Distance Education

A couple of weeks ago in class we learned about distance education and its increasing popularity. As our society continues to become more and more centered around technology, it seems logical that getting a degree online would be possible. Many highly acclaimed universities now have distance learning available, which has been quite the controversy recently. First, if someone is taking classes online at UF but never sets foot on campus, can they call themselves a Gator? Or if they get their education from Phoenix online, and are competing for the same job with the same major as you, should they be set to a lower standard? There are pros and cons to online education, but first the pros. Being able to take classes online is very convenient for those who have weird schedules. If you have class online you don't need to be in a classroom at the same time every day, and can do the work (by the deadline of course) at your own pace. In addition, it teaches responsibility and time management, because It would be easy to put things off or forget to do them if you didnt have to go to class every day to get reminded. Alternately, people argue that it is lazy, and that its a lot easier.

There are some very prestigious schools that offer online classes, but there are also a lot of scams out there. There are websites that you can pay to get a fake degree. In class we learned about a dog who got an online degree. If you are taking only classes online it is very important to make sure it is legitimate. I think for the most part online classes are a great thing. Sometimes if you need a class, but the only openings are online you have to wait to take it another semester, but with the addition of distance education, it can be taken online which can be very helpful and save a lot of time!