Abstract
This paper proposes the main motive behind students choosing online education rather than traditional education is that it is best suited to career objectives. To demonstrate this idea a group of 43 admissions advisors from a major online university were surveyed and interviewed for their unique perspective. The survey consisted of 10 questions with a scale of 1–7 for options; this survey also included 2 questions asking for open format feedback. The interviews lasted, on average, 6 minutes and consisted of 5 questions designed to elicit free response from the participants.
The methods used were a mix of qualitative and quantitative; the qualitative portion of this project focuses on descriptions, analyses and statements of experience in past encounters with potential online students; the quantitative portion of this project focuses on the opinions of the sources more than anything numerically concrete. As a result it is best classified as quantitative evaluation research.
The results were as anticipated; an overwhelming majority of the respondents indicated that the motives for attending their online university were all career oriented. As a result, this report recommends a higher level of communication with corporations and workforce services in the various states so that schools can meet business needs and demonstrate this in a fashion that their graduates receive first consideration when a company is seeking to fill advanced positions or hire new employees.