Convenience, access but what about outcomes? Reality check for open, distance learning institutions - University World News
Download the report here: http://oasis.col.org/bitstream/handle/11599/2048/2016_Garrett_State-of-Open-Universities.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y Universities mentioned: AU Athabasca University IGNOU Indira Gandhi National Open University KNO Korea National Open University NOUN National Open University of Nigeria OUA Open Universities Australia OUC Open University of China OUM Open University of Malaysia OUSL Open University of Sri Lanka SNHU Southern New Hampshire University UKOU The Open University UL University of Leicester UNISA University of South Africa UOC Open University of Catalonia UoP University of Phoenix USP University of the South Pacific USQ University of Southern Queensland UWI University of the West Indies WGU Western Governors University
So, the article concludes that DL is different. No kidding. I'm only one example, but my experience was different. (Again, no kidding.) But I had to produce the same outcomes on-campus students did, and was measured in the same way.
I believe that as with B&M the quality of the education would depend on the institution that you are attending. I had taken online courses from some universities that were a joke. On the other hand, the education provided by online programs by other universities are extremely demanding. To classify all distance learning universities as a homogenous group is a mistake. Regards, jfosj