Drexel University Online offers more than 20 options for teachers, ranging from a B.S. in education to post-master’s certificates.
Most of the students are teachers looking to move up the pay scale by adding a degree, or career-changers looking to break into the education field. Programs in subject areas where there’s a strong demand for qualified teachers — such as math, technology, English as a second language and special education — are especially popular.
Since all of the courses are online, students don’t have to give up their jobs, commute to campus or even go to class at a set time. And no one ever has to know.
“At Drexel, you receive a Drexel University degree. It doesn’t say ‘online,’” said Kenneth Hartman, academic director of Drexel University Online.
But Hartman isn’t sure it even matters anymore. “We have the same admissions standards, the same curriculum, the same faculty whether it’s on campus or online. I don’t think most people today question if it’s of the same rigor,” he said. “The questions come in when someone is comparing schools, and wants to know how to evaluate a good program from a mediocre one.”
Students at Drexel can be pretty confident they’ve picked one of the good ones: The school just received the Sloan Consortium Award for Excellence in Institution-Wide Online Education.
