Access to Higher Education - Frequently Asked Questions about studying online
Below are frequently asked questions that you may have that will assure you that an online course which you are interested in is going to be the right one for you. Below are a number of FAQs that might give you some food-for-thought and hopefully allow you to find the course with a provider that has an excellent reputation.
Are online diplomas worth anything?
Many Students worry about getting an online Diploma, wondering if they have any value or if the university will consider it as an accredited and certified qualification. A straight answer is, yes! Most UK universities value online diplomas. Always check on the course specification for the entry requirements.
How do I know if an online college is legitimate?
It's really straight forward to find out if a college is accredited, visit the QAA website. Here you will find links to all accreditation institutions and can discover if the college is accredited by one of the recognised awarding organisations.
Are online diplomas legit?
Studying remotely to earn an accredited online diploma is no less legitimate than attending a brick-and-mortar college to earn a traditional accredited college diploma. It's a good idea to confirm for yourself if you're getting something legitimate before you enrol.
How do you know if a course is accredited?
An institution's prospectus or website should indicate whether a particular course is accredited, and what organisation it is accredited by. Similarly, most professional bodies will include a list of institutions which provide accredited courses on their websites.
What kind of course can I take online?
There are many courses that can be studied online but be careful that the provider is delivering a course that means something to the outside world. Do you receive a certified outcome such as a certificate on completion that universities or employers recognise? There are many dummy courses that can help you gain experience but mean absolutely nothing. A serious online educational provider will be able to demonstrate their legitimacy by recommendations from universities or by searching for them on the Quality Assurance website. Many people ask: What course can I do at home? The filtering system on this website allows you to search for that too by clicking the Distance Learning box!
It is also useful to read the reviews about an online provider. You can read more about what type of reviews to look out for here.
How do I start studying again as an adult?
It can be a daunting prospect as an adult to start learning again with the commitments of family and work not getting in the way. Online study enables students to work at their own pace of learning, in the comfort of their own home and at a time that suits them around their busy lives. Lots of people ask: How do I go back to study after years? or How do you study after a long gap? Be proactive about it. You will need a computer and the dedicated time to study. If you have been away from education for some time you will be pleasantly surprised to hear that the learning is direct to you with messaging, online face-to-face chats with a tutor, learning materials in the form of YouTube videos, Podcasts, online articles and books. Learning a new subject has never been as accessible as it is today.
Can I do an online course instead of college?
Online courses are, in all the most crucial ways the same as those studied in a traditional setting. For example, an Access to HE Diploma studied online will give you the same qualification as one gained from your local college, providing the online college is appropriately accredited.
Are online courses really effective?
Like any class or program, online courses are effective if delivered and taught well. In fact, studies have shown that online education increases students' retention of material by up to 60% compared to in-person classes.
Are online qualifications Recognised?
Yes, they are. As a student looking to study an online course, you need to make sure that the course you are looking to study is recognised and offers what you need for your next career or educational steps before you enrol and that way you can be confident in your choices and the progress of your learning.
Is it too late to go to university at 30?
You are never too old to learn and study a new subject. A lot of health care courses attract mature learners due to them having relevant life skills and family/ work commitments.
Is it worth being a mature student?
One of the benefits of being a mature student is you feel more relaxed than your academic peers who are younger, and also have a clearer motivation to guide you in your studies (hopefully). As the saying goes ‘it’s never too late to learn!’
Why learning in person is better than online?
It’s not. But it does depend on a number of factors such as what type of learner you are (self-disciplined or not) and also circumstances - do you have to work and raise a family as well as want to study but can’t get to a college? Online learning might be the best option for you!
Is studying online a good idea?
Studying online is a great way to prepare you for life as an undergraduate student. At some point you will need to study using your initiative and develop good time-management skills. This can apply to raising a family whilst working towards getting that promotion to give you a better salary. The point is, by studying online you will have more time to do other things, like spending time at the gym, picking the children up from school and study in the comfort of your own home.
What the stats say:
Access to HE Diplomas are an increasingly popular route to studying at university. Over 60% of Access students will be expected to achieve a final grade of 2:1 or higher upon completion of their degree. The Head of Access to HE stated that approximately 70% of students who studied Access Diplomas between 2020-2021 went on to a career in their academic subject, compared to (approx.) 60% of students that studied via a different route. Therefore, the number is in favour of those wanting to study an Access to HE Diploma to get a job that they have graduated in (isn't that the main goal of studying?)
(Source: Access to HE 2020-2021)
Look at articles in the FE Weekly magazine about the company you are signing up to and consider if they get good or bad press. Review sites can give consumers some idea of what other people say about them but this isn’t always accurate. Why? Because if a student failed for some reason they won’t be happy about it and will want to blame the education provider. So, we recommend that you look for patterns in the reviews: If the same issues keep popping up, it may well be a legitimate issue. Or if there are some bad reviews, look closely at the good reviews for how quickly they were added to cover over the negative feedback. One might argue that the review sights might welcome businesses to pay a higher subscription fee to receive better reviews… I couldn’t say that this is true but you can work it out!
Read more about the Pros of Online Learning here.
Look at our page: Reviews - good and bad for some insights in to what you can look out for in an online provider.