Degrees Online

College degrees online have for some time now, been regarded with a combination of curiosity and snobbishness as the concept of online distance learning has taken a rhetorical beating from various educational interest groups. As a result, these online courses of study have struggled to obtain the respectability enjoyed by more traditional, classroom-oriented degree programs. Well, a funny thing happened on the road to equality and legitimacy; online learning is now being recognized as not only an equally valid means for obtaining advanced education, but also sometimes a superior method. If you have not yet heard about all of the great reasons why online college degrees may be superior to campus programs, it is time you did.

Who Says It Is Superior?

Of course, the first question you might have would be where this idea of superiority actually comes from. After all, It is one thing to say that online education for college degrees has achieved parity with traditional avenues for learning. It is entirely another thing to talk about it as being superior to teaching methods that have - in some cases - been in practice for centuries and centuries. Well, the fact is that the United States Department of Education is the source of this comparison as the Department conducted a set of studies directly measuring the results from both kinds of instruction. Their study found that there were superior test scores and other quantifiable results achieved in online courses for college degrees as measured against the results from personal, on-campus instruction.

Why It Is Superior

Online instruction for college degrees tends to produce superior results for a variety of reasons. The first and foremost reason for the higher rates of success has to do with the nature of the environment. While there is much to be said for the actual campus experience, there is no doubt that the culturally-rich life of the university-dweller can present a never-ending series of distractions to all but the most focused of students. When contrasted with the distraction-free environment of online studies, it is easy to see how college degrees can be obtained in a more narrowly-focused way. Even the rigors of the workday provide less distraction for the adult student than the extracurricular activities of the average university.

When the narrow focus of the online college degrees environment is factored into the equation, the only thing left to compare is the actual quality of the coursework. In this, too, there is no discernible difference between the online podcast lectures seen by distance learners and the in-person lectures experienced by on-site students. The material is the same, and many online programs offer the student the opportunity to interact with the lecturer through chat and other features. Even when that feature is not present, the fact is that the online student is able to pursue his or her educational goals during the lecture without the frequent interruptions and other disruptions that can occur in a classroom.