Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College is a pioneer in distance education and has delivered quality distance programs for over 40 years. During that time, the delivery of instruction has evolved and much has been learned about the needs of students learning in nontraditional settings. Advances in technology have enabled greater opportunities for student engagement with professors, peer students and content.
As the second oldest distance education program in the nation, our college developed its programming alongside traditional campus classes, instilling our values and setting high standards for both types of students. Over the past decade, the field of distance education has exploded with many other colleges and universities adding distance programs in concert with their traditional offerings. Other educational enterprises have opened their doors with online programming as their only mode of education. Today, students have so many opportunities and choices for online education. Here are four things to consider when making your choice.
- Decide your major. This should be the first filter in making a decision. This research should be combined with information about a school's academic reputation. The institution should be regionally accredited to guarantee that courses will transfer and that the degrees earned will be recognized by all other institutions of higher education. Other important considerations are graduation rates, internship opportunities, placement rates and support for technology.