Can you be successful as an at-home student?
March 26, 2012
Online learning is popular among all college students, but especially among mothers pursuing a degree. After all, these classes allow you to create a schedule that works for your situation - whether you are working outside of the home or can only devote time to school when your children are sleeping or at school themselves.
In fact, a recent survey conducted by the Sloan Consortium revealed that the number of students taking at least one online course has surpassed 6 million. In all, nearly one-third of all students (31 percent) in higher education are taking at least one online course.
While this type of learning is becoming more popular across the board, it seems to be more so with nontraditional college students, like mothers or students over the age of 21.
The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) reports that 29 percent of students with one or more children and 32 percent of married students take at least one distance education class, in contrast to 18 percent of students who neither have children nor are married. In addition, the NCES reports that while 23 percent of all undergraduates are age 30 or older, 53 percent of undergraduates in a distance education degree program are in this age group.
Individuals pursuing an online degree should know that doing so involves much more than logging onto your computer at a particular time each week. In fact, according to U.S. News and World Report, many people who start an online degree program simply don't stick around to finish it.
"The largest online schools vary wildly in their ability to retain students, though the averages among the largest 10 online institutions are below the national averages for all schools - traditional and online - among both full-time and part-time students," the publication reported.
But there are ways to ensure your success. OnlineCollege.org suggests before enrolling in an online program individuals do some research and self-evaluation. Look into different schools and their retention rates, contact current or former students to see what their experiences were like and ask for course demonstrations so you'll know what to expect.
The website also recommends students assess their strengths and weaknesses before starting. For moms, this could mean taking a long, hard look at how much time they really have to devote to school work and how they plan to manage the demands of their family with their education.
Once your class(es) have begun, OnlineCollege.org suggests students engage in the learning process and get to know their peers and teachers in order to ensure success. It's also important to take advantage of resources such as tutoring and advising sessions if they're available.
The good news for those who want to pursue an online degree is that they can help offset the costs through scholarships for mothers, grants for parents and other financial aid as long as the program is accredited.
