Part 4: Online Education

One way to earn a degree at an American college is to stay at home and use a computer. But you should find out if such a degree is recognized in your country before you decide to get an education "online."

American universities have been offering classes online through computers for a number of years. Researchers say that seventy-five percent of all American universities will offer online work by the end of this year.

Students who have taken online classes say they like them because they do not have to travel to a building at a set time to listen to a professor. Professors say they have better communication with students through e-mail notes than they do in many traditional classes.

Now, some newly created colleges are offering academic degrees online. One is Jones International University in Englewood, Colorado. It offers both bachelor's degrees and master's degrees. It has about one-hundred students, but is seeking many more.

The University of Phoenix in Arizona has been offering online degrees since Nineteen-Eighty-Nine. It has more than twelve-thousand students. Officials say they try to provide students with a social experience as well as an educational one. For example, in some programs, groups of the same six students progress through all their classes together. They communicate by computer.

Another online school is UNext-dot-com or Cardean (CAR-dee-an) University, near Chicago, Illinois. It began operations this past summer. It is offering business education and training now, but has plans to expand. Cardean University uses a problem-solving method of teaching. Students attempt to solve real problems in their classes online instead of reading information.

Anyone with a computer can find information about these schools and others on the Internet by using a web browser. Type the name of the school and the browser will give you its address. Each college will tell you about its programs, costs, and many other important facts. Experts advise, however, that you do not give money to any school that says you can get a degree without doing any work. These are illegal operations.