Online degrees not making the grade in ASEAN

In spite of the ubiquity of the internet, online degrees have yet to take off in ASEAN. Spire Research and Consulting surveyed 300 pre-tertiary students from Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia, and found that most of them prefer local or residential overseas degree programs to online degree options. Spire shared why students are not open to online degrees in Marketing Magazine Indonesia.

The Spire study revealed that students in Indonesia and Singapore did not show interest in pursuing an online degree, whereas only 1% of Malaysian students expressed interest. In other words, students considered classes conducted by faculty to be more effective than those conducted via a virtual classroom. Various factors cited for inclination towards attending offline classes include the prestige of old, off-line universities (58%), employability (47%), as well as opportunities to nurture relationships among fellow students (35%).

It was also revealed that, when making choices about universities, 23% and 14% of the students were influenced by their high school teachers’ advice and educational events respectively.

From the Spire study, teachers’ and seniors’ recommendations carried more weight amongst Singaporean students whereas educational events had a greater impact on Malaysian students.

The Spire repost concluded that online degrees have yet to make the grade in ASEAN. It remains to be seen whether they can win more appeal in the future.

https://www.spireresearch.com/newsroom/media/online-degrees-not-making-the-grade-in-asean/

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