Com170 Online vs Traditional Education

Jessica Berger Dr. La-Kicia COM170 April 6, 2014
Online versus traditional education.
How to make the tough choice.
Online and traditional education each offer their own unique benefits and drawbacks. It is important to research the school and the education offered before deciding which program to attend. In today’s time, technology has come so far that the biggest difference between online and traditional education is learning preference, accreditation, and cost.
When determining your academic journey there are three main factors to consider first. Accreditation, cost, and graduation rate. There are other smaller points that contribute to the three main factors, but these are your first questions.
The most common types of accreditation in the United States are regional, national and specialized. The difference between regional accreditation and national accreditation is the geographical scope. Regional accreditation focuses on specific areas of the country. It is important when attempting to transfer credits from previous courses between accredited schools. According to the "National Accreditation vs. Regional Accreditation" (n.d.) “Regional accreditation is the most commonly accepted form of accreditation. A regional organization accredits most brick-and-mortar colleges, they tend to be more accepting of transcripts and degrees that come from regionally accredited online schools. Some employers also prefer degrees from regionally accredited schools.”
According to Accreditation in the United States (n.d.), "The goal of accreditation is to ensure that education provided by institutions of higher education meets acceptable levels of quality.” It means simply that schools that are accredited are held to the same standards regardless if it is online or traditional.
There are many steps that must be fulfilled before a school can be accredited. In order to be recognized in the United States of America, a school must submit an application. Then the...