The Quality of Online Education

As the demographics of their students have changed to include older and working students, colleges and universities have stepped up to meet their needs with high quality, flexible online programming. In most institutions, the same faculty members teach both traditional and online courses. Online curriculum is often equal to on-campus courses, but enhanced for the online environment, with interactive and multimedia features to better engage students. Some say the quality of online education will soon exceed traditional campus instruction. In fact, a survey of online education experts, published by Educause Quarterly, revealed that 86% of respondents expect that by 2013, the quality of online education will be the same as or better than traditional instruction.3 For the vast majority of accredited and reputable institutions, online education is of equal quality to on-campus programs – and students can be assured that the degree or certificate they earn through an online program is equal to those awarded to traditional students. The only differences are in the convenience of 24/7 accessibility, where students may schedule classes around a busy schedule, and instruction that is specifically geared toward online learners.