Opinions on Online and For Profit Colleges

[JoeG]

Would you ever consider enrolling in an Online or For Profit College? I'm not sure about the popularity of these outside of the U.S. but they are slightly prevalent here.

Also, by "For Profit" College, I mean one of those colleges that are owned by companies, and usually those that advertise on T.V.

For me, this would be a last resort for my higher education. I'm not saying anything is wrong with these types of schools, but I don't think I could learn primarily by the computer, without direct Professor interaction. I know that these schools provide education to those who could not normally be able to attend a full-time university, and they are wonderful in that aspect.

What is your opinion on this, IB survival?

[Daedalus]

Would you ever consider enrolling in an Online or For Profit College? I'm not sure about the popularity of these outside of the U.S. but they are slightly prevalent here.

Also, by "For Profit" College, I mean one of those colleges that are owned by companies, and usually those that advertise on T.V.

For me, this would be a last resort for my higher education. I'm not saying anything is wrong with these types of schools, but I don't think I could learn primarily by the computer, without direct Professor interaction. I know that these schools provide education to those who could not normally be able to attend a full-time university, and they are wonderful in that aspect.

What is your opinion on this, IB survival?

I think these establishments could be a brilliant solution for creating medium- and high-skilled workforces cheaply, without government interference, and from the ranks of the disadvantaged (a.k.a. the poor). In developing economies where high quality education is either unavailable or unaffordable, the internet could prove a valuable solution for a growing problem.

But that's just the economist in me. To be honest I would rather attend night classes or something. Computer-based learning is basically self-study and it's hard and annoying and fraught with complications like hardware errors etc. I agree with you; personal contact is an essential part of learning.