Barron's Guide to Distance Learning: Degrees, Certificates, Courses (Barrons Guide to Distance Learning, 1999) (Paperback)

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Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Many people who need a college degree or postgraduate degree -- or who simply need specialized training in any one of many given fields -- are discovering distance learning as a practical alternative to standard classroom education. This book gives them that all-important step one to start them off on a good distance-learning study program. A complete catalog of accredited colleges and universities that offer degrees and certifications via distance learning.

Product Details

• Paperback: 537 pages
• Publisher: Barron's Educational Series (February 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0764107259
• ISBN-13: 978-0764107252
• Product Dimensions: 10.9 x 8.4 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #2,177,154 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

46 of 50 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This Guide to Distance Learning is a key to the Future, January 21, 2000

By	Tamara Vera (United States) - See all my reviews

This book is an excellent resource for someone who is looking to go to school but does not have the time or ability to attend a regular school. It gives you all the information you need about the schools to decide if they have the right program and criteria for you. It also gives you the information to contact the schools for more information. It is easy to use and has excellent index's that help you find what you want without having to read the entire book.

25 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A Beginner's Look at Distance Education, May 2, 2000

By	Andrea Stoery (United States) - See all my reviews

This book ia a good tool for those interested in learning about distance learning. It included information a what to look for in a school, associations that accredit schools, financial aid information and a dictorary of schools and programs. It is a great resource and information source for those new to distance education and those who are wanting information on schools and programs. Some of the information was not as up to date as it should be. I have been involved with distance education since last year and found that many of the schools I am familiar with were not up-dated in the book.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Guide Overall, But Occasionally Out Of Date, August 12, 2004

By	Robert I. Hedges - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Guide to Distance Learning: The Practical Alternative to Standard Classroom Education (Paperback)

This is the best big-picture overview of distance learning programs available today, and is hugely better than the Bear's Guide, a popular competitor. The strength of this book is in its comprehensiveness. It lists so many programs that it can be a chore to wade through them all. Fortunately they are indexed in the main text alphabetically, but are cross-referenced in the back by state and program subject.

This book would be a hands-down five star slam dunk if it were more up to date. I realize that colleges change their programs all the time, but to me that strongly argues for less time between editions. This was last published in 2002, and much has happened since then especially where Internet learning is concerned. Despite this weakness, it is still at least as current as its competitors, and is vastly more useful and comprehensive. Another small issue that occurs occasionally are short entries like "See school website" or "Contact school" in response to required data fields. I gather from reading this that the entries here were exclusively based on the information schools sent back to the editors on a standard survey. It would have been nice if the researchers had actually called the schools and asked for the information to complete these data fields. It would have been more time consuming to write (enormously so, in fact), but the finished product would have been unbeatable.

In the end, this is my favorite guide to distance learning available, and despite its weaknesses, I still recommend it to anyone considering a distance learning option at any educational level.