Universities and the erosion of value and logic of getting a degree online

The exodus of value out of enrolling for online college courses is troubling to many. Here are some factors to consider:

Inflated prices: Online courses are said to be cheaper than traditional modes of learning but some universities have fee hikes on their online courses which outprices many students.

College Debts: Students are stuck paying out money through loans that is seeing little to no return, something that becomes more worse when taking into considering a general degree. Thus creating a sense of distrust for both online and traditional degrees no matter how you get it.

Price vs Value: A good number of online programs are seen as weaker alternatives to college for education, and when that’s the case many students will be discouraged from using them. If college’s fail to build high standard programs or offerings for online schooling, students will skip it.

Hands-on experience: Only a select few industries can provide training, and due to the fact these industries cannot get replicated online, students may feel they are missing vital guidance or professional connections in networking which could hurt chances for employment afterwards.

Saturation of the market: The introduction of the availability of online programs in a wide number of institutions leads to hassle in distinguishing which programs bring actual worth with other programs leading to a price drop or a rise in the inflation cost due to competition.

Support Services: It is common for online learners to need support services like academic and mental health assistance. Otherwise, the convenience of online learning is compromised.

Regulatory Challenges: A number of programs within online education may struggle to become recognized due to accreditation and regulatory challenges.

In order to stay afloat, universities will have to deal with these issues by improving the standards, costs and functional aspects of their online programs.