Aug 08, 2016 04:10 AM EDT By Staff Reporter, UniversityHerald Reporter

One alternative to traditional college that is gaining momentum in today's modern world is online schooling. While taking up a graduate program in education online is more convenient, it also requires a lot of self-discipline.

"Even though you're really tired at the end of the day, the perk of it is that you get to do it in your pajamas late at night, but you have to be motivated enough to get the work done," Kelly See, a Kansas teacher who finishied her online master's degree in special education two years ago, said. "You have to be a strong, motivated student."

In a report by U.S. News, Tom Dana, associate dean for academic affairs in the College of Education at the University of Florida, noted that online graduate programs in education are not necessarily easier than traditional college. Education and teaching comes third in the most popular graduate online fields of study, falling after business and IT.

Students who wish to enroll in an online graduate program in education should expect these four things:

1. Discussion boards. These are very common in online graduate education programs since it encourages students to interact with each other as well as with teachers. Some professors want students to facilitate their own discussion while others pose questions for the class to answer.

2. Group work. There will still be a need to collaborate with classmates, but through virtual means. There are already a lot of tools that can help online graduate program students work together in a group.

3. Assessments. There are various ways in which a professor can assess online students such as assignments and projects. Online examinations are also to be expected.

4. Self-paced learning. Since most students of online graduate programs enroll in these courses for flexibility, it would make sense that learning would be based on the student. There are schools that allow students to complete their coursework according to their own schedules.

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