Kevin Iness is one of those new students. Now 27 and living in Alaska, he's working on an accounting degree online at Maryland's University College. Having experienced both ways of pursuing a college degree, Iness sees merit to each. But it will help universities if they expand and offer this type of program as well. Iness and others warn that slackers need not apply.
Many online students insist they have never studied harder.
Exams are often tougher, since reference books are usually allowed, with questions tending to be essay-based. To prevent cheating, some schools require finals to be taken outside the home, with a proctor present. Students also warn that long-distance learning can be hampered by lost papers, garbled discussions and other glitches. Internet connections can be lost right in the middle of lectures, and the time lags faced by all Internet users are especially maddening in a classroom context. But for students like RiCharde, the pluses outweigh the hassles.