In recent years, online schools have capitalized on marketing or recruiting campaigns centered around convenience, flexibility, and study anytime/anywhere. For the adult learner these benefits make sense. With the demands of this fast paced, digital, wired world that we live in, the adult learner not only needs but demands these things.
For the online school, this translates into multiple start or term dates, robust delivery of curriculum, and proactive faculty and support services to name just a few. But I am starting to get a “gut” feeling that a shift is coming regarding how online schools are perceived by prospective students and higher learning associations. I am still trying to navigate this new water, but I feel there is a day coming where online schools will be evaluated on the same par as traditional institutions where performance indicators like graduation rates, retention percentages, and career placement are the norm.