Page 1: The Internet’s Significant Impact on Education
Page 2: Who is the Right Student for Online Education?
Page 3: How Does a Student Select an Online School?
Page 5: Advantages and Disadvantages of Online Learning: Is It the Right Choice for You?

Typical Goals of Online Students

Online education requires a strong dedication, planning, and commitment from the student. Because the routine offers flexibility, those who rely on their peers to get them up and motivated may have a harder time completing assignments and, therefore, online courses. What appears to be a compelling motivator is a strong student goal.

Typical goals that are strong motivators are:

- Monetary gain / personal freedom. Students who have a clear vision of improving their financial well-being or freeing up more personal time via a white-collar job are likely to succeed in their online course or degree pursuits. A high level of commitment combined with a definable goal tends to keep online students on target, providing the momentum to complete course requirements.

- Continuing education. People looking for work or for a higher level job see online education as a tool for influencing employers.

- Corporate training. Certification in a skill area or an advanced degree is seen as a means for promotion or, at the very least, protection against being laid off.

- Advanced degree. Still others find that the flexibility of online education allows them to pursue the advanced degree essential to job advancement. The online MBA, for example, attracts those who want to flex their entrepreneurial skills and / or show their employers or future employers their commitment to mastery of key business skills and qualities.

- Post-secondary education. Due to family commitments, schedules, and/or dedication to their jobs, some students find online education as the best means for learning after high school. Often these are single women with children who number among the highest in online course enrollment. The dream of earning a degree while foregoing the time required to travel to and from classes is a steady draw for these students.

- Personal development. For many, particularly those who have delayed personal development until their children were raised, distance learning offers a chance to explore their passions, to delve into areas of study that are non-essential. Examples might be art classes or medication or the study of literature. These students’ enthusiasm for achieving their personal goals provides its own momentum.

- Courses unavailable in student’s area. Taking a course from a leading scholar is a draw for many who live in rural areas and are unwilling to commit to living away from home long enough to complete such a class. “If only…” excuses from the past are eliminated as students can study with the experts only dreamed of by previous generations. Even degrees unavailable in the student’s region are easily available.

- Ease of working from home. A secondary motivator is the ease of taking an online class. Distance learners can be students who can enroll in a course or program that would have been difficult because of a physical handicap or a family member requiring frequent attention.

Even so, not everyone who enrolls in a online course or program completes it. "If it doesn't lead to a particular position or help them do a current job, it's not necessarily worthy of the time," said University of Phoenix President Laura Palmer Noone. "The major issue is not money, it's time. The biggest difficulties are when life gets in the way." (Online schools clicking with students, Greg Botelho, CNN, August 13, 2004)

Page 1: The Internet’s Significant Impact on Education
Page 2: Who is the Right Student for Online Education?
Page 3: How Does a Student Select an Online School?
Page 5: Advantages and Disadvantages of Online Learning: Is It the Right Choice for You?

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