Online California Colleges: A Higher Degree of Learning

One of the biggest misconceptions regarding online California colleges is the degrees it offers don't stand up to those offered by traditional institutions of higher learning. That simply isn't true. As more and more studies have proven the validity of online educations, employers and educators alike have joined the Internet age and accepted the alternate form of schooling.

The Numbers Don't Lie

For proof of the effectiveness of online California colleges, one needn't look any further than a recent study conducted by Bradley University in Illinois. After surveying and testing numerous recipients of online degrees, researchers determined that students enrolled in Internet-based courses retain between 30 percent and 75 percent more of the information they've been taught than do traditional classroom learners. Adding to that eye-opening report is a 2007 study conducted by the Sloan Consortium and the Babson Survey Research Group. After meeting with instructors employed by traditional schools all over the country, researchers concluded that an overwhelming number felt they could better meet the needs of students through online courses. Reacting to the study's determination that "online education is critical to [a school's] long-term strategy," nearly all the major colleges and universities in the U.S. have since added online courses to their curriculums--including such Ivy Leaguers as Harvard and Yale.

A New Employer Attitude

The revolution related to online California colleges hasn't escaped the attention of the state's employers, who have come to realize that job candidates with traditional degrees aren't necessarily better educated than those with online degrees. This is supported by a nationwide survey conducted by Volt Inc., which found 91 percent of the country's employers are just as willing to hired degreed applicants with either type of education. News of this willingness has trickled down to academic leaders, who "do not believe that there is a lack of acceptance of online degrees by potential employers," Sloan researchers found.

Endless Possibilities

Clearly, this new wave of acceptance has played a part in the increased enrollment numbers associated with online colleges, which boast a nationwide total of somewhere between five and six million students. These people are working toward degrees to become medical professionals, lawyers, law enforcement officials, culinary chefs, biologists, forensic scientists, architects, movie industry professionals, geologists, interior designers, journalists, psychologists, accountants--the list goes on and on. These days, there are few courses of study offered by traditional schools that can't be found as part of an online curriculum.