If anything, what do you lose earning an online degree?

2015-07-16T20:16:27-04:00

There is a great deal of debate surrounding degrees earned in a traditional way and those earned online. I have earned a degree both ways, and have great things to say about both methods. However, if I was to note one difference it would be decreased interaction with professors during online education. I think no matter the efforts the school makes to prevent this, the loss of face-to-face interaction detracts from learning.

If anything, what do you think you lose by earning a degree online?

Response by SPC Michael Sherfey made Jul 16 at 2015 8:20 PM

2015-07-16T20:20:13-04:00

The joy of class participation with people that are the same age as my children...he said facetiously.

Response by LTC Private RallyPoint Member made Jul 16 at 2015 8:20 PM

2015-07-16T20:20:43-04:00

Personal interaction in person. Online programs may have discussions but nothing is the same as face to face.

Response by SFC Stephen King made Jul 16 at 2015 8:26 PM

2015-07-16T20:26:48-04:00

I attempted the traditional University for a 5 yr run. Majored in all things fun had a great time.
No degree quit school went Active, Desert Storm fueled my fire.

So I got my mind right and I actually preferred the on line experience and graduated with honors.

Response by SSG (ret) William Martin made Jul 16 at 2015 8:34 PM

2015-07-16T20:34:50-04:00

I earned my BS in a class room setting. I earned my MS in online. First, I am not discounting any value of an online degree. There are pros and cons to both paths, in class and online. For in class, I got to interact will really great minds from young to old and from inexperienced and experienced. I loved the unofficial forum a class offered. Sure, you can actually do the same online but it is not the same when you get to see the people in person for you get to witness their facial expressions and I can act accordingly to their body language. Thank goodness for emoticons.

Response by Lt Col Timothy Parker, DBA made Jul 16 at 2015 8:38 PM

2015-07-16T20:38:55-04:00

On-line degrees at one time were looked upon as second rate - in fact a retired BG suggested I quit my on-line classes and get a real degree. That same year MIT and Harvard offered on-line courses. Many brink and mortar schools do as well to keep up with demand (which also pushes the need to keep the quality high). There is some loss of personal interaction, but that is not always a bad thing for everyone.

I worked hard for my "brick and mortar" Masters in Business, and am working just as hard for my on-line doctorate in business. It won't have the name recognition of Harvard or MIT, but I couldn't afford that anyway (assuming I could even get in).

Response by SSgt Alex Robinson made Jul 16 at 2015 9:06 PM

2015-07-16T21:06:19-04:00

Nothing. I know many who completed degrees online and they wet some of th bet educated people I know.

Response by CPT(P) Private RallyPoint Member made Jul 16 at 2015 9:41 PM

2015-07-16T21:41:30-04:00

"loss of face-to-face interaction detracts from learning"... PLEASE tell me that you DO NOT think all blind and/or deaf people are less intelligent!

Response by 1SG Jeffrey Bergeron made Jul 16 at 2015 9:43 PM

2015-07-16T21:43:21-04:00

I think it depends on the college or university. I attend St. Joseph College of Maine for my A.A in Adult Education and there was not really any interation with professors. However I did get to know some of them. Now with Kaplan University, we interate with the professor as much as you would like. In addition there is a weekly seminar live class room chat with the professor on voice and showing slides. The interation with the students and professor is great. I have attended a tradional classroom. so my option is greatly one sided. however like I said the interation depends on the class.

Response by CW3 Kevin Storm made Jul 16 at 2015 10:39 PM

2015-07-16T22:39:55-04:00

Easy, hmm, as I did both, I can tell you what I didn't miss the traffic of leaving work and going to class. The money I saved by missing that great cafeteria food. Dealing with some really immature people who have no clue what life is. Those are the things I missed.

Response by SGT Private RallyPoint Member made Jul 16 at 2015 10:47 PM

2015-07-16T22:47:22-04:00

You don't get paid as much from the GI Bill, also. For some, that means nothing, though.

Response by COL Charles Williams made Jul 16 at 2015 11:47 PM

2015-07-16T23:47:07-04:00

CW3 Private RallyPoint Member I would say aside from the college life, as depicted above, you lose the classroom interaction, and the learning that comes from working with and listening to others. In grad school before I went to work at West Point, I learned more from the group discussions and interactions, than I did from reading, or listening to professors... drone on. I am in an hybrid program now for my EdS and EdD, and it is perfect for my schedule. But, I do miss the classroom interaction. I don't miss sitting in class for hours.

Response by PO1 John Miller made Jul 17 at 2015 12:49 AM

2015-07-17T00:49:53-04:00

CW3 Private RallyPoint Member, something always gets lost in translation when you earn a degree solely online. You may ask a question of your professor but email/IM doesn't always convey well!

But there are some types of degrees that are much better earned online. For example some IT degrees.

Response by CW4 Private RallyPoint Member made Jul 17 at 2015 12:59 AM

2015-07-17T00:59:17-04:00

I've attended a traditional university full time and I went to another traditional university during nights while I was already in the Military and in my opinion, I like online college life better. The lack of interaction with other students doesn't bother me and as for the instructors, I've never had issues reaching out and talking to them on the phone to address issues or areas that I might of had questions about.

Response by MSG Private RallyPoint Member made Jul 17 at 2015 6:15 AM

2015-07-17T06:15:20-04:00

Having a teacher in person to show me where I went wrong when I took statistics online. Math isn't my strong suit and not having the ability to show my work hindered my ability to understand my mistakes. Something's are better in a classroom.

Response by 1SG Steven Stankovich made Jul 17 at 2015 6:19 AM

2015-07-17T06:19:53-04:00

I am one class shy of my Bachelor's Degree. I'll start that one in September (I'm on my summer break right now... ;) ) All of my classes have been on-line except for College Algebra. That one I needed to do at the Education Center. I do not think that I lost out on anything by taking on-line classes. They provided me the flexibility to complete classes as I had the time available and I felt that I had a very good "battle rhythm" when it came to completing all required coursework.

Response by SGT Kristin Wiley made Jul 17 at 2015 8:44 AM

2015-07-17T08:44:30-04:00

The true college experience; interaction with others my age; ability to know the teachers and use this resource for possible future letters of recommendation; not being able to rely on Student Services or a different department to help me with issues; hoping that I'm in a time zone where I can call the school to work out potential issues, etc.

Response by SPC Private RallyPoint Member made Jul 17 at 2015 9:18 AM

2015-07-17T09:18:26-04:00

dealing with mouthy 18 year olds?... I went to a school on a military post. I loved it. Probably 90% of my classmates were veterans, active duty, or retired. Only a few spouses. It made for some awesome conversations in all my military history classes and ANY of my ethics and philosophy classes.

Response by SPC David S. made Jul 17 at 2015 10:09 AM

2015-07-17T10:09:03-04:00

I think much can be gleaned from the in class discussions especially at the master's level. You get the opportunity to tap into the "real world" experiences of others via class participation that you just can't extract from a book or video. Also considering online vs. traditional education I think the individual's learning style and modality as well as their comfort in using technology plays a part in the on-line experience. One big difference is the time commitment - in class participation forces a time commitment vs. online you can stay up until 4 am banging out the course work. I do feel the on-line approach also requires more discipline - more than likely a non sequitur for the military folks.

Response by MSgt James Mullis made Jul 17 at 2015 11:17 AM

2015-07-17T11:17:00-04:00

It depends on what you mean by "Lose". Active duty personnel should check if the school is acceptable for your branch of service. As long as the School is regionally or nationally certified you shouldn't have any problems using it to get most jobs. However, some civilian employers still look down on online degrees.

Response by CPT Private RallyPoint Member made Jul 17 at 2015 2:05 PM

2015-07-17T14:05:01-04:00

If you just want a piece of paper or qualification that helps you achieves X in your career or development, you'll probably miss out on little. If you want great learning and networking opportunities, or view education as an organic process that benefits from being boots-on-ground, you'll miss out on a lot.

Even if the quality of education was the same between online and B&M coursework (in my opinion it generally isn't), the educational opportunities are not. These include networking, research, internships, direct access to professors and resources, and various summer experiences.

As long as your selection meet your needs, you should lose nothing that matters to you. That said, there are things you can lose, if you care about them.

Response by LCDR Private RallyPoint Member made Jul 17 at 2015 2:35 PM

2015-07-17T14:35:06-04:00

I think at least for my online MBA the arguments made to date actually make the online method more valuable in the current business environment which will no doubt continue to migrate towards the remote and diverse workplace. In my online degree the remote interaction exposed the student to having to make his argument without the face to face interaction of a traditional classroom. I can’t tell you how many times I read an email and called the author to discuss their tone. In an online degree you have to learn the art of writing in the electronic median without being offensive. Traditional universities tend to be less diverse then the online community. The edX classes I take online are widely diverse even more so than my online MBA. My online MBA was through the University of Texas and my classmates where very diverse. In the end in industry all they care about is the degree and experience.

Response by MAJ Raúl Rovira made Jul 18 at 2015 5:38 PM

2015-07-18T17:38:08-04:00

You get back what you put in regardless if it is traditional or on-line. There are pros and cons on both sides. We make the choice based on our personal learning preference and/or the needs of the situation.
You do loose the classroom feel of having face to face conversations. I worked around that by connecting with classmates over e-mail, LinkedIn and over the phone.