General Feeling of Employers Towards Online Degrees
In this day and age, technology has been embraced in all facets of everyday living and interaction Education was also not left behind and this trend gave rise to online education which can be referred to as distant learning. With that in mind, employers now take online degrees seriously though it hasn’t always been that way. A few years back, there was a lot of skepticism surrounding online degrees, and hiring or considering a job seeker who had gained his qualifications through this means was uncommon. With time however, employers found ways to determine quality online degrees by judging the institution of learning through which the degree was obtained and its accreditation as this gives the degree a level of prestige.
It is evident that employers have had their reasons for not giving credence to online degrees especially in comparison to the conventional and traditional education methods. Employers feel that online education;
• lacks the face to face interaction which they feel contributes to ones learning process
• does not promote meticulousness in students as well as in its content
• cannot vouch for a student’s commitment like physical attendance
• increases the possibility of dishonesty in the academic fraternity
On the other hand, employers have come to accept online education as a valid academic qualification from a job seeker. Some of the reasons that may influence the approval of online degrees as valid to employers are;
• accreditation of the institution offering the online degree
• the reputation of the institution a job seeker attended
• a growing perception that online graduates are more independent and disciplined thus putting them a notch above the rest
• all work experience that the job seeker has.
Employers are slowly gaining trust in the online educated job seekers and seeing them for the qualified potential employees that they are. Caution is however still high because of the academic fraud practiced. It is obvious that education is here to stay and the evolving trends can only be adapted to keep up with the rest of the world.