Dr. Jeff Seaman, chief information officer for the Sloan Consortium, an association of institutions and organizations aimed at providing quality online education states, that "In our studies, at least two out of every three chief academic leaders believe that the quality of online studies programs is as good as, if not better than, face-to-face study. In fact, there are a growing segment who believe that online is superior."

Seaman says that to stay competitive with traditional classes, online programs have evolved significantly in the past five years - incorporating more interactive software, better trained professors, and a wider array of study materials.

Graduates of Lansbridge University have commented on the quality of their online experience. The observations include the notion that the real difference between online classes and traditional classes is that the online classes are without discipline problems, racism and bullying.

"In our classes, students form engaging communities online," comments Mary Adams, president of American Sentinel University. "Learning online is not a lonely experience. It's highly interactive."

Students at Lansbridge University not only communicate with their professors by e-mail and threaded discussion, but also participate in a virtual classroom. Through the services of Elluminate, students interact with the professor and with each other. There is an audio component, a white board and provision for text messaging. Professors present lectures with the aid of Microsoft Powerpoint and students can work in groups and give presentations to the entire class.

Not true, say officials at Vault.com. According to the career information Web site, 85 percent of employers feel that online degrees are more acceptable than they were seven years ago. If students are concerned about an online degree being accepted by a future boss, Dennis Rodriguez, assistant director of national marketing for Regis University's School for Professional Studies, says there is rarely a distinction made on the diploma.

Students at Lansbridge University have had employers pay all or part of their tuition fees. Employers recognize the value of a business degree from Lansbridge.

Dr. Janet R. Hutchinson, a public administration professor at Virginia Commonwealth University (Richmond, VA), reports that there is an elevated motivation requirement that separates online learners from classroom students. "Online courses aren't easier to take and they're not easier to teach," she comments. "Students have to be willing to put the time into doing this. If they don't they're going to fail."

The curriculum at Lansbridge University is up to date and the faculty is exemplary. The rigor of graduate school is evident.

Though online programs vary tremendously from school to school, many courses supplement required reading with interactivity to deliver material. Lansbridge University uses a virtual classroom as an integral part of program delivery. Group and individual assignments are also typical of graduate classes, and classes regularly use the threaded messaging discussion board to converse on relevant topics.

According to Sloan Consortium reports, the opposite is actually true. In fact, 65 percent of all higher education institutions use primary core faculty to teach online courses, whereas only 62 percent use primary core faculty to teach face-to-face classes. That means that online students are statistically less likely to have a graduate assistant teaching their course.

Lansbridge University has a preference for a PhD to teach courses. For example, a PhD in Marketing would teach the Marketing course and a PhD in Accounting would teach Accounting.

Thanks to the proliferation of both e-mail and user-friendly software, Dr. Jeff Seaman says that mastering the technological component of online learning is significantly easier than it was a decade a go. He says that, "I think everyone can learn online."

Students of Lansbridge University have the benefit of an orientation course to prepare them to experience online teaching and learning. Each student has the support of a personal learning assistant along with technical support help when needed.

Like their on-campus equivalents, online degrees vary tremendously from school to school and program to program, so it's up to the student to do the leg work to decide if the school offering a cyber program is valid. Only schools that are accredited by one of the six regional accrediting bodies of the Distance Education Training Council offer degrees that will be universally acceptable among employers.

Lansbridge University is the only online university in Canada to be accredited by DETC. In addition, Lansbridge University is accredited by the Department of Post Secondary Education in the Province of New Brunswick. Under Section 3 of the Degree Granting Act of the Province of New Brunswick, Lansbridge University is authorized to offer the Masters in Business Administration (MBA), the Executive MBA (EMBA) and the Bachelors in Business Administration (BBA) Degrees online.

According to a 2006 outcomes assessment conducted by the Distance Education and Training Council, student satisfaction with eLearning is at an all-time high.

Nine out of ten students enrolled in online universities reported a high level of satisfaction with their education experience, and more than 94 percent of degree-seeking students say they would recommend their online alma mater to a friend.