If you are thinking about taking online courses, or earning a degree
through an online university, think about the following post.

A new area of research has opened the question concerning the
acceptability of degrees that have been earned solely or partly online.
The purpose of this new area of research has been to investigate
whether distance learning and traditional degrees are equal in the eyes
of “gatekeepers," or people who make hiring decisions. The general
concept is that if you, with an online degree, were competing for a job
against a person with a traditional-residential degree, would you have
an equal chance of being hired?

This is an argument I hear frequently in my travels.

There is a lot of truth in the assumption that new technologies are
adopted by various social groups slowly, over time. It takes time for
people to find out about new technologies, understand what they do (or
how cool it is to own), and then finally embrace the financial (or
social) cost of adoption. Everett Rogers noted that a technology is
adopted in phases, meaning that early adopters lead the way, followed
by late adopters, majority and laggards ... eventually, new
technologies become commonplace. The argument that online degrees will
eventually be embraced by everybody has a solid foundation -- in theory.

But is acceptance of a new technology necessarily a fact?

In November an editor from Newsweek called to ask if she could ask a
few questions about one of my published articles that she had read. The
conversation actually took place over the course of two phone
conversations. The editor also downloaded several articles to read and
was particularly interested in an one that examined business hiring
(first published in Communication Education), and an article that
examines the reasons for the low acceptability rates from the
International Journal on E-Learning.

This week the Chronicle of Higher Education ran two very interesting news items. The first deals with the inequities of institutional endowments and student funding. The top private universities in the United States have an inordinate amount of cash and because of that, are able to offer funding or discounts to their tuition. Read the article here.

It's interesting because the article serves to illustrate inequity in education. Some universities are reputable, being recognized for their alumnus, research accomplishments, ability to attract exceptional students, and the quality of the instruction. Consider this for a moment --

It's not for everybody.

This is one area of interest where we have not made an in-depth
research study. Universities continue to grow their online offerings in
order to compete with for-profit universities. Classroom courses are
sometimes canceled in favor of offering the same course online to open
class space or to reduce overhead costs. In some cases, students are
unable to find a required course offered in a traditional classroom
setting due to this structural shift in course scheduling.

Interestingly, I have seen several articles on the Chronicle of Higher
Education web site that describe the acceptability of online courses to
students. For example, one student complained that they had no option
other than to take online courses. Some students just want to be in a
class with other people or they actually feel that they are missing
something by not having access to late night study groups, group
projects, etc -- Another student did not want to take an online class
because it's just doesn't fit into her learning style. Some online
students become disillusioned with online offerings and head back into
the classroom.