Online degrees are becoming increasingly popular, offering a flexible alternative to face-to-face learning. However, some students find that it can leave them disconnected from the university experience or with some elements of their course suffering from the lack of physical instruction. For these students, a hybrid or part-time face-to-face degree may be the solution, where much of the coursework is done online from the student’s home, but some aspects of the course, possibly as much as 50%, will take place in person.
Online Learning
When considering a hybrid degree, many of the requirements are similar for one that is totally online in order to make a success of that part of the course. You will need a space where you can work without being disturbed, and you will need the equipment, such as a computer and internet connection. You will also need to have the self-discipline to manage your own study time in order to meet the course requirements. As with an online degree, this part of a hybrid degree can be worked around work and family commitments at any time of the day or night.
Face-to-Face Learning
Depending on the course, face-to-face learning might include visits to a campusso that students can feel part of the university experience, but without the timedemands and commuter costs of attending every day. Some courses might offer residencies, allowing students coming from a considerable distance to travel to the campus for a few days before resuming their study online. Having some face-to-face learning can reduce the loneliness and isolation that some students feel when they are working 100% onlineand allows them to properly get to know their teachers and build friendships with fellow students.
Practical Courses
There are some courses where 100% online teaching can be effective in teaching the theory but can never replicate the hands-on learning experience. A good example of this is nursing courses. Whileplenty of theoretical knowledge is involved that can bestudied effectively online, there is also the need to develop physical experience, working in medical settings with skilled staff and real patients.Online courses at the Wilkes University School of Nursing offer this hybrid experience to students, with study materials available online 24 hours a day so that students are able to work at a time that is convenient to them, but also clinical placements in diverse medical settings to ensure that the students do not miss out on the practical, hands-on experience that is necessary to advance their nursing career. Other disciplines that require practical experience include teaching, IT, and science, and these are also becoming popular options for hybrid courses.
Hybrid courses are not yet as common as 100% online courses, but they are gaining in popularity as many find that they deliver the perfect balance of the flexibility required to fit their study around the commitments of everyday life, while still delivering the personal touch and hands-on experience that can only beachieved in a face-to-face setting.