what's up with a lot of these on-line schools i.e. WGU etc..
mjones
Member Posts: 35 ■■□□□□□□□□
I have a 2 year degree A.A. in Business, and an A+ cert. I am currently studying for the Net+. This site like a lot of sites advertise a lot of online schools. Are they really credible? I am really interested in the WGU B.A. in IT because you get different cert's along the way. Would employers really accept a degree from this place or other any of the online schools and if so are they kind of frowned upon?
Comments
You can't just lump all online schools together because the quality will vary between them, just like with brick-and-mortar facilities.
A lot of Universities have online and night classes if your current work is getting in the way.
-Larry Ellison, CEO, Oracle
Studying: SCJA
Occupation: Information Systems Technician
http://www.capella.edu/about_capella/accreditation.aspx
http://www.wgu.edu/about_WGU/accreditation.asp
Here's another thread you may want to check out: http://www.techexams.net/forums/viewtopic.php?p=230042
Like I said there, it also depends on the program.
IT =
Surgery =
I've read a few of the posts on brick and mortar vs online and let me tell you just because a school is online does not in any way mean that it will be easier!!! I can compare Florida State University vs Western Governors University because I have attended both schools and speaking from experience they both demand quality work (notice I did not say one was easier or did I attempt to compare degrees from academic entities so please lets not get that debate started).
Now then, as a hiring manager one of the things I have to ask myself of each candidate REGARDLESS of where there degree is from is "What is their technical aptitude as compared to the job description in which they are applying for?" As long as you have an accredited degree, reasonable and verifiable hands on experience/certification/knowledge, and a passion to work you will be able to find a job.
Dynamik just curious, why is U of Phoenix not so great? Is this from personal experience or other? The reason I ask is because we have graduates from that institution working for my company and the majority of them are fairly good at their job.
My apologies for any rant or off topic digression
Yes, they will "accept" it. But rest assured online degree vs. one from a traditional school - given everything else is equal they will take the brick and mortar candidate first.
Your best bet it to find an online program from a brick and mortar school. It will be cheaper and a considerably better entry on your resume.
Either way, you can't go wrong either way!
This is a good point. There is going to be variance in all types of schools and within programs. Regional accreditation is supposed to solve that problem, but it rarely does. UoP is also regionally accredited like WGU and Capella. From my vantage point I don't see a real difference in any of these three specific schools.
I like to look at this question differently. Generally, an education from a for-profit school is perceived as less rigorous and less valuable than an education from a non-profit or an endowed school. Theoretically this should help WGU, because they are non-profit.
There are a few heated threads on here about ITT, DeVry, and other for-profit schools that cover this very topic of credibility. My intent is not to start another of those. Individuals can and do work hard at what they do regardless of the reputation of school they attend.
I do think a general statement about the school you choose can be made:
The more the reputation for the school you graduated from speaks for itself, the more your investment in education is working for you.
A corollary to this is:
The less you have to explain or defend the school you graduated from, the better.
MS
I did come across this while looking into it, and it seems useful: http://www.college-scholarships.com/ssac.htm
As always, thanks for the insight, MS.
I think you're on target. All other things held equal, a for-profit school only survives by selling classes. The piece of paper is more of a side-effect to completing a certain number of classes. Ultimately an endowed or non-profit school only survives through selling classes too, but they don't have the pressure of investors that want profits. Either way, how many of those pieces of paper one issues is a delicate balancing act....
It's simple supply and demand...the more pieces of paper issued from a school the lower overall value each individual piece of paper will have.
Also, everyone please note that my distinction says nothing about whether the program is online or not. Most schools these days offer some kind of online classwork, and even UoP has campuses. When I was in school a long time ago I took a class at a traditional university that was delivered by videotape. The mode of delivery doesn't determine the rigor of the program.
Not to totally beat-down for-profit schools, as endowed and state funded schools suffer from many problems, including virtual monopoly effects. For example, sometimes the only market for a book is one special class that a professor is teaching. Thus, it's not uncommon for these guys to write a book that they then require as the text for their course. This isn't going to be news for anyone here, but it's also not uncommon for textbooks to be exorbitantly priced...they have a captive market. I think a for-profit school has more flexibility in driving down this cost (whether they do or not is a different story).
Generally, my belief is that a for-profit approach is best in most industries. A couple of the only exceptions that I make are education and prisons. I think these are better run and more cost-effective, and offer less chance for corruption when run independently of investors that expect a return on capital. (Think about it, if you're running a business that administers prisons, what's the one thing you want more than anything?)
MS
Maybe even a 401(K)
"Hello John, Welcome aboard DeVry! Before you head off to class, may I interest you in some shares?"
"Shares?"
"Yes, some shares of our company! I mean you've already invested in an education here might as well work the market, am I right?!"
-Larry Ellison, CEO, Oracle
Studying: SCJA
Occupation: Information Systems Technician
I take a similar approach to gasoline. I own shares of an ETF that invests in energy stocks...I'd like to get enough in there that the annual returns cover our energy expenses, but that might take a while...
