DISTANCE GRAD DEGREES RECEIVE HIGH APPROVAL RATINGS - In 1989,
when GetEducated.com, LLC, began tracking accredited distance degrees, five MBAs
were available to the public. Today, GetEducated.com's free guidebook, Best Distance
Learning Graduate Schools, Business and Management 2003, profiles 103 accredited
distance MBAs. The MBA is by far the most popular degree offered in distance format
in the USA. But is a distance degree as good as an old-fashioned residential graduate
degree?

Two independent research studies have compared distance learning MBA students to
their residential peers. Researchers at Colorado State's AACSB-accredited business
school compared distance students to their campus counterparts and to executive
MBA cohort students on 12 specific competencies. Curriculum, many of the
instructors, and the AACSB-accredited degree awarded were the same. At degree
conclusion, all 3 groups self-reported higher scores on 7 of the 12 outcomes. Distance
students self-reported higher scores than the campus group on 3 measures: technology,
quantitative skills, and theory skills. Distance students reported higher measures on
technology than the executive MBA group. It was concluded that: "…the results not
only support the notion that distance learning is effective, but they also challenge the
'no significant difference' research findings by indicating that distance students may,
in fact, learn more than the traditional classroom based students."

In 2001 Canada's largest distance learning university, Athabasca, released the results
of a study that compared their non-residential MBA students to on-campus learners
at the highly-regarded University of Western Ontario's Richard Ivey School of
Business. The study looked at several levels of learning: social, procedural, explanatory,
and cognitive. The results: online learning allows for greater explanatory and cognitive
learning, whereas residential study accentuates and improves social and procedural
learning.

Vicky Phillips, CEO of GetEducated.com, LLC summarizes the research to date:
"Asking which is better, brick and mortar or virtual venues, may be akin to asking
which is better, Ford or Chevy? The answer is that some people may prefer or require
one over the other. Each delivery method may simply enhance or accentuate different
but equally valuable skill sets."

A sharp rise in the number of established brick and mortar educational institutions that
offer distance degrees has also heightened public acceptance. Provided an institution
is accredited by a recognized agency, greater than 85% of those GetEducated.com
surveyed in 2001 believed that quality should not be an issue. Corporate managers are
more conservative than the public in their assessment of distance degrees. In 2000,
surveys performed by GetEducated.com, 79% rated a distance degree "as good as"
a residential option. (Up from under 50% in 1989). "However," remarks Phillips, "this
approval rating surpasses 90% when the name of the institution offering the degree
is immediately recognizable to the prospective employer."

Institutions that lack a brick-and-mortar legacy earn the lowest approval marks.
"People are waiting for a new generation of 'Internet Only' universities to prove
themselves," reports Phillips. "They tend not to trust universities that operate
distance-learning programs only. While Americans generally love new products and
services, higher education is one area where historical longevity breeds consumer
trust and confidence." The complete article can be found at:
http://www.geteducated.com/articles/qualitydistancedegree.htm.
(GetEducated, 17 Apr 03)