Opinions of online universities

my friend did an online university and the company she worked for paid for her entire BS degree. She loved it because she worked full time and was able to do classes around her schedule. I can't remember the name of the college she went to off the top of my head. I'd check around your area at local school or in state school and see if they offer any online degrees. Our local community college offers some online AS degrees.

I will be finishing up my online degree soon through Western Governors University. It has overall been a positive experience. It was one of the cheapest options available to me and I love that I set my own pace and can finish classes at my own convenience.

Does the school accommodate his disability? Just another option to consider.

My twin brother got his bachelors and a Masters from WGU. He loved his experience and had no trouble getting a job afterwards.

Stay away, far far away, from schools that only exist online. An online degree is only as good as the school backing it. University of Phoenix and other for profit schools avoid like they are deadly.  Most state schools offer online degrees or programs that are a mix of online courses with some in class courses.

I am fine with working adults doing a degree completion online while working BUT I also hold the opinion that it is not a good option for young adults just leaving home. They need to be developing the people skills that come from living with non family, learning to navigate the expectations of a schedule that they don't necessarily like because that will be the work world he will be entering.

Are you really doing your son a favor by letting him "skate" out of college for living at home and doing class when he feels like it? He is going to need a sleep routine for the rest of his life.  The chances of him having a job that lets him work when he feels like it instead of developing discipline that he must get his sleep is highly unlikely. Personally, instead of online school at this point in life, I would have him find a full time job and work for a year or two while he decides how important a degree is to HIM, learn how to manage his life and have him save the money to pay for his next semester so he doesn't squander it by not sleeping. I would not be enabling him with easier solutions.  IMO, I think he is playing you for sympathy. You need to move out of mommy protects her baby mode and let him stumble to find his own path so he is able to deal with his adult life. 

Absolutely!  In fact I've had courses where the first week they require you to tell them your back up plan....having access to multiple devices, ability to use a different network (library, friend's house, etc).  This weekend the school's system went down at 9pm Sunday (two of my courses have multiple things due on Sundays).  We were granted an extra day for that, but I honestly wasn't sure they would so I was in a bit of a panic when I went to bed (after hitting refresh for almost 2 hours straight hoping it'd be back up).  Another day the power was out in my entire city for the whole day, fortunately it came back up a few hours early than expected but I was sweating that too (I doubt I would have been granted an extension for that as it wasn't the school's fault).

But I have due dates that range from Tuesday night to Sunday night; the week's work opens up on Sunday or Monday (depending on the class) so no working ahead or behind.  The only benefit is that I can work at 9pm and don't have to drive anywhere.

One more thing I forgot about is that participation grades are HUGE in online courses.  I'm pretty sure in a regular class I'd sit in the back and be invisible 80% of the time.....not a choice online; most classes require multiple posts per day/week/topic including replies to classmates and that have to be "good" posts, no "I agree"

Many states no longer recognize any teaching degrees from there...

I got my master’s degree from the online branch of a brick and mortar university. It was the right approach for my life at the time and I got a good education.

My advice is it is best for a person with good work ethic and strong motivation. You need to be able to work independently and be comfortable with a lot of reading and writing. We still did a lot of group projects and we had to do it virtually. I had to learn to use video editing and other software to make presentations.

Wgu is a good school.

If he isn’t disciplined enough to deal with on campus classes, he will not be successful with online classes.

I cannot say if online would be a good fit for your DS, but make sure that the school is aware of the situation and that he is working with the disabilities office. Every college/university is required to have one. He should be able to be accomodated for special needs, and if there are academic probation/suspension issues, or financial aid issues (like he received an F in a class, or stopped attending before the term was out, was charged in full for the class but did not earn a grade) you may be able to do an appeal when they backdate the class, he gets a W and a partial tuition refund.

I had undiagnosed narcolepsy in college; in fact, I wasn't officially diagnosed until about 20 years later. It was difficult to get doctors to take me seriously at that age; they all assumed I was a "typical" up all night, hard-partying college student. In fact, I slept during class, in between classes, never pulled even one all-nighter and skipped most non-required sorority activities and parties because sleeping was a gazillion times better than anything else. I sometimes look back and wonder how I graduated with double majors since all I could think about my senior year was sweet, sweet sleep. I didn't pursue grad school, which was my initial plan, because I knew I wouldn't be able to keep my eyes open and I didn't want to waste time or money.

How did I manage it? Unfortunately, based on what you wrote, I don't think I have any advice that he probably hasn't heard. There were no online classes back in the 80's, so I can't speak to that, and personally, being on a computer makes me drowsy, ESPECIALLY if watching videos is involved. I slept as much as possible throughout the day (one reason I stayed in on-campus dorms all four years--sleeping convenience), but it didn't keep me from falling asleep in dimly lit lecture halls. However, I DID attend all of my classes, sleepy or not. I got to know people in every class and sat with them. They would poke me when I started nodding off, and we could compare notes. I walked everywhere, played a club sport, drank a lot of caffeine, tried not to schedule classes back to back, got an on-campus job where I had to stand and move around, and took lots of study breaks where I would take a walk or a cat nap. I also was part of student tutoring groups for a few subjects. Staying actively engaged with whatever was happening helped me, but when the wave of sleep starts to roll, it's near impossible to fight it.

I wish him good luck in developing a strategy that works for him.

I personally know three people that have graduated from Western Governors University. All successfully employed in their field. One completed her student teaching in my classroom. As a cooperating teacher, I was very impressed with the professionalism and expectations that WGU had for their students.

They can be a great way to get your degree, but I agree make sure you're looking at schools that are brick & mortar with an online program. I did a program a few years back and my ds is currently doing his Masters online (after doing his BS locally.) The concentration he wanted isn't available in the state and he works full-time so it's been a great way for him to take classes...although he'd rather be in a classroom himself.

And with that said, online classes are very different from being in a classroom. You have to be very motivated and self-disciplined. Basically assignments are set and there is a lot of reading/self teaching involved.