Why is it that there are so many accredited online colleges in the market of education?

Well, this is an issue that has no final answers and no defined motives. Of course, one main factor of this present proliferation and spawning of accredited online colleges is the development of virtual education: in the last years, it has grown a lot, allowing students to attend classes and courses without going to a physical place. We’ve talked about this topic in several articles, yet the point of having so many accredited online colleges to choose from is still a puzzle. The market has spread and so did online education, yet it is difficult to decide exactly why this is happening. The main problem regarding this is that there is no solid regulation that determines a minimum quality standard for institutions offering courses and careers to be attended via online. This is due to the opening of the World Wide Web, and the possibility that almost everyone with a connection has to access to one of these courses. Maybe one important reason, also, is the high level of demand, as many students are also workers, and in many cases, the possibility of attending courses or careers was limited by timetables at work: it was impossible for them to go to a certain class, and so the student ended up leaving that career behind and choosing another one, just because the timetable was convenient. In these cases, lots of universities and colleges opened courses and careers to be attended online. New systems were developed, more people was hired to support this new opportunities given to students unable to go to class in the traditional way. As the trend grew, lots of colleges had to get used to it and catch up, so online courses spread a lot, and in a way this compelled everyone to have their programs permanently tested and updated, as competition made them think about the possibilities offered by the other institutions, the programs and topics explained, etc. It was also important to gain accreditation, so every college went into the process of becoming accredited online colleges. With this, the direction of education sadly took the way of an enterprise, in which competition, offer and demand determine the prices, the costs and the possibilities of each student to choose among a huge amount of institutions, as accredited online colleges are today everywhere (you can see another article in this same websit, “Accredited online colleges, here, there and everywhere”). These institutions have become something close to a plague, and everything in educational services is changing: as we mentioned before, now there is a much more emphasized highlight on cost-benefit actions, and as long as you can get always the cheaper things, you are authorized and told to do whatever you think it is necessary to cut down on costs. The problem of having so many accredited online colleges is that you may think that every institution has the same quality, or at least a fine standard that you can point to. Yet in some cases, as regulation is weak, the accreditation was not difficult to be given, and despite having high prices, the courses may not be of the best level, both in contents and hours of learning. Of course, it is always valuable to make use of your own time and managing it at your own needs, yet it is also very important to beware of the offers that are in the market, as they are a lot and not always the best. You should get reccomendations from teachers or friends who have attended these courses online, and then look thoroughly at every program, so as to see which topics are offered as a plan in the course you are willing to take. By doing this, you will be making yourself sure that you are taking the best choice, and that you will be paying fairly for the class you have chosen. Remember, also, that even though in some cases the price may be high, the school offering the course should be important, no matter the cost. Generally, when prices are high, it is because teachers are good and well paid. Of course, this is not a general law, and that is why you have to be, at everytime, with your eyes wide open, so as to have the chance to choose the best offer in the market.