Accredited Online Colleges

I read this terrific article today in U.S. News and World Report’s education articles 8 Big Mistakes Online Students Make by Kim Clark. As an online teacher, I must agree with almost every single point the author made in this very informative article.

Entering the world of online education is a wonderful opportunity, especially for adults to earn their degrees after having put their educational endeavors off for so long that it has basically become the only viable option. Really, how many of us could quit our jobs and go back to school full time? I know, some people could do that, but it is certainly not the norm for most of us.

So, exploring the online opportunities to earn a degree is a great idea, but as this article makes pretty darn clear – exploring is the key to success. I’ve summed up a few of the points in the article, and I definitely agree that they are very good suggestions:

• Find out everything you can about the school and the program you are planning to pursue. Credibility is imperative – make sure your degree will be worth it.

• Be sure you have the necessary time to devote to your studying or enrolling will be for naught.

• Make sure you are suited for online learning. Learning styles are important, as Ms. Clark mentions in her article; online learners must be self-motivated and self-disciplined to succeed.

• Have the right Technology – I’ve written about this before and I can’t stress the importance of this point enough.  It is impossible to be successful if you don’t have the technology to do what your program will require of you. Find out what you need and make sure you have it BEFORE you sign up.

• Be prepared to do your own work. Technology also helps online teachers to easily detect plagiarism.

• Get ready to be part of your class and work together with your fellow classmates.

Now there is one point with which I disagree in this article. I don’t think it would be fair to drop out because your teacher has never taught an online course before; besides, I doubt that you can find out this information anyway. I know I did not mention to my first online class several years ago that I had never taught online before. Have I learned a lot since my first class? You bet, but I had to begin somewhere just like each online student must.

We have to take the first step to succeed at anything. Do you agree?