How online learning creates diverse participants
Only 20 years ago, online learning was not taken very seriously. At best, it was considered the modern era equivalent of the email-in-report course. That perception has changed dramatically. Today, online education is not only accepted, but widely respected, with many accredited programs offering the same level of rigorousness and recognition as traditional brick and mortar stores.
This shift is largely thanks to the rise of digital collaboration tools. We currently live in a world where work, encounters and even health care is completely normal, even if we are not in the same room. Higher education, including areas such as law and criminal justice, is no exception.
Currently, students across the country have completed law enforcement and legal training programs, either partially or entirely online. result? A wider, more diverse candidate pool enters fields that were once restricted by geography, time and access. In this article, we explore how online learning will reconstruct the American legal landscape, open doors for new voices, and change who sit at the table.
Can I complete a law degree online?
The answer to that question is yes, but it appears to be relatively recent. Like many other digital education programs, the online law degree actually took off in 2020. Obviously, during the pandemic, many schools had one of two options. They can shut down completely, suspend all student degrees and miss out on a year’s revenue. Obviously, we know the options most universities have chosen.
This confusion has led to an online law degree. This is currently offered by major universities across the country. These programs are as comprehensive as brick and mortar replacements. If you’re interested in completing a virtual law degree, it’s important to do due diligence. Make sure your program is minimally certified. This means that university-earned degrees are allowed to legally work as US lawyers.
However, don’t stop there. You will also learn about the format. Is the lecture live or have they been recorded in advance? How much access do you have to your professor, your classmates, or past alumni? These resources are often more important than assuming people are in brick and mortar universities. They can be replicated easily in an online format, but not always.
Also, look at the pass rate for the bar exam. How do people do in the real world after graduating from this online legal program?
People are worried that online schools have elements of shade and illegality, even if they are less than before. This is there. Schools, including those owned by the president, may encounter accreditation issues. The amount of effort involved in creating a fake university is almost entirely vast than the requirements of simply developing the real thing, which occurs much more frequently in brick and mortar stores. That overhead (building, staffing, dorms) doesn’t go into hundreds of millions of dollars of trouble to offer fake degrees.
Online, it’s a little different. The overhead requirements are very small, and all the materials are virtual. Because the barriers to fraud are low, it is more important for students to do due diligence. If you are interested in an online law degree, make sure you spend plenty of time doing your research before committing to the program.
Why is online learning becoming more diverse?
That’s a bit of a nuanced question. In the next few headings, we’ll look at why it is. However, one unified concept is that online learning tends to open the door to university.
Clearly, that doesn’t mean that it creates opportunities for a particular racial or religious group. However, in the United States, it is not possible to discuss economic disparities as well as racial disparities.
This means that the advantage we are going to discuss below is not unique to any group except for those who feel that they are currently excluded by the higher education setting. Of course, many fall into that category and for a variety of reasons.
Economic Accessibility
Online programs are not always more affordable than brick and mortar alternatives. It really depends on where you go. For example, if you are enrolled in the Harvard University online curriculum, what do you guess? I’m not paying digital prices. You pay Harvard prices. This is the cost of the room and board.
On the other hand, if a digitally resident university is found (a digitally resident university that doesn’t have all the incredible infrastructure and overhead of a physical learning environment, you might get a discount on tuition.
Obviously, it also depends on the school you are comparing prices. In any case, online learning is usually the most affordable option. Especially when optimizing your research process with financial priorities.
Also, don’t forget that online program grants and scholarships are available. Many of those previously excluded from the higher education process are also eligible for a larger pool of grants and scholarships.
If you fall into that category, spend 2-3 months studying the scholarship and applying as many people as possible. It may sound like a lot of work now, but that could mean tens of thousands of people saving on the road.
Online law degree programs tend to be more flexible
This is another consideration of “depends on the program you choose.” Some online programs are as strict as physical programs in terms of scheduling and meeting times. You still regularly convenes with teachers and classmates. You just do it through zoom, not a singular building.
Other programs allow you to do more work at your own pace. In these cases, you may deal with pre-coded materials. Instead of live lectures, there is a dense pool of conversations and readings. As long as you’re pushing targeted benchmarks, you can work at your own pace.
This format is more appealing to those who have other considerations to balance. Maybe they have their own family and are still pitching back to the house to help their younger brothers and sisters. Either way, they simply need to work full-time while they go to school. In that case, the ability to work with Bit and Peace degrees is very important to them. In these cases, online learning has the advantage of creating more options. This is the same as saying more opportunities for many people.
Cultural elements have different meanings
Here we wander into a somewhat abstract realm. Here it is: Every university has a certain culture. Sometimes it is included in something that is easily recognizable or simply stated in a brochure. Otherwise, the identity of the university is a bit difficult, but it is still palpable when living in school.
Unfortunately, these cultures tended to be racially and financially monolithic. In America, it means that white students, descended from university graduates, those who grew up in a middle class or above lifestyle, and are probably not thought to be out of college. If you are not categorized into that category, you may feel uncomfortable or unwelcome at traditional brick and mortar universities, which are more sparsely represented.
Identity is less important online as it is not entrenched in the school community. You can concentrate more on the work itself.
Is this really important? The numbers are complicated. University has not begun to think this way until relatively recently. At present, efforts to do so are working on legally dangerous territory thanks to the current administration’s position on the DEI.
Nevertheless, it is true that marketing materials that feature inclusive languages and portray diverse student organizations tend to be perceived as more welcome than those that do not. This at least shows that prioritizing diversity and inclusion could actually benefit a wider range of people without hurting members of the majority group.
The extent to which a physical university can prioritize these considerations is currently questionable and fluid. Online universities, on the other hand, don’t have to wrestle questions that much. For many students, culture and community can exist within a virtual learning environment, but that is to get the job done, achieve a degree and advance into a final career. This framework cannot directly address the racial and economic disparities currently unfolding in traditional universities, but at least provides alternatives to those who want to avoid conversation entirely and work simply by completing their degree.
