Due to mychanging work

schedule, onlineeducation was

the betterchoice to

irtrprove mysituation and

completea graduate

degree.

66 j :::',fi1 . Fall 2009.www.nomoaa.org

i

Just like me, millions of American.s arelooking to online education as a more con-venient alternirtive to the traditional class-roonr settirrgs, N,tany African Americansare often behind the curve in the highereducation pursuits accounting for only 12

percent of the U.S. population rvith onlv 17

per:cent holding coliege degrees, accordingto LISATodatl.

For African Americans seeking toadvance their educational opportunities,rrnline education, "rlso known as distar.rcelearning, offers same unique options. Forsorne. it's more eflective tlran traditionaluniversities and colleges, but it is importantto understand the follolqing to ensure theright online universitv is selected.

Above all things, research. I failed topertorm the research needed to remain inthe first online university I enrolled in. Soor.r

after I begau my course, I was left to figureout the learning envilonment on mv o$r11. Ieventualll, left the university :rnd enrolledin ihe University of Phoenix. While ir-r atten-dance at the University of Phoenix, I receir.'edassistance from enrollment io financial aid.When researching online universities andprograms/ you -slxruld set realistic gtrais andobjectives for holv Vou plan to compiete yoqrdegree and your expectations upon comple-tion. Ask questions and ensure your ques-tions are answered to l'our understanding.

Understand the enrollment counselor,srole. During my online experience, I heavilv

relied on the assistance of enrollmelrt coun-sel.rrs because I thougirt thev would under-stantl rny educationai goals and assist mer,vith reaching those goals. Unfortun.rtely,i quickly realized enroliment counsei.orsare only sales specialists who have to main-t.rin sales goals - daily', rveeklv or monthlv- and .rre usuallv onlv proficient in theenrollment process. To make an infor.meddecision regarding your degr.ee plans, cor.t-sider m;rkirrg an appointrnent with an aca-demic advisor of the oniine university or ata traditional university or college.

Know the costs to attend..As I continuernlr online academic career, I h'ant to stressthat atterlding an online university can bemore expetrsive tlr;rn a traditional univer-sity or college because you're paying ona per-course cost basis. The cost trr attendonline universities range fr-om 9420-92,200per cledit hour or course. Knorving the dif-ierence between per credit courses and ctlstper course will enable you to determine thefinal cost of attendance. Do not be afraidto ask for details regarding all of the cosisassociated r.viih online learning and corn-paring those costs to a traclitional college oru.nrversitl'.

Know the workings of the schoolbefore enrolling. Online universities aregenerally structured in the same f'ashionas a traditional colleee or ultiversity withthe oniy difi-erences beins that a physicalcampus may r-rot be avaiiabie in your area.When gathering infonnation about onlineeducation, ask the enrrihnent counselorabout horv the university works once youare completely admitted into the utriversitl'.You shoukl strive to understand:. Cours? stlecf iott - some online r,rniversi-

ties assign an academic advisor to assistyou with next course pr.epar.rtion while

ls Online Education Right for you?I BEGAII MY or^riine acacenric car'eei' ir', Decen rbs:r 2Oljii wirerr i :e,-lrcec ic pri.

sire rrrv f'4BA irsn tne Ul,,,er'sitv lf Phoerix. At 1r;at ttr-.re | .ad jJsl begi:r wl;rx:nq

irtr-a r-rrajor'air-line as a aiistot]ei ser\iice ilge.1 rtaning les.s lltrtr-, $'lJ at ao.ii.. Due

i.j nlv al'rarqing wci'h sitirer.t:ile, i_rr:line eC.rr-raiii:rr wils t;re bette: crlice l;-; intLlr3,,,s

il r\,' sltijatiila a.c,--.o/Iiplete a .3ralii:arc d egi,ee.

others allow you to select !'our olvncourses. Also. sorne oniine universi-iies require a first course, wtich is a

cours€ to determine your abilitv to

lealn online.Uniztersittl librnry accessibilitu

knowing and understanding the

use o{ an online librarY r.siil assistyou with maintaiaing your learningcurriculum.Ottline polides - these poiicies are

oiten the same as those of land-

based universities I'hich stresses

the impoltance of plagiarism, r+'ith-

drau'al, financial aid and otherissues -vou maY exPerience whilelearning online.

. Cours€ lerryth - some universities

oifer three-, five-, six-, eiglrt- and

ten-week courses.. Adrrissiott retluiremellts - urrlike tra-

dition;rl land-based universitietmarw online universities do not

require GM,A,T or CRE scores butrather retluire a GPA as ion' as 2.0,

a personal statemer-tt and employ-ment and oi{icial transctipts, ifappiicable.

Learnit-rg is not a luxury ihat onlva few should be afforded' With online

universities, many are now abie to pur-sue the goals of starting ot colnplet-ing their degrees while maintainingtheir f:rmiiy and rvork lives. Financing

online education may be expensive, butaid is available and sorne employers

may provide tuition reimbulsement

assistance for certain onlille degree

pl'ograrns. Remember thai the long-term impacts of having a degree out-

weigh the costs. Research first and thenmake an informed decision about therich+ nrnorrm mbC

Iztrl N. Carter, ivIBA, is a doctoral student,

L)?uner of Diaini: Cortsttltutg Group, LLC

ttnd a iredanct writer. She has been'orit-

ing axLl consultitry fttr rnore tlLatt 7A t1ears

thraugltort the Ll.S. She ttpernles her WeL'

site, u'ittw. dirtifieco n sultingg rotLpllc.c an, a

consulting conpsny lbr -<nnll busitesses.

;:;a:::,fllf . Fall2003

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