Many community colleges offer seamless transfers to four-year colleges. (Maskot/Getty Images)
Since the humble beginnings of American community colleges in 1901, these institutions have typically focused on meeting the academic, professional and vocational needs of nontraditional, financially constrained students bound to a certain location.
Community colleges have been successful, growing undergraduate enrollment faster than their four-year public, four-year private and for-profit competitors from 2000 to 2015.
Findings from the National Center for Education Statistics show that in fall 2014, of 6.4 million students attending public community colleges, 1.8 million students enrolled in at least one online course, with 690,000 students attending community colleges completely online.
Over time, more online programs and degrees have become available. For example, Wake Technical Community College in Raleigh, North Carolina, offers more than 100 online programs.
While community colleges may not have the reputational prestige of large, national online colleges, they generally have a much lower sticker price. Here are three additional advantages of attending an online program at a public community college.
[Consider whether to take an online course at a community college.]
1. Access to campus services: Attending a local community college as an online student allows physical access to a campus. This enables students to study together or collaborate on projects. In addition, services and offerings such as the library; health and fitness centers; career services; advising; tutoring and disability services; faculty office hours; and student clubs are more easily accessible.
While many online programs have attempted to virtualize many of these services, some are simply more engaging when experienced face to face.
2. Local employer connections: Because the mission of the institution is usually tied to the community's economic and intellectual health, community colleges offer more programs geared directly to local industry and workforce needs.
Many community colleges pride themselves on the number and quality of partnerships they have with local employers. Employers and corporations rely on community colleges to recruit and develop their workforce.
CUNY Bronx Community College in New York, for instance, offers online courses and certificates designed in partnership with experts from high-demand fields such as project management and cybersecurity.
[Decide between an online degree at a community college or for-profit program.]
3. Pathways to four-year colleges: For students seeking to complete a four-year degree, many community colleges have developed pre-established or seamless transfer pathways to local four-year universities.
For example, the University of Central Florida offers the DirectConnect to UCF program, which guarantees admission to UCF for students who complete an associate degree at one of six partner colleges. Students can complete a bachelor's degree in a shorter amount of time and have access to UCF's campuses and student services, even as an online student.
The takeaway: Students contemplating online programs have more choices than ever before. Be sure to consider the cost, convenience, access and opportunities present at regional community colleges. While local programs may not have the same marketing power as their national competitors, they can offer online students an excellent experience.
Build a Campus Network
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Even though they aren't on a physical campus, online students can get to know their classmates. That, experts say, surprises many of them as they communicate through discussion boards, videoconferencing, social media and email.
Here are 10 things to know about student interaction in online degree programs.
1. Live classes allow for real-time interaction.1. Live classes allow for real-time interaction.
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Many online courses have a live, or synchronous, component, where students log in at a specific time and communicate through videoconferencing. This allows for face-to-face conversations but less flexibility than self-paced, or asynchronous, courses.
"Face-to-face communication really does enhance the whole experience and provides a better learning experience," Gary Rosche, then an online master's in public administration student at the University of North Carolina—Chapel Hill, told U.S. News in 2015. "You develop a real personal relationship with the faculty and other students."
2. Many online classes assign group work.2. Many online classes assign group work.
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Though online students are often far from one another, many online instructors still assign group projects. Online students may use tools such as Google Docs to edit assignments along with Skype and online chatrooms for discussions.
"It is preparation for the workforce," says Ray Schroeder, associate vice chancellor for online learning at the University of Illinois—Springfield. "Even if one's already employed while taking an online course or degree, more and more corporations are extended across the country," and even internationally.
3. Interaction may require headphones and microphones.3. Interaction may require headphones and microphones.
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Given the synchronous and collaborative portions of many online courses, students may need to purchase a headset, or a pair of headphones and a microphone, before starting, experts say.
Though speakers are typically built into computers, separate devices can ensure better audio quality, experts say. A microphone, meanwhile, may also be important to narrate virtual presentations, Ruth Chisum, executive director for online operations at Sam Houston State University, told U.S. News in 2017.
4. Discussion boards are common.4. Discussion boards are common.
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In asynchronous components of online courses, discussion board assignments allow students to voice opinions and respond to questions posed by the instructor. These give students a chance to think through their responses, in contrast with having to answer quickly in a face-to-face setting, Schroeder says.
"If you give an assignment in a discussion board due in three days or seven days, it really allows students to accommodate their schedules and to get on at the best time that they can," Schroeder says.
5. Students may be required to meet in person.5. Students may be required to meet in person.
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Some online degree programs have face-to-face components either on campus or elsewhere, perhaps even overseas. Online nursing courses generally have clinical requirements, for instance, and many online MBA programs have residencies where students attend lectures and participate in activities.
"It gives you the opportunity to see your classmates in a social setting, and you get to build those social relationships," Hansel Rodriguez, then a student in UNC's online MBA program, told U.S. News in 2015. "I just went to a classmate of mine's wedding – it shows you the kind of relationships you get to build."
6. They may also network face to face.6. They may also network face to face.
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Online students who live near campus or in the same city as classmates can take the initiative to meet and build relationships. They may form study groups for a course, join clubs, attend cultural events or simply network, experts say.
The Hough Graduate School of Business at the University of Florida, for example, hosts networking meetups in major Florida cities and sometimes nationwide each year. "If we can get critical mass where we've got students, we do our best to bring them together," John Gresley, assistant dean and director of UF's MBA program, told U.S. News in 2017.
7. Social media is often a communication tool.7. Social media is often a communication tool.
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Many online students use social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn to interact with classmates. They may create groups that serve as virtual communities, get to know their peers and showcase professional achievements.
"The world is now engaging on social media," Connie Johnson, provost and chief academic officer at the for-profit Colorado Technical University, told U.S. News in 2015. "The benefit is that we can reach students through a number of different avenues that they are on anyway."
8. Joining clubs is an option.8. Joining clubs is an option.
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Just because you are an online student doesn't mean you can't become involved in extracurricular activities and student groups. Clubs can be virtual or on campus and may focus on specific career paths or activities. Members may connect through Facebook and videoconferencing software, students say.
"A strong collegiate experience should be full of something more than just your relationship with your professor and what you’re learning in class,” Ashley Adams, director of student affairs at Pennsylvania State University—World Campus, told U.S. News last year.
9. Online students gain a variety of perspectives.9. Online students gain a variety of perspectives.
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In online programs, students may live throughout the U.S. and even overseas. While this can make completing group assignments challenging, it also allows students to network on a broad scale and provides insight into other views and cultures.
"It gave me the sense that the world has a much wider scope than just the locale where my laptop resides," Darwin Green, a former online bachelor's student at Penn State—World Campus, wrote in a U.S. News blog post.
10. Overall, online students build strong relationships.10. Overall, online students build strong relationships.
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The fact that a degree program is online shouldn't dissuade students from connecting with classmates and expanding their network. Some online students even say they develop closer bonds with their classmates than they would on a physical campus.
"The first night of classes I remember specifically engaging in very deep and thoughtful discussions about our course material," Troy Cornell, an online MBA student at the American University Kogod School of Business, told U.S. News in a video. "That totally debunked this idea that the online format can't be as good as the in-person format."
More About Online EducationMore About Online Education
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Find more tips on choosing an online program on the Online Learning Lessons blog, and see our complete rankings of the Best Online Programs.
For additional advice and information on how to navigate online program admissions, connect with U.S. News Education on Twitter and Facebook.