Today’s guest post is from Kaplan University. Kaplan has been kind enough to provide our readers with profiles of successful student moms who are succeeding beyond their wildest dreams after returning to the classroom.

Modern motherhood includes scheduling play dates on your Blackberry, talking to fellow moms on Facebook, and “logging-on” after the kids are asleep to online education courses.

In fact, according to MediaPost, 88 percent of moms in the U.S. with children under the age of 18 are online. There are only about 40 million moms, total, with children that age, across the U.S. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the greatest percentage rise in college attendance is among women 30 and over. At Kaplan University, a record number of moms are going back to school to advance current careers, further job options, fulfill lifelong dreams, and seize opportunities to contribute to the household finances during the recession.

These moms would attest that online education has changed their lives and given them the chance to advance despite complications in their day-to-day lives.

To Fill Nursing Gap, Mom Returns to College. After working as a nurse for more than 20 years, Katherine Getchel accepted a career-changing management position at a local hospital with a catch: she was required to complete her bachelor’s degree. She completed her degree at Kaplan while working full-time, raising a son, volunteering with a Medical Reserve Corps, and healing from a back injury. Katherine is currently enrolled in master’s degree in education at Kaplan so that she may help to train future nurses of America.

Military Mom Vows to Complete Degree By 40. An eight year military veteran with five children, Karrie Jensen, promised herself and her kids that she would complete her bachelor’s degree just in time for her 40th birthday.

Currently stationed in Iraq, Jenson is scheduled to receive her Bachelor’s of Science in Management this July.

Always on the Go. Missy Brown, 25, completed her Bachelor’s of Science Degree in Management, Sales and Marketing while running a business as a literary agent and caring for her son with cerebral palsy. Missy used her Blackberry and laptop to complete her coursework as she shuttled between meetings and doctor’s appointments.

Online education has made it possible for all the profiled moms to return to the classroom. It is increasingly a viable option, particularly for busy adult (non-traditional) students. Katharine, Karrie, and Missy are living proof that it is not impossible to be a successful student despite the demands of work and family. For more information about online learning, please refer to my earlier posts here and here.

 Please note: No payment nor any type of compensation has been received for this guest post from Kaplan University, and endorsement of Kaplan’s programs by Back 2 School Moms is not implied by this post. Always do your own extensive research before enrolling in any college program.

Photo by Ron Miguel

Online education is becoming a better option for working students all the time. You attend classes on your own schedule, when it’s convenient for you, not just when it’s convenient for the instructor. When you are checking into attending an online school, you need to be aware of certain criteria that can make or break your educational experience.

1) Is the school accredited? Before you check into anything else about an online college, this is the number one criteria that you must investigate. Too many students have ploughed thousands of dollars and countless hours of time into online programs only to find the value of their degrees absolutely worthless upon graduation. The U.S. Department of Education website maintains this valuable database of accredited post-secondaryinstitutions and  programs. Take the time to check if the school you are thinking of attending is on this database. The highest form of accrediation an educational institution is regional accrediation, and there are only six agencies in the U.S. that can confer regional accrediation. Students of regionally accredited schools qualify for U.S. federal student aid, and generally the courses taken at a regionally accredited institution transfer easily to other colleges and universities.

2) What is the total cost of the courses offered? If you think online education should be much cheaper than can be delivered at a brick-and-mortar college, think again. Online courses generally cost as much or more as courses delivered on campus. If you find what seems to be a real bargain, you need to ask yourself why the institution can offer their courses for much less than other schools can. Is it because there is no technical support services available for students if they encounter difficulty with course delivery? Are the instructors in the online school of lesser qualifications than their tradtional counterparts are? Does the online course basically consist of reading a textbook online and answering questions? If any these are true, the program may not be such a bargain.

3) What is the school’s experience delivering online classes? If a school has many online courses to offer, it’s generally a good sign that they have significant experience with delivering classes online. If only a few courses are delivered online by the school, it may be that neither the school or the instructor has any significant experience delivering courses online. Yes, this does make a difference. An instructor who may be witty and challenge his/her students in a face-to-face delivery situation maybe very dry and boring delivering online classes. Ask if you can speak to some of the students enrolled in an online school or program about their experiences.

4)What is the retention rate for the program? What is the graduation rate for the program? If many students enroll in online schools, but tend to quickly drop out, and even fewer go on to graduation, this should be a major red-flag for you. Any school should be able to tell you what their retention and graduation rates are. This is important for prospective students of any post-secondary program, whether online or a traditional program.

5) What are the credential of the instructors? More experienced instructors are generally better instructors. Do they have specific training in online delivery methods? Also, what are the educational levels of the instructors? Generally, you will get a better course delivered from someone holding at least a Master’s degree. Any lesser degree level attained by your instructor should be viewed with skepticism.

6) What is the ratio of students to instructors? Just like with face-to-face delivery, the ratio of students to instructors is very important. If you find out that there are a hundred students enrolled in your online class and only one instructor, don’t even waste your time with the course.

7) What delivery methods are used? 21st century techology is available to us all; your school should use it if they specialize in online courses. Possible delivery methods include using videos, web conferencing, instant messaging, blogs and more. Don’t settle for some stagnant course developed ten years ago that has never kept up with current online technologies.

In summary, do your homework before you plunk down your hard-earned cash for an online degree. A little due-diligence upfront can save you a lot of headaches, and wasted time and money.

Thinking about enrolling in an online college, but can’t decide which school is right for you, or which online college offers the best financial aid, or has the best graduation rate? The Online Education Database has posted its 2009 online college rankings. OEDb has used eight criteria for its online college rankings, including acceptance rate, financial aid, retention rate and years accredited.

OEDb warns prospective enrollees that online colleges still do not have the prestige they might otherwise earn because of the proliferation of degree mills. But, as a bright spot, OEDb says that “online colleges are now receiving increasing respect from top employers.” So, choose your online college carefully, and always check with prospective employers how their organization views online degrees before you plunk down the big bucks to enroll.