus. It is a must do and not somethoing to put off, it is something that you just nmake routine. Organization and priority, but it was worth it for me. I am where I am today because of the ability of online. If you aren't sure about those strictly online colleges, check out the flexibility of your local colleges.

I was thinking about taking an online class as well,but reading some of the things you all mention maybe i better think about it,

I got both my bachelors and master degrees through the University of Phoenix. For the most part the 'facilitors' were great, although there were one or two who were not responsive. I found that posting questions about the assignments, reading materials, etc in the class forum, helped not only gain participation points ... it also helped me when I was stuck on an issue. The best thing about on-line education is that everyone has a chance to speak, unlike 'brick & mortar' schools, where the loudest or most confident students seemed to shout out the answers before the rest of us had a chance to digest it. Also, there are a core group of students who are with you in each class. My group formed our own 'study group' and we would use IM's or emails to help each other.

Hello,

This is my first year as an online student, so far the experience has been great, I've been motivated to learn on my own as well. I'm unemployed and looking for a job. I hope I don't have to move out of state to find one, but If I do school want be affected, and that is good. I love the freedom I have to still attend to day to day life, I'm a single mom so going to class online is mos def an advantage.   

I believe accredition is the most important thing, putting in all your time for an education and not have it recognized would be a waste of your time and money.

My company does allow  some "online college-Apollo or ITT or similar" graduates. For instance a nurse (LPN), can work under a R.N. at my work. Two LPN's recieved their nursing degrees from Apollo College, but these nurses worked for our company while in school. Now if the Administrator had a choice between Apollo and a college (state or community) she would take the state or community first.

Business colleges are not accredited within the state and community here. A local business college in Portland is not recognized by my college as a true business college. They study different classes and the state to transfer to a University has requirements that are not met by a "business college", example a couple in the metro area of Portland.

I recently graduated from a community college -96 credits, 2 years for my associate degree. I met a woman there who had attended the local "business college" and none of it counted for her education, not even pre-reqs. She had to start from the beginning, and it is in the metro area and has been there for years.

I would check your local University or local community college by calling and asking the advisor department.

Hello,

I am currently a student at University of Maryland University College or UMUC. I am nearly finished with my masters degree in Technology Management. In fact, most professionals I work/worked with attended UMUC, because of the convenience.

The Good:

Convenience:

Best part of online education is convenience. I go to class when I want, so long as assignments are turned in by midnight on the designated date (usually a Sunday or Monday evening).

 

You can connect from anywhere:

I've been "in class" in Chicago, in New York, at a local Starbucks or a Panera Bread as well as at home at 4 in the morning. So long as you have an internet connection, you're good to go. Warning though...never wait until the last minute to turn it an assignment. One semester, I had a major paper due, and we lost power at home due to a storm. It was 2 am, and nothing was open for me to go. Although, the teacher excused me...it was very very stressful.

The Bad:

Participation requirements can be a problem. Currently I'm dealing with a difficult professor, who requires 6 log ins a week to participate in discussions. The problem is when the topic is not interesting, there is really not much to talk about, or even much you WANT to talk about. But honestly, I find his requirements a bit anal retentive, and it is the first time I've encountered this. Normally, you are supposed to participate, but that is considered minor.

Group projects are also a pain. I've had projects that consumed 20 hours of my weekly time, just talking to people over the phone, and email.

Getting help is sometimes difficult. There are no office hours, so you have to contact your teacher through e-mail only. I'm still waiting for my teacher to reply to a concern I had, and it's been 3 days.

Teachers. I've had luck with this major, but honestly I have had some of the worst teachers known to man. I think that most professors are not well trained to handle online students, and the majority of the time, they are also teaching other schools. My advice, do extensive research on that teacher. Use RateMyProfessors.com, and join a Linkedin group for that school. I use UMUC's Master of Technology Management group at Linkedin to scout advice from alumni and current students. Trust me, THAT has been a lifesaver.

Reading. Reading will take over your life. There are book chapters, lectures, research, and extra content for you to read. In a regular class, you listen to the teacher and take notes...in online, EVERYTHING must be read.

Some advice about UMUC:

A lot of people don't know this, but once you pay UMUC for a class, the money is theirs. If you drop the class within 5 days of starting, you will only get 70% of your money and less and less as you wait. After two weeks, you get nothing. Which is why it's important to find a good teacher, and make sure that you are indeed ready to take courses. $1,400 per course is a lot of money to lose.

I recommend UMUC because the institution belongs to the Maryland System, which includes U of Maryland, Baltimore, Towson, even Johns Hopkins. In the end, as far as online schools are concerned, UMUC does pack a better punch than say Strayer. Plus, they have been doing online for YEARS.

I give UMUC a grade of C+. The teachers could use some help. Although my brother went to Johns Hopkins for his MBA and we both had the same teacher - only I paid much less for him. UMUC should also increase their academic programs. I never had a problem dealing with Financial Aid or Graduate Advising, but I have heard of others who have had problems. Webtycho (online software like Blackboard) is easy to use and VERY stable. As with any online school, UMUC has very little to offer in the area of student outreach, career advising or student events.

Hope this helps,

Luciana