College Teaching Superstars Abandoning Traditional Undergraduate Commitments
Employers Now Prefer Online Degree Holders
In a surprising development, dozens of academic teaching superstars per year are abandoning their undergraduate campus positions in order to concentrate on providing courses to a broader audience online, or to work at the graduate level.
Dr. Stuart Rojstaczer of Duke University in his book Gone for Good: Tales of University Life after the Golden Age, explains that the traditional undergraduate experience for many has become primarily a time for social maturation, rather than the academic experience it once was.
In addition, the financial consequences of taking traditional on-campus bachelor's degrees have become onerous.
Further, schools and employers alike are finding that students who study online tend to be able to work and learn in a more balanced way. A balanced life approach is allowing the online graduate not only to achieve degree-level knowledge more quickly, but also add to their status as people who can be trusted to follow through with tasks without heavy supervision, something many companies can no longer provide.
The online student must be a self-starter, demonstrating exactly the kind of initiative America's companies are seeking in an increasingly competitive business environment.
Stated differently, online students not only graduate with the same credentials as their on-campus peers, but also complete their degrees substantially ahead of traditional degree holders in the eyes of companies seeking to hire employees who have shown they can responsibly undertake a multi-tasked set of challenges, and complete them without an authority watching the dorm to discourage unwanted behaviors.
Dr. R. F. Bernard, Dean of Linda Christas College, a leading online institution since 1997, was quoted recently as saying, "The growing trend toward online education is not surprising. There was a time when congregating at a physical location was the only way students could be exposed to the best and brightest stars of academia. That is no longer the case.
Far too many traditional college graduates find themselves, at the end of a four, five or six year stay on a campus, not only with a mountain of debt, but also with an inability to find fulfilling, constructive employment, because their degrees do not provide them with the kinds of skills and other credentials the marketplace requires.
Finally, I point out to our parents and students the power of the idea that a student has studied and received a degree without close supervision. This idea is very appealing to 21st century companies who have had to eliminate many strata of management. Just thirty years ago entire strata of middle managers were in charge of monitoring employee behavior. Online degree holders have already shown that, when alone, they can be counted upon to get the job done."
Asked what Linda Christas is doing specifically for their students, Dr. Bernard said, "Over and above the online aspect of the LC degrees, and the personal responsibility that taking those degrees gives evidence of, Linda Christas provides a lifetime guarantee of employment assistance for its graduates. Also, our tuition for the bachelor's is less than one fifth of most traditional US colleges, without sacrificing one iota of academic quality."
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10/02/2009 
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This is definitely happening so Linda Christas is well positioned. I've heard that online courses are more challenging than typical classroom-based courses. I've also heard from a student that online learning is boring. Of course, one must take this with a grain of salt. Boredom is the great and fatal fruit of our modern civilization. Author Bruce Ballenger says that "there are no boring topics, just boring questions." The big question is, what will happen to the legions of those who aren't motivated to work online and don't like reading and writing? A primary reason many students go to college is for the social life...expensive social life though!
Rick Walker 
12/31/2009
I am stoked about this article since I am seeking a degree and have not option except online. I was concerned employers wouldn't take an online degree seriously but this gives me hope!
Kathy Maertens 06/14/2010
Bill Gates recently made a speech in support of online colleges. Not only are the students better prepared they learn how to work on their own and figure out problems and issues with out much assistance.
Rick Trench 08/16/2010
As a Human Resources assistant, I am seeing this trend.
Often kids who graduate from campuses are, just that , kids who needs lots of attention, whereas it seems to me anyway that people who toughed it out online just seem better prepared, more, I don't know, balanced, steady.
Just an observation, but one that is certainly true where I work.