How to Choose a High Quality Online Course or Distance Learning Program
Integrity – What do you know about the site owner and instructors?, Quality - Read your instructor’s blogs, view his/her presentations, and listen to podcast s. This should give you a feel for his or her overall skill level, writing ability, and...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Integrity – What do you know about the site owner and instructors?
You should be able to cross-reference the people named in the site pages.
Do a Google Search on the instructors and program directors.
Look at their profiles on LinkedIN and any other publicly available sites.
Does their online presence match their credentials? Do their credentials meet your expectations? -
Step 2: Quality - Read your instructor’s blogs
Does the content and quality meet your expectations? Is his/her style vibrant and engaging? (Note:
Online instructors should have a presence in social media.
Not having a presence may be a red flag.) , Has he/she taught at the corporate or university level? Look for individuals that understand and have experience teaching adult learners. , The description conveys the course objectives and what you can expect to learn.
The outline provides an example of the tools you will be using such as lectures, discussion forums, quizzes, and assignments.
Do you have access to enough information to make a decision about the course content and format? Does the course content match what you need? If the description does not match, neither will the course. , Beware
- if you need to buy a book, the course may be just an instructor-led reading group.
An online course should be all-inclusive. , The syndicator is an organization that offers the SAME online courses to hundreds of schools and colleges.
It’s an easy way for your local school district or college to offer the convenience of online programs and it’s a great way for the syndicator to market their courses through locally recognized institutions.
In the syndication model, the course developer, the instructor, the school, and the syndicator each earn a percentage of the course price that you pay.
While there are certainly terrific courses offered through this channel, given the revenue sharing model, I would challenge the quality and effort of the individuals involved in the process. , You should be able to find out how many students will be in your class.
Even for an experienced online instructor in a virtual classroom, it is difficult to provide personalized attention on a discussion board with more than 25 participants. ,, There’s nothing like a referral to help you make a decision. , -
Step 3: view his/her presentations
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Step 4: and listen to podcast s. This should give you a feel for his or her overall skill level
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Step 5: writing ability
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Step 6: and teaching style.
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Step 7: Teaching Experience - What teaching experience does your instructor have?
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Step 8: Course Content & Format - Read the detailed course description and weekly outline.
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Step 9: Course Materials - Will you be required to purchase books for the course?
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Step 10: Syndicated Courses - Many online courses provided by your local high school or community college are sourced through a course syndicator.
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Step 11: Class Size - Does the program have an upper limit on the number of students in a class?
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Step 12: Price - When comparing price
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Step 13: look at the number of weeks
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Step 14: any discounts or promotions
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Step 15: and most importantly
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Step 16: the topics that will be covered during the course.
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Step 17: Ratings & Reviews - Read publicly available reviews
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Step 18: survey results
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Step 19: or testimonials from prior students.
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Step 20: Contact Us – The site should provide Contact information to welcome your specific questions and comments.
Detailed Guide
You should be able to cross-reference the people named in the site pages.
Do a Google Search on the instructors and program directors.
Look at their profiles on LinkedIN and any other publicly available sites.
Does their online presence match their credentials? Do their credentials meet your expectations?
Does the content and quality meet your expectations? Is his/her style vibrant and engaging? (Note:
Online instructors should have a presence in social media.
Not having a presence may be a red flag.) , Has he/she taught at the corporate or university level? Look for individuals that understand and have experience teaching adult learners. , The description conveys the course objectives and what you can expect to learn.
The outline provides an example of the tools you will be using such as lectures, discussion forums, quizzes, and assignments.
Do you have access to enough information to make a decision about the course content and format? Does the course content match what you need? If the description does not match, neither will the course. , Beware
- if you need to buy a book, the course may be just an instructor-led reading group.
An online course should be all-inclusive. , The syndicator is an organization that offers the SAME online courses to hundreds of schools and colleges.
It’s an easy way for your local school district or college to offer the convenience of online programs and it’s a great way for the syndicator to market their courses through locally recognized institutions.
In the syndication model, the course developer, the instructor, the school, and the syndicator each earn a percentage of the course price that you pay.
While there are certainly terrific courses offered through this channel, given the revenue sharing model, I would challenge the quality and effort of the individuals involved in the process. , You should be able to find out how many students will be in your class.
Even for an experienced online instructor in a virtual classroom, it is difficult to provide personalized attention on a discussion board with more than 25 participants. ,, There’s nothing like a referral to help you make a decision. ,
About the Author
Robert Vasquez
Professional writer focused on creating easy-to-follow pet care tutorials.
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