Online College Is Going Mainstream, So Why Does the Stigma Persist?

This content was produced in partnership with online.sbu.edu.

Online education is becoming ever more common, especially for tertiary and postgraduate degrees. But there remains a stigma around online education; why?

It used to be that online education was a very niche alternative to attending a college or university campus. But that is no longer the case. There are millions of students every year who take remote courses, and there are online programs that span all sorts of disciplines, from undergraduate degrees to highly specialized postgraduate qualifications.

But despite the increasing frequency of online education, there is still a stigma that exists around education that is undertaken online when compared to traditional on-campus studies.

For adults in New York who are looking into professional qualifications like a master's degree in school counseling, for example, the question of whether or not online education is up to the same standard as traditional campus education is a very relevant one. The truth of the matter is that the quality of school counseling masters programs in NY, just like any other online degree, depends less on whether the education is delivered through a screen, and a whole lot more on the structure, professional requirements, and quality of the program itself.

But understanding where the stigma around online education comes from can help students to differentiate between legitimate concerns that people might have about a program, from outdated assumptions that are being made about online education.

The Employer Perception Problem

There is some skepticism around whether or not employers will treat online degrees the same as traditional degrees.

Back when online education was limited and there were very few options for online education, this sort of idea made more sense, but that time is long gone. Today, there are plenty of long-established universities and colleges that have stellar reputations for delivering online education to thousands of students, many of which also provide campus-based options.

This means that most employers are increasingly more concerned with the quality level of a candidate's education, rather than how it was delivered.

It is reasonable for employers interviewing for a school counseling position, for example, to want to see evidence of appropriate graduate education, communication skills, readiness to work with families, school staff and students, and supervised experience, and much less reasonable for them to debate how the education was delivered if that evidence is sufficiently provided.

Online degrees cannot act as a substitute for any of the competencies that an employer expects, but neither does a degree obtained from physical campus study.

Reputation Is Still Important, But Is Considered Differently

The reputation of institutions is still an important consideration, but is no longer as strong an indicator of educational quality as it used to be.

Online programs are much better evaluated by the coursework offered, student services provided and interactions with faculty that they offer, rather than simply the name of the educational institution behind the program.

In short, the curriculum and professional preparation that a program offers are far more important than the reputation, or whether or not students are physically present for the materials.

The Student Experience Can Reinforce the Stigma

The reputation of online education is tempered by something else: the quality of the learning experience that students have gone through.

If an online experience is not designed as such, but is actually just a transfer of normal lectures and assignments into an online learning portal, it can be disruptive or disconnected from the actual process of learning. It is likely to lead to fewer interactions with other students, fewer conversations with faculty, and far fewer opportunities to build relationships or network.

But this isn't to suggest that all online education modules are inherently weaker or lesser than traditional models. It is saying that the design of the program is important.

A master's program that is designed to be engaged in online will have collaborative projects, live discussions, virtual case work, faculty feedback and other forms of interaction between students and staff. It will allow for students not only to study, but also to build professional relationships and to engage in field practices and enjoy other practical experiences outside of the virtual classroom.

The Bigger Problem is Uneven Quality

While critics who tar the entire online education industry as being poor are arguing unfairly, those who state that online education programs have wild swings in quality are being more fair. But the problem with that argument is that the same thing is true of on-campus education.

A university with a prestigious reputation is not immune to offering a poorly designed course, just as a smaller institution is capable of delivering an excellently supported one. The way that education is delivered doesn't change the fact that different courses are going to have differing levels of quality.

Students should always do their own research into courses offered, looking beyond any marketing claims. They should investigate things like accreditation, curriculum, student support, faculty qualifications, field experiences, career preparation and completion requirements, as these will provide far greater information about the quality of a program than the method of delivery does.