Online...All The Time

This century we have seen the effects of world wars, cold wars, and world disasters. We have also seen the incredible advances in fields such as science and medicine. We have been awe-struck by such inventions as the car, the TV and the space program. However, few of these leaps and bounds that we, as a society, have taken in recent years would be impossible without the use of computers. Today there is a computer in almost every home. Internet use is skyrocketing and growing everyday. Computers are used for work, play and anything in between. However, recently, there has been a great rise in using computers for educational purposes. The Ivy League seems to be getting slowly replaced by the Cyber League. Students as young as seventeen ranging up to forty are finding the convenience and flexibility of Internet courses to be a huge plus as compared to physical attendance of a class. These courses are becoming increasingly popular, and more and more courses are added to internet curriculum everyday.

What does this have to do with financial aid? I'll tell you. Financial aid and like resources are based on the philosophy of assisting students in paying for attending college. The question that has risen about Internet courses is a simple one and a complex question: "Is learning online actually attending college?" The answer you'll find from most people is no. There is little aid, if any, available to students trying to earn a degree or just take a few courses via "distance learning." Why? First of all, federal aid isn't structured around this type of learning environment. Second, state aid usually doesn't apply for students taking distance education courses are normally in other states or even other countries. Third, there are many people who feel Internet learning lacks compared to physical attendance, and do not find that aid applies to students in distance learning programs. But attitudes are beginning to change. Universities and colleges, two-year and four year institutions, are realizing that the Internet is a wonderful learning resource. They are also realizing that it can be beneficial to learn over the Internet, not only for students, but professors as well. Internet courses leave out the hassles of sexual harassment in the classroom, among other things. So, programs are beginning to be restructured and refit to meet the needs of all involved.

Federal aid programs such as the Peel grant are now being considered as ways of funding a distance education program. State aid for residents living in another state (i.e., if someone is a resident of Nevada and living in New York) can receive aid from that state. Military programs are offering funding and incentive programs for personnel wishing to continue education via the Internet. And student loans and private scholarship programs are changing their tune as well.

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