Non-Profit Study Online
December 23rd 2009 08:45
Last year I did my first bout of University study. I've done other tertiary study before, some Polytech units and at least one full-year course where I did a Certificate in Residential Child Care.
But that was quite some time ago. The paper I did this year, as I've probably mentioned in this blog before, was on basic Research, and was an online paper. I've consider doing another one at the beginning of 2010, but at the moment I'm not convinced that the topic is quite what I'd be interested in...and worse, there's an actual real-live exam! Unlike the paper last year which was all done on the Internet, with assignments and so on. Assignments I can do, exams I ain't so keen on!
Which brings me to a particular college called Western Governors University where you can do an online degree. It's in the States of course, but these days that's no obstacle - a friend of mine is doing Hebrew via an Israeli University, along with other students scattered around the globe.
Western Governors has a variety of online courses; it's divided up into a Teachers' College, a Business College, a College of Information and Technology and a College for the Health Professions. Perhaps there are more - those are just the ones that I've seen on the home page.
WGU has some interesting features: it's based entirely online, it's only been going since 1997 and it's non-profit. (You could say it was WGUNGO - and it makes it a very young university.) Apart from the fact that you can get a scholarship in a number of subjects, the tuition fees are considerably less than the average University, and, I'm told, are about half what the average online course costs. I have to take that on spec, since without checking up I don't know what the average American university course costs, but I suspect it ain't cheap! - and I haven't really checked into other US online degree courses. By NZ standards these prices are still pretty high (especially when you convert them to NZ dollars).
Perhaps a more interesting 'difference' is that this University actually requires you to understand the subjects you're learning. Because you can't gain credits just by attending classes (there are no 'classes'), you have to prove by your online work that you know what the material means, and that you can apply it. Perhaps this is the norm for other universities, but my suspicion, based on not a lot of evidence, is that some universities in the States don't have very high standards.
NGU gives the solid impression that high standards are not just expected, but attained.
Well, there you go! Check 'em out...!
But that was quite some time ago. The paper I did this year, as I've probably mentioned in this blog before, was on basic Research, and was an online paper. I've consider doing another one at the beginning of 2010, but at the moment I'm not convinced that the topic is quite what I'd be interested in...and worse, there's an actual real-live exam! Unlike the paper last year which was all done on the Internet, with assignments and so on. Assignments I can do, exams I ain't so keen on!
Which brings me to a particular college called Western Governors University where you can do an online degree. It's in the States of course, but these days that's no obstacle - a friend of mine is doing Hebrew via an Israeli University, along with other students scattered around the globe.
Western Governors has a variety of online courses; it's divided up into a Teachers' College, a Business College, a College of Information and Technology and a College for the Health Professions. Perhaps there are more - those are just the ones that I've seen on the home page.
WGU has some interesting features: it's based entirely online, it's only been going since 1997 and it's non-profit. (You could say it was WGUNGO - and it makes it a very young university.) Apart from the fact that you can get a scholarship in a number of subjects, the tuition fees are considerably less than the average University, and, I'm told, are about half what the average online course costs. I have to take that on spec, since without checking up I don't know what the average American university course costs, but I suspect it ain't cheap! - and I haven't really checked into other US online degree courses. By NZ standards these prices are still pretty high (especially when you convert them to NZ dollars).
Perhaps a more interesting 'difference' is that this University actually requires you to understand the subjects you're learning. Because you can't gain credits just by attending classes (there are no 'classes'), you have to prove by your online work that you know what the material means, and that you can apply it. Perhaps this is the norm for other universities, but my suspicion, based on not a lot of evidence, is that some universities in the States don't have very high standards.
NGU gives the solid impression that high standards are not just expected, but attained.
Well, there you go! Check 'em out...!
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