Students considering pursuing an online associate degree are most likely choosing between for-profit and community college options.
Traditional for-profits such as University of Phoenix and DeVry University have long been known for their online offerings, while community colleges actually serve the biggest share of exclusively online undergraduate students, according to data from the National Center for Education Statistics.
Although both kinds of institutions have their merits, experts say making the right choice requires a careful analysis of which is the best educational fit. . . .
[One] factor to consider is academic support.
Experts agree that in general for-profit institutions are better at providing online support for students who want to stay fully virtual. One reason is those online programs are more often organized as units independent of the school’s brick-and-mortar operation.
Another reason is the abundance of data for-profits keep on their online students, which more easily allows them to recognize academic struggles, says Eric Bettinger, an associate professor at Stanford University's education school.
Bettinger, who is partnering with DeVry, a for-profit university, to analyze the school's student performance data, suggests this isn't typically possible in the community college world.
"If I were to ask something like, well, did the student turn in an assignment, it’s very difficult for them to go figure out that data and isolate where the issues are," he says.
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To learn more about Eric Bettinger's research, click here.
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