Academic Excellence

Abstract
Technological advancements have led to increased use of the internet across the world. Most people prefer using the internet for various purposes due to its convenience and ease of access. This has led to an increase in online colleges offering bachelors degrees through the internet. An online degree can be entirely or primarily earned using an internet-connected computer instead of attending the college in the traditional setting (Robinson, 2004). Many people across the world want to pursue their studies as they continue with work. Some of the students also prefer pursuing their studies through the internet due to the high cost involved in travelling to the traditional campus. Introduction of online colleges has also led to improved literacy levels. The facilities available in traditional colleges cannot accommodate a high number of students. This has led to increased intake into colleges across the world hence more people are qualified for employment. The online bachelors’ degrees have significantly reduced the level of unemployment as many people are able to acquire the right skills. However, the high rate at which students are graduating is not matched with creation of job opportunities. This is likely to cause more unemployment cases in future as most of the graduates will not be able to find jobs.

Online bachelors’ degrees and their effect on unemployment
Introduction

Globalization has led to technological advancements across the world. Introduction of the internet has completely changed how people interact and do business. Most parts of the world are connected to the internet making it easier for people to communicate across geographical boundaries. Education has also evolved due to the increased internet usage which enables students to pursue their studies online. Several colleges and universities across the world have introduced online bachelors degrees for students who wish to study away from the colleges (Pritchett et al, 2013). An online degree can be entirely or primarily earned using an internet-connected computer instead of attending the college in the traditional setting. This article analyzes the issue of online bachelors’ degrees and their effect on unemployment.
Body

Technological improvements, increased use of the internet across the world and the increased need for flexible school schedules has led to a rapid growth of online colleges (Studt, 2011). Many people across the world want to pursue their studies as they continue with work. Some of the students also prefer pursuing their studies through the internet due to the high cost involved in travelling to the traditional campus. The internet can be accessed from any part of the thus students are not required to travel long distances in order to pursue their studies. Introduction of online studies has tremendously increased the number of people pursuing higher education. This is mainly due to the ease of access. Many people are able to pursue studies from foreign countries without having to travel to those countries. This makes it cheaper as the travelling costs are significantly reduced.
Introduction of online colleges has also led to improved literacy levels (Aguirre & Quemada, 2012). The facilities available in traditional colleges cannot accommodate a high number of students. Most of the people were not abler to pursue higher education due to the limited facilities in colleges and universities. This has however changed with the introduction of online colleges whereby unlimited numbers of students are able to pursue education concurrently. This has led to increased intake into colleges across the world. Students are able to pursue their studies as they continue with their work hence minimal disturbance is caused (Caley, 2012). This ha enabled many people to upgrade their education and acquire new skills which improve their competence.
The online bachelors’ degrees have significantly contributed to a decline in unemployment. Increased intake of students has led to acquisition of the required skills and competence which enables people to get employment (Aguirre & Quemada, 2012). Most people were unable to get employment due to the lack of necessary skills. This has however reduced due to introduction of online colleges that equip students with skills and knowledge at the comfort of their homes. Students are able to get quality education of international standards without having to travel. This makes them competent enough to take up a job in any part of the world. The levels of unemployment have significantly reduced since introduction of online bachelors degrees.
However, the high rate at which online bachelors degrees are being offered is likely to cause unemployment in the long-term. This is mainly because more students are acquiring degrees but the global economy is growing at a very low rate. Many students are finishing college every year yet the job opportunities are limited (Studt, 2011). This is likely to cause problems in a few years to come as many people will have the right education levels but lack jobs. An increase in online degrees will therefore put more pressure on the respective economies to create more job opportunities. The current growth in online colleges is unmatched with employment opportunities which are likely to worsen the unemployment situation. Necessary measures should therefore be put in place to ensure that more job opportunities are created to absorb the high number of people graduating with online bachelors’ degrees.
Some of the courses are also not suitable for online mode of study. Most of the practical courses such as engineering are better learned from a physical college whereby students are able to go through practical lessons (Vogel, 2011). This is mainly because such courses require hands-on training that will impart the skills into the student. The use of online mode of study denies students an opportunity to acquire necessary skills compared to those who have attended classes physically. This mode of study is therefore disadvantageous to some fields. Employers are reluctant to hire people holding online bachelors degrees in practical courses.

Conclusion

The world continues to witness more technological advancements leading to increased interconnectivity. This trend is expected to continue into the future leading to automation of many services. Online colleges have become very common and they are expected to grow rapidly in the coming years. This will enable many people to pursue higher education. Online colleges enable people with physical disabilities, those living in foreign countries, full-time employees and the stay-at-home parents to effectively pursue studies. Most of the online colleges have been accredited to ensure that the quality of education offered is good. Statistics shows that people who have pursued their studies online compete favorably with those who have attended on-campus studies. The employers have recognized online bachelors’ degrees and people holding such degrees are able to access employment just like those who have gone to physical institutions. This has led to a reduction in unemployment rates. Across the world as many people are qualified for employment. This is however expected to change in future because the employment opportunities created are not matched with the number of people graduating from colleges. Most of the graduates are likely to miss employment opportunities leading to increased unemployment.




References
Aguirre, S., & Quemada, J. (2012). E-learning Systems Support of Collaborative Agreements: A Theoretical Model. Journal Of Educational Technology & Society, 15(4), 279-295. Caley, N. (2012). Back To School, Back To Work. Coloradobiz, 39(12), 28. Pritchett, C., Wohleb, E., & Pritchett, C. (2013). Educators' Perceived Importance of Web 2.0 Technology Applications. Techtrends: Linking Research & Practice To Improve Learning, 57(2), 33-38. doi:10.1007/s11528-013-0643-3 Robinson, JoAnn (2004-03-23). "Using Your Distance Education to Earn an Academic Degree". detc.org. Distance Education and Training Council. Studt, T. (2011). Keying In On Online Colleges. Laboratory Equipment, 4729. Vogel, R. (2011). Switching Economics Courses from Online Back to the Classroom: Student Performance and Outcomes. International Journal Of Business & Social Science, 2(22), 79-84.