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Benefits of Online Education
According to a meta study by the U.S. Department of Education in 2009:
"Online learning has become popular because of its potential for providing more flexible access to content and instruction at any time, from any place." "Students who took all or part of their class online performed better, on average, than those taking the same course through traditional face-to-face instruction. Students who mix online learning with traditional coursework (i.e. blended) do even better."*
The most recent data, according to a study by the Sloan Consortium demonstrates that online enrollments continue to grow at rates far in excess of the total higher education student population and show no signs of slowing:
- Over 3.9 million students were taking at least one online course during the fall 2007 term; a 12 percent increase over the number reported the previous year.
- The 12.9 percent growth rate for online enrollments far exceeds the 1.2 percent growth of the overall higher education student population.
- Over twenty percent of all U.S. higher education students were taking at least one online course in the fall of 2007.**
The quality of online courses. The education included in your resume should be just as impressive as an education at a traditional campus. A degree earned by taking online courses is a Northeastern University degree - there is no difference. Your diploma is exactly the same as that of a campus-based student. Northeastern University Online degrees are just as recognizable in the marketplace as the traditional Northeastern University degree.
Faculty preparation. Northeastern University Online requires all faculty, including those with prior online teaching experience, become certified in online training which teaches them how to design and deliver courses according to our requirements and expectations. Our online courses are held to the same high standard as our campus-based courses, and are taught by experienced instructors who are scholars and industry leaders. Highly qualified instructional designers, who have graduate degrees in instructional technology, support the faculty to ensure each course meets Northeastern standards. As a Northeastern University Online student, you know that your courses are both academically sound and solidly delivered. In addition to providing instructors who are leaders in their field of practice, Northeastern can also assure students that our instructors are highly-qualified to teach online.
Is online learning right for you? Manaing a traditional adult education on campus while juggle work and family life can be a tremendous challenge. Online education offers the flexibility to complete much of the course work according to your own schedule. You could finish an assignment during lunch or take an online quiz at home after dinner. Whatever schedule you choose, you can feel comfortable knowing that your course material, professors and fellow students are just one click away.
Successful online students are self-motivated and comfortable using a computer and the internet.
Policies and procedures for online courses. The policies and procedures for online courses are the same as for campus-based courses (i.e. registering, withdrawing, prerequisites, course requirements, etc.).
Internet-based courses. Course content (lectures, additional materials, discussions, assignments, etc.) is presented using an online learning system called Blackboard. Course material is presented on a weekly basis and you normally complete the assigned readings, assignments, etc. within that same week. You interact with other students and the instructor via the discussion board and email. You may also collaborate on group projects through the web interface. Midterms and finals are usually taken online and, once started, must be completed in a set amount of time. You may also be required to upload assignment files to the Blackboard. You don't need to log in to the course at any specific time during the week, but you do need to complete all your course work within a given time period (usually that same week). The work load is similar to that of traditional campus-based courses.
Developing your online courses. In addition to using standard tools such as discussion boards, multimedia lectures through Articulate Presenter, and streaming video, we have incorporated Podcasts of lectures and combined them with printable copies of the lecture in Adobe PDF format to allow students with different learning styles to be successful in online learning. The course content is delivered in a consistent format to give students a familiar, intuitive method to complete your courses.
Online course technology. The virtual classroom is provided by Blackboard, the recognized leader in learning management systems. Within Blackboard there are additional tools to ensure your success, such as SMARTHINKING, an online tutoring system; Live Classroom, a web enabled synchronous conferencing tool, and Voice Tools, a community building technology, both provided by Wimba.
Computer equipment. Please see Technical Requirements.
Accreditation
All Northeastern University Online programs and courses are accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges.