Comments on: Offline or Online: who’s got the better degree?

By: Lee

Lee — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 10:30:16 +0000

Hi Professor, I define it as, in the 3rd sentence of the first paragraph of the post you are referring too,:

“… term online to mean classes delivered from or conducted entirely online using a variety of Information and Communication Technologies. I use the term offline to mean classes that, in relation to online instruction, have more time where a student and professor interact in the same physical room….”

By: elsa d. bobis

elsa d. bobis — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 04:05:32 +0000

I am a Professor I want to know the different between offline education and online education .

By: John

John — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 07:07:10 +0000

Though off line courses are preferable as one can interact with both faculty and students directly which is not that easier in online courses beside a student has to be really self-motivated in order to pursue an online course.

By: strondes » Are Online or Offline Degrees Better?

strondes » Are Online or Offline Degrees Better? — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 00:29:09 +0000

[...] article by Lee LeBlanc at Tame the Web evaluates some of the scholarly research concerning online students [...]

By: Simon Chamberlain’s library weblog » Blog Archive » Roundup: teaching, social technologies, and more

Thu, 28 Feb 2008 07:24:24 +0000

[...] Lee LeBlanc on online vs offline education: “What I’m tired of is hearing outdated opinions about how horrible all online education is. That’s just not true.” [...]

By: Lee

Lee — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 18:18:12 +0000

Appreciate your comment and perspective. Another thing to consider is that those students are ill-prepared, not that online education is poorer. Also, professors and their teaching style needs to be considered.

But, you do highlight another point about some of the research I read: online learning is harder for the majority of students and students who lack strong study skills do not do well.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 15:47:58 +0000

I got my degree on campus at UIUC’s Graduate School of Library and Information Science (GSLIS), but they also have a program where people can get the degree online. I took a couple online classes while I was at GSLIS, and I must say, the students in the online classes aren’t getting a fair deal. The classes are no where near as in-depth or thought provoking, and it shows in the skill levels of the students getting their degrees online.

At one point in the semester, the students taking online classes had to come to campus for a whole day session for their class. The students who were taking online-only classes were far behind and it was like pulling teeth to get many of them to understand and keep up with the rest of us on-campus students. So, until I see a shift in the skill level and knowledge of online students taking online classes, I still believe on-campus education is better.

By: Lee

Lee — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 21:11:56 +0000

Agreed! The current perception seems to be that plenty of us, who earn our degrees online, are not doing so while working 40+ hours a week therefore matching classroom theory to real-time, organizational experience.

Let’s also consider when you went to school, you went to a school where working full-time is the norm and not at all unusual. That is not the norm for an undergraduate/graduate attending school in the US. While some students work part-time (and I will also concede full-time jobs), it’s doubtful they are working in their chosen profession. They could be, but I need to see research supporting that idea.

The research overall includes the library community -I don’t think our hiring practices are more hospitable than other occupational disciplines. In fact, I think we could draw upon hiring practices used in the more creative businesses, government organizations, and NGOs. Overall, online degree students need to be aware of a certain lack of understanding about how the online degree is perceived in the hiring process.

Great comment -thanks for your insight.

By: Eileen

Eileen — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 19:21:02 +0000

If there is a perception that offline degrees are more valuable (and I don’t dispute that there is) I do not understand the statement that it can be traced to:

“there is little understanding that these are working professionals often getting advanced degrees while working 40+ hours a week matching theory to experience”

Plenty of us earned our offline degrees “while working 40+ hours a week matching theory to experience” When I went to school that was indeed a norm and not at all unusual.

Perhaps that research is more reflective of the world at large than of the library community?

By: royce

royce — Sun, 24 Feb 2008 23:46:50 +0000

Good stuff as usual Lee. Yeah, when I hear people say “Oh, you do that online.” They usually say it as if they don’t think it takes that much work. I have empty bottles of ibuprofen and tums to prove otherwise.

Keep up the good work!