Interest in online education is growing fast. In fact, according to a survey report by the Sloan Consortium, a group of institutions and organizations who follow online education trends, over twenty percent of all students who were enrolled in higher education in 2007 were taking at least one course online. The report also stated that the current economic recession is driving more people to turn to online education as they look for ways to increase their employability. So why is online education so appealing? Here are ten reasons why online education is on the rise.

1. Convenience: The one thing that people love about online education is that it is perfect for busy people. Online learning is provided in a format that allows you to work it around your schedule. If you have a full-time job and/or children, this type of flexibility is crucial.

2. Smaller Classes: Many traditional colleges have classes where the number of students can be over a hundred. With this many students, it is very difficult to receive any individual attention. Online classes, on the other hand, tend to have between 15 to 25 students.

3. Books Included: Unlike at traditional schools where book costs can be an expensive surprise every semester, online colleges often include the fees for books in their tuition. This way you know how much they are going to cost.

4. Learn at Your Own Pace: Online education creates an atmosphere where you can learn at your own pace. They often have accelerated programs if you would like to learn faster or, if your learning style is at a slower rate, then they cater to those needs as well.

5. Open Notes and Books: One of the great things about online education is the exams tend to be open note and open book. This increases your chances of succeeding.

6. Anonymity: Many people do not like to have the entire class’s eyes on them when they answer a question or contribute to a discussion. It is because of this that these people do not get involved in class. The online environment strips away that inhibition.

7. More Interaction with Students: Because of the structure of online classes, chat forums and online discussions are a major part of the online learning strategy. In a traditional classroom setting you may or may not interact with your fellow students. With online classes, it is a necessity, and there are many online students who claim that this is one of their favorite aspects of online learning.

8. More Interaction with Instructors: One of the issues with online learning is the isolation of the student. Online instructors are well aware of this and take every opportunity to reach out to their students to bridge that gap. At a traditional college, you may never speak one on one with your professors.

9. Free Tutoring: Online colleges often make tutoring available to their students at no extra cost. This is of great value since tutoring can cost anywhere from $20 to $100 per hour.

10. You Can Learn in Your Pajamas! And last but not least – you can learn from the comfort of your own home. This means you can go to class in sweats, boxers, even your pajamas. It also means that if you are hungry, you can get up, fix a snack and eat it – without having to worry about how loud that potato chip bag is.  More information along with free enrollment forms are available at Masters Degree Teacher, Masters Degree Salary or Masters Degree Science.

It used to be that a stay-at-home mom with taking care of the household, cooking dinner, and when needed take her children to soccer events.  However, the days of the stay-at-home mom are changing, and besides all the work she has to do to take care of her family, she is now taking care of herself and studying towards a university degree online.

According to a survey conducted by American Intercontinental University, 75% of stay-at-home [[moms]|mothers] are looking to get educated or an advanced degree because they want to have larger financial contributions to the household, and to reignite their passion.  Since they do not work and stay home, these moms often feel like their minds and talents are being under utilized.

For stay-at-home moms who want to get into college, online degrees especially for them are available.  Because distance education is available from many non-traditional universities currently, knowing that stay-at-home mothers offer another chance for the growing distance student population makes marketing and designing distance programs much easier.  Some of these online programs tap into those skills that stay at home mothers already know how to use but to improving a bit while learning about a old career.

In fact, employees notice when they hear about such moms who are looking to go back to work from home after earning their distance degree is that they are talented with balancing their home life with school life is that they hone skills at home that are also valued in the work place such as: organization, responsibility and attention to detail. 

If she needs financial assistance to pay for college, the stay-at-home mom can look for various scholarships and grants that are available online from private organizations, corporations, civic clubs, federal and state government, as well as college campus student loans so she could get the funding she needs to earn a degree. 

So what types of degrees can a stay-at home mom earn?  Basically, she can earn any kind of degree or certification that she wants to from business to the social sciences.  One example and becoming more popular of these distance programs is an education degree as well as a teacher’s license (depending on the state) in order to obtain an education or teaching job.  If they earn an education degree with proper certification, they can become a teacher’s aide, childcare worker, elementary, middle, or high school teacher, guidance counselor, and education administrator.  But why not go even further?  Some mothers who may already have a bachelor degree will go on to earn a Master’s or Doctorate in their chosen field and even advance faster with a degree or even change career paths.

As far as the top online universities to consider 3 that the stay at home mom can request free information from before enrolling include: University of Maryland University College, DeVry University, and GCU.

An online degree opens the door for many opportunities that a stay-at-home mom never dreamed of, and when the time is right to go back into the workforce at least they know that they have the right skills and credentials to get the job.