The value(?) of an online degree

There are enough government bodies around the world that regard an online earned degree as worthless to make those who spent years attaining it weep in frustration.

The distance learning trailblazers were the Open University, which has been operating since 1969 and has afforded those who had neither the means nor the time to attend a campus in person, the chance to graduate with degrees. OU qualifications are widely regarded as both valuable and well-respected, and rightly so. However, with the more recent launches of distance degrees gaining ground, there are still a handful of countries that choose to overlook these certificates, which makes many graduates of online disciplines unhappy. Again, rightly so! Some graduates see this non-acceptance as belittling their hard work, dedication and often lonely learning experience. I would agree with them.

Completing an online degree is not an easy task; I know, I’ve been through the system, and you need more self-discipline and much more self-study and learning to achieve a passing grade. To say this degree is worthless is not only insulting, but downright wrong. The hours we spend? searching through journals, poring over articles, accessing databanks in order to validate our arguments and theories are just as many, sometimes more, as they would have been had we been on a physical campus. There is also the social aspect of distance learning, which actually puts a student at a disadvantage.?

While there may well be group chats and breakouts during classes, there's no bouncing ideas off your peers over a coffee or around a table during a seminar or tutorial, and no two students discussing the whys and wherefores with each other over a cup of coffee in the refectory. As a distance learner, these things we have to do on our own, and this makes online study a lonely and sometimes depressing road to travel. During the past eight years I have completed two Master degrees: one online and one on campus. Guess which I found more enjoyable and easier to complete? I don’t need to tell you, do I?

As COVID dragged (some) kicking and screaming into the online world, I’d like to know why it is that some countries’ governments still look down on degrees obtained via distance? The most mind-boggling aspect of this denial of qualification, is that over the past two years we have seen classes forced online, and distance learning has, thankfully, jumped into the present and has (almost) aligned with class studies, though it is still some way off mirroring the face to face in class study model. What happens to those who graduated over the past eighteen months or so? Are their degrees going to be valid? What about those who are still afraid to go into the classroom and opt for hybrid classes? How will that affect their degree status? Will it still be worth something? I mean, if we’re going to have one rule for some and not for others, is this fair?

Surely, now more than ever, we can all see the value of accepting distance degrees as bona fide and worthwhile qualifications without any stigma attached. I am a double Masters educator, and both my degrees count.