If you have given any consideration to obtaining your criminal justice degree online, you may be wondering if there are any negatives of an online criminal justice degree. By reading the information found below, you can obtain an answer to this question.
Online Learning-The Benefits
If you are thinking about completing your criminal justice degree through distance learning, you should note that doing so can bring you a variety of benefits. First, online learning tends to involve a much greater dimension of scheduling flexibility than traditional learning. Specifically, learning in a traditional classroom typically involves being physically present in a classroom during fixed periods of time. On the other hand, individuals who opt to obtain their degrees online can generally watch lectures and take exams or quizzes whenever it is convenient for them. While this benefit of online learning is great for everyone, it can be particularly advantageous for individuals who have familial obligations or work responsibilities. In addition to involving a greater degree of scheduling flexibility, online learning is oftentimes less expensive than traditional learning. This is the case for several reasons, including the fact that students do not have to relocate and pay dorm fees.
Online Learning-The Disadvantages
Although there are a variety of advantages associated with online learning, there are disadvantages that you should be aware of. The primary disadvantage you should consider when determining whether to obtain your criminal justice degree online is how employers will view the degree. According to an important infographic entitled “How Do Employers View Online Degrees?” employers will view degrees earned by online institutions as just as credible as those obtained through traditional institutions. However, the online institution has to have regional accreditation, a traditional campus, and an established brand. Thus if you choose an online learning institution that does not conform to this criteria, doing so can be a big disadvantage when you begin the job application process.
Yet another disadvantage involved in obtaining a degree online is the lack of social interaction indigenous to the learning format. In short, students do not always have the opportunity to interface with other students and their professor in a face-to-face, live format. And although learning to communicate with one’s peers and instructor via e-mail and message boards helps with the development of technological proficiency, the skill set (public speaking, development of emotional intelligence) attained through the aforementioned form of communication is still invaluable.
Another disadvantage that can result from obtaining a degree in criminal justice online is the level of technological proficiency doing so tends to involve. In addition to utilizing e-mail and message boards, books are often ordered online. In short, almost every school-related task that the student is required to perform is typically done via computer. Thus if the student is not particularly proficient with the use of technology, earning the degree online can be frustrating.
Conclusion
If you are thinking about obtaining a degree in criminal justice online, you should note that there are a plethora of advantages that can result from doing so. At the same time, however, there are several disadvantages associated with attaining a degree via distance learning. Now that you know about the negatives of an online criminal justice degree, you can determine whether accomplishing your educational objectives through this learning format would still be appropriate and advantageous for you.
Related Resource: Areas of Study Related to Criminal Justice