Can you really experience college online?

Is it actually possible to hold a viable university degree that has been completed online and is completely free of cost? Though it does sound very incredible, it is now very much a possibility, all thanks to MOOCs or ‘massive open online courses’.

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MOOCs or ‘massive open online courses’ have been introduced experimentally for some time now and have shown growth in popularity. Such courses allow students to utilise the distance mode of learning and all the benefits that come with it. Now students can choose where they want to study, when they want to study and how they want to study. Individuals who are part of the work force no longer have to quit their jobs to pursue a higher academic degree. And the best news of all is that they can avail these online college degree programs for free.

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Some concerns regarding these massive open online courses are that they may not be suitable for all subjects. While universities may adopt this study system for liberal arts, science subjects and other branches that require extensive laboratory hours or other forms of practical work will not be conducive. Others also question whether students are not very motivated will take such programs seriously.

There is also a growing debate about whether at all these degree programs via online college should be the first choice for high school graduates as at the end of the day college is not just a place to acquire an academic degree. Living on campus, away from home, teaches students many valuable lessons. They become independent by learning to care for themselves. They learn responsibility by being accountable for how they manage their time, education and life in general. Also meeting various people from different states if not different nations teach students to appreciate diversity and cultural and religious differences. The three or four years spent in college equips students for life and if the online college degree programs take precedence, there may be a generation that is not comfortable with real time, face to face interaction, or is unwilling to take the effort.

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What matters in the end is that the students must receive quality education that equips them to join the work force, and that they should not have to pay exorbitant tuition fees to achieve this. Though free education should be available for all students across the globe, the steadily rising costs of education has led many discouraged students to drop out or not pursue a higher education at all. These massive open online courses are the beginning of a solution to these online education problems and will hopefully be a turning point.

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Is it really possible to experience college online? MOOCs or ‘massive open online courses’ are trying to make this possible by making introducing free online college degree programs. Yet there are many concerns about how viable this form of education really is? To know more, read on.