International EDUCATION REPORT ?Foreign Student Series #4: Online Education
By Nancy Steinbach

Broadcast: October 10, 2002

This is the VOA Special English EDUCATION REPORT.

This week, we continue our series of reports about how people from foreign countries can attend a college or university in the United States. A copy of this report can be found on the Special English web site at www.voaspecialenglish.com.

One way to earn a degree at an American college or university is to stay at home and use a computer. American universities have been offering classes online for a number of years. Students who have taken online classes say they like them. One reason is because they do not have to travel to a building at a set time to listen to a professor. Professors say they have better communication with students through electronic mail notes than they do in many traditional classes.

Some colleges offer academic degrees online. One is Jones International University in Englewood, Colorado. Its web site says it is the first fully online accredited university. It offers both bachelor's degrees and master's degrees.

The University of Phoenix in Arizona has been offering degrees online since 1989. University officials say they try to provide students with a social experience as well as an educational one. For example, in some programs, groups of the same six students progress through all their classes together. They communicate by computer.

Another online school is Cardean University, near Chicago, Illinois. It began operations two years ago. It is offering online classes leading to a Master's of Business Administration degree. Cardean University uses a problem-solving method of teaching. Students attempt to solve real problems in their classes online instead of reading information.

Anyone with a computer can find information on the Internet about these schools and others. You can use a search engine such as Google or Yahoo. Type online education, and choose from a list of schools. Each will provide information about its programs and costs.

However, experts say you should not send money to any school that says you can get a college degree without doing any work. These are illegal operations. Experts also say that you should find out if such college degrees are recognized in your country before you decide to get an education online.

This VOA Special English EDUCATION REPORT was written by Nancy Steinbach.