Hi Jane,
On-line learners do not have the physical place to go to learn. They must be self motivated to be able to continue a course where fixed attendance is not required. They are also more dedicated to the courses they've chosen. Thoses are very qualities to have in an employee.
I would think that older students who have worked for a while and want to improve themselves would make better on line students than young right out of highschool students. But then I know that they are some very dedicated 18 year olds.
Anne-Patricia
Hi Steven,
I hope not. Both style of learning are good and I would not think of eliminating one in favor of the other. People have different needs. Personnaly I still use both kind of learning. I'm obviously taking this class which is very stimulating and I am attending a class at a nearby college. I still like to be able to see the faces and total body expression of the people I interact with.
Anne-Patricia
Anne-Patricia,
Terrific points! Thanks for your input :)
Jane
I agree. I think there will always be a place and need for face-to-face learning and human interaction. It may become limited to specific trades and disciplines, but I think even video-confereincing technologies will not completely eliminate some people's need to share physical space with their instructor.
I agree completely with Peter. I dont think it should become a deciding factor unless there are clear aspects of online learning that would be required in the position.
Online learning certainly demonstrates a high level of discipline, self-moivation, and character, but so do many other things in life (e.g. running a marathon, volunteering for community organizations, miltary service, etc...)
Brad,
The original question was asking if, all else being equal, you would choose a job candidate that attended traditional classes over the job candidate that was trained online.
I remember a time when online education was thought to be substandard. Are we past that now? I am interested in your thoughts
:) Jane
I think we are past the point that online education is inherently labeled as "substandard", but I dont think it is by very much. I think there are still many people who are very skeptical about it, and would not necessarily be displeased if online education's reputation was soured.
To the original question: Even though this is hypothetical I am having a difficult time allowing online vs. traditional be the deciding factor. There are so many other things that could enter the equation I am resisting the thought that all other things could really be equal. But, IF they were all equal (social skills, technical skills, computer skills, community work, industry relation and participation, awards won, languages spoken, etc...), IF each applicant had the same outcomes from their education at the same levels of proficiency, I would probably flip a coin.
I am not trying to be difficult ;). Really. I just feel that if all things were equal then it truly does not matter where they were trained.
Hi Brad,
You bring up a number of good points in your post. First of all, you are correct... the hypothetical situation isn't very realistic. Would you expect the applicants to have different characteristics because of their choice of training modality? If so, what might those differences be?
Second, online education is more accepted now than five years ago; however, it still isn't accepted by all. What improvements do you believe need to be done in order to increase online education's acceptance?
Thanks for your input :) Jane
Jane,
Accounting is such a introverted discipline type field, it will take someone that has developed those skills and they can be acquire on-line as well as in an traditional academia setting. What is needed is the right skills to do the job, test that.
You are correct! Competencies skills are the best ingredients to be successful academics, hence, it also propel your personal life as a competitive individual with the ability to have the competitive advantage over others in most discipline such as accounting.
Jai
There are advantages and disadvantages of Online vs Traditional:
Online you can go at your pace but dead line must be met.Online no face to face instructor, but through email and telephone conversation, but at times there is a broken link between the message and interpretation. On the other hand, Traditional classroom students are much more communicative with their instructors, better clarification on subject matter, etc. Classroom setting I think you are more open for class discussion versus online because if you have to reply on one or two post, that's it., but in classroom, students are constantly engaging especially if there are a number of points are allocated for Class Participation.
For online degrees, as a CEO I think I will hire the applicant who is more qualified, experience, and have a high degree of ethical and moral values/standards no matter if the applicant degree is through Online or from Traditional Classroom.
Who do you think is more ethical, Taditional Classroom Students or Online Students?
Jai
Yes. If this candidate contained all of the necessary requirements for the position than there would be no reason not to hire that person.
I agree. It would be important to make sure that the online course they were claiming was in existance and accredited
I would have to say that as of today, even though online classses have come a long way in educating people, I think there are going to be a great many more strides taken in this field. Today I would hire the individual from the traditional college, especially in the field of accounting. If it were another field, I may feel differently. I received my accounting degree from a traditional college and I can't say for sure that I would have gotten the same level of instruction from taking an online course. In years to come, like I said I think this will change dramatically and believe we will see very qualified candidates emerging from the ranks of an online college in the accounting field.
Jan O'Donnell
Jan,
You are not alone in how you feel about quality issues in online education. In some cases, I would have to agree with you.
I also have a degree in accounting from a traditional college and, until a few years ago, I felt that the education I received was preferable to an online degree. Then I took an online accounting class.
I found that online learning forced me to take responsibility for my own learning. I transformed from a passive learner, who is fed information, to an active learner, who seeks information and learning opportunities.
Some say that online learning has the potential to offer a deeper learning experience. Do you agree?
:)
Jane
I guess I would agree. I believe one would have to be very disciplined, and be willing to become an active learner. I have not had the opportunity to take any online accounting courses.
Jan
All other qualities being equal, I would hire the candidate who received her credentials through traditional education because I would be more confident in her competency.
A student can choose how much time and effort they want to dedicate to their education in either scenario. I'd say people get out of a course what they put into it...no matter whether it's an online or traditional delivery format.
Yes, I would considering hiring anyone who had gotten their education online. I would assess the validity of the school's program for online just as I would for a tradtional school. The most important thing to consider when hiring an individual is their knowledge not where they went to school.
I have worked with individuals that have a degree from a tradtional college and online. I have found in my expereinces that the online educated employee is just a knowledgable and more willing to adapt to changes in the work place. Now, I do not know that taking their classes online is why they adapt better to change but I have see it enough times to wonder.
A good education is not just obtaining by a person in school. What you get from your education is what you put into it. I have seen good and bad employees come from each type of insitution.
I agree. Someone who has completed coursework online must possess self-motivation and self-discipline. Therefore, I would not be more inclined to hire the traditional college grad over an online grad.
