Demand Quality In College Distance Learning

Why bother to check on whether a college distance learning program that interests you comes from an institution that has educational accreditation? There's a simple reason for being cautious: many employers won't accept degrees from so-called "diploma mills" and you'll have wasted your precious educational dollars.

Distance learning is defined as a way to transfer knowledge from instructors to students who are separated by time and distance through the use of technology. This practice has become widespread since the Internet became more easily accessible in the early 1990s.

That's why smart students will check first to see if a college distance learning program is accredited by a recognized agency or association. Colleges and universities receive accreditation only after they've met certain standards set by the examining organization.

The courses and programs that accredited colleges offer online have been compared to similar programs offered by other accredited institutions of higher learning. Professors assess the quantity and quality of the material in each course, and review the teaching credentials of the instructors who teach the courses.

It can be especially important in college distance education to have accreditation, because distance learning by its nature involves a multimedia approach outside the traditional classroom. In order to fulfill the educational process of transmitting knowledge from the instructor to the student when separated by time and/or physical distance - the definition of college distance learning - information is disseminated using technology. This technology centers on the Internet, often by means of video and audio files as well as syllabus, notes and other text documents posted online. In many cases the technology also includes an old-fashioned means of a transmission in the form of a book.

With college distance learning, inspectors want to verify that college distance learning programs hold students to the same high educational standards as students who take classes on campus. These days it's not unusual for some students to take a combination of both college distance learning classes and on-campus courses.

Students of college distance learning programs can earn the same kinds of certificates and degrees available on campus. These can range from certification in a single specialty through two-year associate's or four-year bachelor's degrees through master's and doctorates in graduate study.

The best way to choose a college distance learning program is to get information or catalogs from several different accredited universities that offer the degree you're seeking.