Unless you’ve been hiding under a rock the past decade, you are aware of the progress online education has made within both the educational community and the internet, incorporating the most advanced technological advances with various degree programs. However, online education has not been without its controversies and criticisms, most stemming from the first days of its implementation in the late 1990s. For-profit schools have been around for decades, but the internet offered a new forum for them to blossom into the conglomeration they are today. However, because they are vastly different from most traditional colleges in the way they fund their programs, many educators have been wary of promoting programs that do not focus on educational aspects as much as money. Ultrasound tech schools fall into the same category as every other for-profit institution and have therefore attracted a wide array of criticism from every spectrum of educator and political contributor.
Congress narrowly allowed for-profit institutions to gain federal funding less than a decade ago, amidst many complaints and alternative viewpoints. The federal funding that was granted is the only reason most online colleges took off so rapidly in the early 2000s and is why they continue to be a large portion of the educational community today. The monster organizations like University of Phoenix offer the largest variety of degree programs and courses, although many politicians and educators remain outraged at the tactics schools like this use to attract students and seemingly coerce them into taking out outrageous student loans to pay for classes. While news stories focus on the few stories that follow this pattern, many students find they enjoy the online classes technique, especially when it means they can save time and money.
Ultrasound techs have additionally discovered that their degree is one which does not necessarily require hours of study at a traditional brick-and-mortar school, but can instead be completed through online courses. Students have jumped on the online education bandwagon in this field of study, as well as countless similar ones that seem to be perfectly fit for online instruction. With technology having advanced to the point it has today (video conferencing and other internet phenomenon), it seems silly to even consider driving to a community college during a thirty minute commute for a two-hour class after work. Ultrasound tech schools solve this problem by allowing students the flexibility of manipulating their schedule while consistently paying less money for classes.
Despite the vast success stories of online education, it remains a highly controversial subject because of the “newness” of the programs and the students who have fallen off the bandwagon of different degree programs. Ultrasound techs are increasingly important in the medical community, and despite any negative press, online classes in the field are the best way to earn a degree in the industry.