Distance or online learning is here to stay. People who are doing their Masters in Education can now do so from the comfort of their own homes. If you are unable to attend actual classes, you can now earn your masters diploma online.
Many people choose this option when completing a master's in education because they have the choice of scheduling their own classes. This freedom to arrange classes' means that anyone can fit the program into their daily lives - full-time mothers, professional and so on all have the chance. Unlike conventional campus courses, doing an online course is normally more affordable, and you get direct, personal attention.
While there are many people who believe in distance learning at such a high level, others point out the limitations of such systems. For some, the full liberty enjoyed in distance learning makes it hard to develop self-motivation when submitting assignments on time and logging onto classes. These problems pale in comparison to the fact that you could get scammed.
You should only consider courses that have the right accreditation. This means that the course has been tested and evaluated so that you can be sure you are getting a high standard of education. The main purpose of accreditation is to make sure that the program has met an acceptable standard of quality, and is recognized and accepted from an accreditation-giving body.
Signing up for a course at a non-accredited school is asking for trouble. This degree is of no use to you - employers don’t recognize it and you cannot get credit for it elsewhere. Another issue is that your boss does not have to help you pay your fees if you are not working on an accredited course.
Remember that not all accreditations are equal, and some are government approved while others are not. For example, accreditation in the US is carried out by an external peer-review body and not the government. The government does have the last laugh though, as The Council of Higher Education Accreditation and US Department of Education run their own quality checks on the various accreditation bodies.
A secondary consideration is whether the online masters in education course that you have chosen is nationally or regionally recognized or limited. Regional accreditation is generally the standard accreditation type for most graduate education. Most legit online schools that offer a master's in education program will present their accreditation information in a way easily noticeable on their website.
The most common scam involves diploma mills, where 'schools' give instant diplomas for cash. Usually, these programs give little to no coursework. Any 'school' that says you will get course credit for work experience is not to be trusted.
Another sign of trouble is lax admission policies, or very short courses. In the event that an online master's in education can be earned in a single semester, without past course credit, you need to recognize that you are involved in a scam. In some cases these schools even create false accreditation agencies to appear more legitimate.
Indeed, taking up an online master's in education program seems a fantastic option, but one should be very careful these days. One last piece of advice is to verify the URL of the site that you are using, as bogus schools can often be found out by not using the correct suffix. Keep an eye out for the '.edu' suffix that denotes a legitimate academic institution.
When in need of reliable info about masters in education programs, do not hesitate in hitting the links.
