Ask the Experts: Employers Mixed About On-line, For Profit Distance Education Schools

Question:

I teach graduate students for a for-profit, distance learning school. Their courses are very rigorous and require just as much study time as the courses that I teach at a traditional, brick and mortar state school. What do employers think of for-profit universities that offer only on-line classes? Do they regard them as low quality diploma mills?

First Answer:

I think that in the early days of on-line education that the “diploma mill” was an opinion that many held. But I think times are changing.
Speaking from the prospective of a person who works in an institution of
higher learning, there has been a big push to develop and promote on-line
education.

Promote the skills that you use to teach these graduate course and not the method used to teach them. Use your resume to highlight the wealth of
skills (both instructional and on-line) that you possess. If you are
looking for a position in higher education, target those universities who
either have or are in the process of developing on-line education. They
will value the experience and skill you will being to the workplace.

— Linda Wyatt, Career Center Director, Kansas City Kansas Community College

Second Answer:

The jury’s still out on this one. There are some who accept it wholeheartedly and use it for many of their staff trainings in
order to reduce training costs. Others are not convinced of the
legitimacy of the medium because of the many schools that first
emerged and had no claim on accreditation. Online learning is
the 20th/21st Century version of correspondence school. As the
United States was being developed, correspondence education was
essentially the only means of gaining one’s education.

As you point out, online universities proliferate the ethosphere. As people’s time and money become more scarce, they
— and their employers — are demanding quality output for the
sacrifices that are made. They are demanding content that will
deliver payoffs in the near future. It is encumbent upon the
student to research these online universities to make certain
they are offering quality content and instruction and are
accredited. Accreditation is a hard-earned status and even more
hard-earned to maintain. When presenting oneself via resume and
cover letter, and during the interview, it is important to
subtlely let the evaluator know that the online university is an
accredited institution and the studies are just as valid as the
brick and mortar complement.

In 2001, I had an opportunity to conduct a roundtable discussion regarding this topic with four leading online universities or
learning providers — CyberU, Kaplan College, Concord University
School of Law, and KnowledgeNet. All four distinguished
panelists noted that online learning is a new version of the
old, respected principles; what needs to come is recognition of
that fact. And that recognition is gaining ground.

The other thing I would note regarding online learning is that technology is making online classrooms ever more like onsite
learning. Some classes are live sessions via television or
Internet, some are on-demand lectures and labs. Student
interaction with fellow classmates is possible through
discussion boards. Likewise, quality interaction with
instructors is possible via chat, email, and whiteboard tools.

— Yvonne LaRose, career and professional development coach, Career and Executive Recruiting Advice

Third Answer:

This is a question that really has no universal answer, in my opinion. Long distance learning, especially online classes, are a relatively new development in education. In the past, mail order degrees were primarily “diploma mills.” However, the widespread use of the internet has made it possible to bring classes to people in their homes and this is especially good for people who cannot physically attend classes. However, like anything else that is new, it takes time to prove that those who get degrees this way are not being shortchanged. And, just as with in-person educational institutions, there is a lot of variety in the quality of long distance learning facilities — so what employers think may also depend upon the school. My suggestion to graduates of long distance learning schools is to be as impressive as possible in the interview process. In the end, it is what you know (and who you know) and not what school you went to, that should impress an employer.

— Alison Blackman Dunham, life & career expert, columnist, personal public relations consultant, half of THE ADVICE SISTERS®, and the author of the ASK ALISON career advice column

Originally posted by alwin