Accreditors of Colleges and Universities   •   Earning and Transferring Credits

Is Distance Learning Credible?

Distance learning is credible. When you choose a regionally accredited college or university for your distance education, the quality of the courses, instructors, materials, exams, papers, theses, and dissertations are the same as their on-campus counterparts. The way education is delivered (video, computer, correspondence) has little effect on a student's achievement, provided the delivery method is appropriate to the course.

It has long been held that educational quality is linked to the age of the institution, how much money it has at its disposal, how tough it is to get admitted, and how small the classes were. Those standards changed in the twentieth century. It is difficult to evaluate distance learning institutions by the same criteria. They are relatively new, very cost effective, and often offer open admission.

According to a study at California State University at Northridge, students learning in a virtual classroom tested 20 percent better across the board than their counterparts who learned in a traditional classroom . There was no significant difference between the sex, age, computer experience, or attitude toward the subject material of the two groups. All of the research published since 1920 indicates that correspondence/distance study students perform just as well as, and in most cases better than, their classroom counterparts. This success stems from several factors, including:

• Distance learners tend to be self-motivated , disciplined, and higher achievers.

• Generally, distance students are voluntarily seeking further education and have set goals for themselves that make success more likely.

• They are usually employed in a career where advancement can be readily achieved through academic achievement.

• Distance learners in virtual classrooms spend about 50 percent more time collaborating with each other than students in a traditional classroom , which reinforces the learning environment.

• The most successful students initiate calls to instructors for assistance and possess a more serious attitude toward their classes.