Pros and Cons of Online Education

Is online education good or bad?
What are the advantages and disadvantages of online classes?
Is taking online classes a good idea?
Is online education beneficial?


When deciding how to pursue an education further into the future, most people look at attending college, but more people are looking at attending an online college. While doing so, there are many factors to consider before jumping into the virtual world of PDFs, discussion boards, and word documents.


The online environment offers a world that is much different from the brick and mortar setting. This article will provide three areas to research when considering an online education as well as provide a list of pros and cons to think about while hunting for the best educational option.

Location of Online Schools


What is the best online school?
How do you know if an online school is accredited?


Looking at where one lives in relation to where a school is located makes a lot of sense. For someone living in the heart of Portland, Oregon, there are many choices in schools within the region that are easily accessible. However, if one lives in a community of three hundred people and 4 hours away from any community with a college campus, then the options of attending a college campus become slim.

The first step in preparing for an adventure in any educational pursuit is to decide where to attend school, either locally, through a long commute, or the online environment.

Programs of Study


Most colleges offer various programs of study from biosciences, music, criminology, psychology, and so on. The online environment also provides many different programs of study, some of which are more in-depth and specific than those located at a traditional ground based campus. For example, Capella University offers an array of graduate degrees of more specific nature including: PhD in Information Assurance and Technology, PhD in Training and Performance Improvement, PhD in Public Safety Leadership just to list a few.

Altogether, Capella University offers well over 40 degrees in the PhD, Doctorate, and the higher graduate degree offerings. Depending on what program one wishes to study, the online environment offers excellent and enriching programs of in-depth proportion with many options to choose from.

Cost of Attendance


The online education will set someone back roughly $15,000 a year for an undergraduate program and perhaps around $23,000 for a year studying in a graduate program. In comparison to the brick and mortar schools, there are no expenses as gas, meal plans, and bus tickets. Most online schools are accredited with the regional accreditation system and accept federal Stafford loans and grants as accepted means to paying…and of course…all online universities accept cash.

Pros of an Online Education


What are the benefits of online education?
Why is online education important?


There are many pros and cons to attending an online school. Following are some examples one can expect from the online educational experience.

-No commuting involved
-Self-directed time organization
-Comfort of a home environment
-Does not affect a loss in income from less hours at work
-Able to spend more time with family members
-Usually only take one class at a time, therefore books are much cheaper
-More writing assignments enable students to polish and perfect their eye to detailed writing
-Attend class anywhere there is a computer
-Ability to travel and not “miss” class due to nonattendance
-Benefits of learning and interacting with people from all over the nation or world

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Cons of an Online Education


What are the disadvantages of online classes?
What are the disadvantages of e-learning?


While there are many pros to attending an online school, there are also some cons as well. Following are some examples of typical frustrations and disadvantages to attending an online school.

-Loss of socialism due to no face to face contact
-Very little, if any experience presenting presentations (however, the online education does offer many opportunities for creating and sharing presentations)
-More writing assignments become monotonous
-Difficulty gaining relationships with faculty and staff, however, not impossible
-Missed experience of attending the traditional brick and mortar school, of which is usually in a beautiful setting and full of the academic “feeling”
-Missed experience of using a traditional library and laboratories

When one is searching for an education and possibly considering the pros and cons of an online education, the factors of location, type of program, and cost need to be researched. Also, the environment in which someone chooses to study also affects the entire experience.


Author Twinkle Brar

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