Five Tips for Choosing an Online Course that Fits Your Needs

According to a 2015 survey, a staggering 5,828,826 U.S. college students took at least one online course. Multiply that figure across the global population of online course-taking students, and it grows exponentially. Obviously, there is demand, and schools have responded with supply in the form of constantly growing online coursework. And lots of it. So how do you know which online course is right for you? Read on for a roundup of five questions to ask yourself in order to find the best online course for your unique needs and goals.

1. Do I want to invest a lot of money on the class?

Online courses vary widely in terms of cost with many factors coming into play, including whether you’re taking it through private or public institution and if you are in or out of state. According to one student’s account published in US News and World Report, the total cost of taking an online business school class was more than $1,300, including fees. Conversely, many MOOC providers offer online coursework for free.

The good news? There are plenty of ways to lower the cost of an online degree. Depending on your budget, there is always an online course within your reach.

2. Do I want to invest a lot of time on the class?

Many degree-seeking students choose part-time online coursework because it offers the flexibility they need to balance with their other commitments. However, if your goal is to quickly earn your degree, a full-time program offers an accelerated pathway to completion.

Also, keep in mind that there may be an added financial toll to enrolling in a part-time program as many schools increase tuition every year so the longer you’re enrolled, the more you end up paying. Additionally, some schools structure payment by credit hour until 12 and then implement a flat rate, after that. In other words, as a full-time student, you may end up getting credit hours for “free.”

Again, there’s no clear-cut right or wrong: It all comes down to your personal situation.

3. Do I want interactions with my online classmates and mentoring?

Online course attrition rates may be as much as 20 percent higher than the dropout rate for students in conventional face-to-face classes. According to Faculty Focus, this difference is largely attributable to lack of personal interaction: “Students report that one of the main reasons they drop out of online courses or programs is because they feel lonely and isolated. Learning is a social activity; we learn through interactions and discussions with others. In the absence of face-to-face contact, online learning can be an isolating experience if there are no opportunities to interact with others in the course.”

The takeaway? If you want to improve your chances of success, make a conscious effort to connect with other online students. You may want to seek out online courses which offer “live” conferencing sessions, discussion forums, peer-to-peer support and group work. At the same time, the requirements for interacting with other online students can also be quite rigorous -- sometimes more than you’ll want to commit to. Understanding these expectations upfront can help you determine whether you’ll be able to fulfill them.

4. Do I want to transfer credits?

Some students take online courses for personal enrichment. For others, they’re a means to an end -- specifically, to a degree. If you’re working toward a degree or might someday want to, make sure your credits will transfer. Not all universities accept online credits and you don’t want to end up unpleasantly surprised down the road.

5. What kind of teacher do I want?

Just as online coursework varies from class to class, so do the people who teach them. There are many questions to ask when identifying whether a course will deliver on your expectations. Will you be taught by an adjunct faculty member who is currently practicing in their field, or by a full-time professor with a more academic pedigree? Are a particular university or online learning platform’s instructors trained to teach online?

Aside from these logistical questions are more stylistic ones. Are you looking for a teacher who will be in regular touch via email? Who gets homework back quickly? Who provides extensive feedback? Understanding an instructor’s teaching style and expectations up front can help you get a better understanding of everything from content presentation to assessment.

Luckily, it’s easier now than ever before to get a sense of how a particular teacher teaches thanks to social media and a preponderance of review sites. Thinking about winging it? Think again. Every student -- both online or otherwise -- has an awful professor story. Avoid ending up with one of your own by doing your research in advance.

Online courses aren’t one-size-fits-all. By asking (and answering) these five questions before signing up, you increase your chances of finding a distance learning class that’s one-size-fits-YOU.