MS
Forbes had a mixed review...
http://www.forbes.com/bow/b2c/category.jhtml?id=147
Also, not to incite a riot, but jryantech should know that online classes are here to stay forever. You just have to pick the right school, but an online degree is not taboo any longer, especially in IT. Computers and the internet have changed everything else, why not education?
You have ripped online studies in multiple threads... and you asked: Why not attend a University? Fair enough, but why not send more snail mail.... why not buy more CDs? The world is a changin'.
Nothing against Capella, but I'd much rather have a teacher or therapist/counselor come from a brick and mortar institution. I think IT programs and distance/online learning are a good fit.
Those Forbes "reviews" kind of sucked. One paragraph with a best and worst opinion isn't much of a review. It looks like they just poked around the website and never even participated in the programs. They say a degree from Capella might not be taken too seriously, but they don't even bother to elaborate on that.
Safe Browsing
Diagnostic page for www.wgu.edu/wgu/
What is the current listing status for www.wgu.edu/wgu/?
Site is listed as suspicious - visiting this web site may harm your computer.
Part of this site was listed for suspicious activity 1 time(s) over the past 90 days.
What happened when Google visited this site?
Of the 253 pages we tested on the site over the past 90 days, 110 page(s) resulted in malicious software being downloaded and installed without user consent. The last time Google visited this site was on 07/10/2008, and the last time suspicious content was found on this site was on 07/10/2008.
Malicious software includes 112 scripting exploit(s), 17 trojan(s), 17 exploit(s). Successful infection resulted in an average of 3 new processes on the target machine.
Malicious software is hosted on 29 domain(s), including upcomd.com, usaadp.com, heiheinn.cn.
9 domain(s) appear to be functioning as intermediaries for distributing malware to visitors of this site, including upcomd.com, qq117cc.cn, pyttco.com.
Has this site acted as an intermediary resulting in further distribution of malware?
Over the past 90 days, www.wgu.edu/wgu/ did not appear to function as an intermediary for the infection of any sites.
Has this site hosted malware?
No, this site has not hosted malicious software over the past 90 days.
How did this happen?
In some cases, third parties can add malicious code to legitimate sites, which would cause us to show the warning message.
I really respect your contributions to this board and I have not researched Capella enough, so I mean no offense, but what?
Are the instructors at brick and mortar schools fundementally different in any way? Were they breast fed as oppose to the formula fed online instructors? IMO, you have to do your research no matter what format you choose to study with. I think the stigma associated with reputable online universities is unwarranted.
But, we all have our own opinions and I respect most of them.
For admission into Capella's IT masters program a minimum GPA of 2.3 is required. Not exactly stringent.
Take a look at most brick and mortar institutions for IT & CS and you'll notice a B+ average is the norm.
Quality.
Edit: Also, I wasn't imply that all brick and mortar schools are great at this either. There's plenty of those that are terrible as well. I was just generally saying that those types of programs are geared more towards classroom education.
My comment was only about online education in general. Many traditional schools are offering online degrees and online degrees are becoming more highly regarded. The "old" way is not the only way. A 30 page paper on "The Mating Habits of Left-Handed Dwarfs in Indonesia" is the same paper whether you are pursuing a degree online, in a building, or on the moon for that matter.
Edit: Good point dynamik, you do lose those personal communications, but again conferencing technology is going to help in that area too...
I like our opposing views on online education, but like Mitt Romney, I am sure you will change positions and be on my side tomorrow!
I couldn't help it, I don't play video games... I am a political junkie
I don't know about you, but I'd still be 1000 times more nervous standing in front of actual people than a webcam with an audience on the screen. You can't simply unplug a cord and retreat to your bedroom to sob into a pillow if you make an ass out of yourself when you're out and about
I'm not knocking online learning. I love it. It's flexible and conveniently works with my schedule. I'll probably have done close to 1/4-1/3 of my coursework online through IDL (independent distance learning) by the time I'm done with my degree. I just feel that certain programs benefit from the classroom environment, generally speaking.
Hehe.
"I was an independent during Reagan-Bush, I'm not trying to return to Reagan-Bush"
Yeah, he flips and/or flops, but his smugness tickles me in all the right places. I dunno, you'd have to butter me up more to make me shift my position on cyber learning.
Nothing is stopping you from getting your certs while going a community college or university. Do not pick an online school just because they offer you study material for your certification's...
The only two way I would attend any online school or technical school:
One is if my local community college did not offer classes the hours I needed because I'm stuck with my current job, which is very rare...
Two I did not get accepted into a state university.
-Larry Ellison, CEO, Oracle
Studying: SCJA
Occupation: Information Systems Technician
Depends on the program. I'm taking a writing intensive law class to satisfy my last Liberal Ed requirement, and it's intense. There's 16 lessons (3 are actually just exams), and I'll probably have to write 5-10 pages per lesson. It's a nine month course, and it ends in the middle of October. The only part that sucks is that I haven't started yet
A lot of the other courses I've taken have forced you participate in the forums and interact with other students, etc. Nothing like what you're describing at the U of M.