Innovative online schools are making serious waves in tertiary education. Though long considered inferior to in-person degrees, distance education is rushing to meet the demands of the modern world.
In this article:
- What does online learning actually involve and why should you consider it?
- Two leaders in the field share how their companies are innovating and solving problems.
- What types of degrees can you get online?
- Do employers respect online degrees?
- The future of online education.
The days are long passed when getting a degree online was a daring thing to do. These days, online learning entrepreneurs have rethought everything from platforms to teaching techniques, and the results are impressive.
Study portals spoke to representatives from two trend-setting schools whose innovations are helping to steer the future of online education. Kabir Ganguly is the founder and Associate Director at the University of Birmingham Online, whose MBA is in the world’s top 20 according to the Financial Times. After 30 years in the industry, Bill Fisher, is now founder and CEO of Quantic School of Business and Technology,
What is online learning?
Online learning is the delivery of educational instruction and content via the internet, rather than requiring students to come to a classroom. It’s also known as e-learning, remote learning or distance education.
How does online learning work?
Some online courses are structured like a traditional classroom:
- The whole class is present for the lesson at the same time, using live platforms like webinars and video conferencing.
- The instructor leads the session and is on hand to offer guidance and answer questions.
However, Fisher believes that traditional teaching techniques like lectures and textbooks don’t work as well in online formats. For example, one notorious problem with online education is that student engagement tends to be much lower.
Instead, he recommends active learning:
- “Bite-sized learning” with no long lectures, videos or meetings.
- Highly interactive: On average, students on Quantic interact with the app every eight seconds.
- Student collaboration: Students from all over the world work together on team projects.
- Curricula are set out clearly and simply so students can see how their learning will progress.
- Framing content as a narrative to make it easier to digest.
- Self-led learning: Rather than having to attend lessons at set times, online learners can set their own pace and work around their own schedules.
Why do an online degree when you can watch a free video?
Fisher calls platforms like YouTube “incredible tools”, but points out that, “An online degree is a bundle of skills. If you plan to study for an MBA, for example, you may love marketing, but you’ll also need accounting and macroeconomics, and those aren’t always subjects you’d choose to study on your own.”
Ganguly says watching a video can feel engaging, but you often won’t retain the information. “A professional online degree has clear learning outcomes: what do you want to achieve ? … Students are often surprised by how much guidance we give and how carefully the workload is planned. They’re also impressed by the interactive parts like role plays, animations, and activities.”
What are the advantages and disadvantages of online learning
The are several advantages to pursuing an online degree:
Price: Remote learning is cheaper for both students and schools. It’s possible for an online degree to cost you less than half the price of a traditional one.
- Mobility: Your classroom can be anywhere you can get an internet connection. Through Quantic, you can even get a degree on your phone.
- Flexible scheduling: With self-led learning you can study at your own pace and when it suits you.
- Access to top schools: Many of the world’s top schools offer online degree options, from the American Ivy League to Oxford and Cambridge.
- Meeting people from all over the world, among both your teachers and classmates. The course outlook is also global. “In our classes, we use diverse images and global case studies,” says Ganguly. “We urge faculty to avoid focusing only on one region. We encourage you to share your own experiences, bringing a global classroom into the course
- Online MBAs help students build skills they wouldn’t on campus:
- Remote collaboration: Being able to do effective teamwork when you’re not in the same office is an increasingly valuable skill.
- Effective communication, including with people from diverse backgrounds.
- Self-discipline.
- Time management.
- Writing skills.
Challenges and solutions: The new face of online learning
As we’ve seen, online teaching techniques are being reinvented, but the innovation doesn’t stop there. Already, Fisher’s Quantic app has pushed the boundaries of online learning’s flexibility and portability: it can be accessed not just on computers but on mobile devices too – meaning you can earn an MBA on your phone.
Here’s how Ganguly and Fisher are already approaching some chronic problems that have plagued online learning:
Problem | Solution |
Lack of interpersonal engagement with peers and teachers; lack of a sense of community.
| Fisher:
Ganguly:
|
Student engagement with the material has historically been lower online than in in-person learning. | Fisher:
Ganguly:
|
Self-led learning can create a sense of isolation .
| The University of Birmingham ensures students are supported throughout:
|
Technical requirements: reliance on access to reliable internet connections and suitable device are essential. | Fisher:
|
What can you study? Types of online degrees
The most common online degrees in 2026 are dominated by fields offering:
- High career flexibility
- In-demand skills and specialised skills.
- High return on investment.
Top 10 Most Common Online Degrees (2026):
- Business Administration.
- Nursing (BSN).
- Computer Science and IT.
- Psychology.
- Healthcare Administration.
- Criminal Justice.
- Education.
- Marketing and Finance.
- Social Work.
- Engineering/Project Management.
Recognition and credibility
These days, online learning is a recognised and reputable way to get a qualification “It’s the same degree as an on-campus student gets. Employers don’t distinguish,” says Ganguly.
“Surveys of graduates show average salaries well into six figures,” he says. “Employers across all industries hire our online graduates.”
Accreditation ensures the credibility of online degrees, validating the quality, legitimacy, and academic rigor of distance education, ensuring credits and degrees are recognised by employers and institutions.
Reliable accreditation bodies include the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA), the European Association for Higher Education Advancement (EAHEA) and the Distance Education Accrediting Commission (DEAC).
In the US accreditation is often done by regional bodies. There are also specialised bodies (programme accreditors) that accredit specific, career-focused courses (e.g., nursing, business) rather than the whole school.
How to find a good online degree programme
Studyportals.com’s meta ranking system ranks online degrees worldwide – consult it to view your options.
Fisher’s top tip is to talk to alumni who’ve already completed the programme. “Use LinkedIn, reach out, and you’ll often get a response ... No marketing can replace the insight you’ll get from people who’ve been through the programme.”
Ganguly suggests attending webinars, speaking with recruitment teams and examining the curriculum, not just the ranking.
"Ask about assessment types and activities. A high-quality programme will include case studies, group work, simulations, role plays, and branching scenarios.. If a university only mentions videos and essays, that should be a red flag."
“You should also ask about admission criteria. Programmes that value professional experience rather than just test scores ensure you’ll study with peers who bring diverse insights.”
The future of online learning: The role of AI
Fisher and Ganguly see a bright future for online learning. Of course, the big issue on everyone’s mind right now is AI.
Both Quantic and the University of Birmingham are already exploring the potential of AI. “We’ve added AI in a supplemental way,” says Fisher. “For example, at the end of each lesson, students explain what they’ve learned to an AI tutor. If they can’t, the AI helps them review until they can.”
Ganguly says, “AI is a tool. We want to teach you to use it effectively. It can overcome barriers to learning, fill gaps, and help brainstorm.” We already use AI in some activities. For example, in a mental health course, we had an AI act as a patient. Students practised treatment processes and then interrogated the rationale behind the responses.
Fisher predicts, “The next five years will be spectacular. We’re developing AI to moderate group discussions, like a Harvard case study class. Imagine running those discussions in any language, 24/7, with AI peers if no humans are available.
“This kind of personalisation (adapting every course to each student’s strengths and weaknesses) is where online education will leap ahead of campus learning.”
Ganguly says, “AI will allow us to do engagement activities that would have been very costly before. Over the next few years, we’ll see degrees evolve to make the most of AI while still requiring authentic engagement.”
Conclusion
Online education is a cutting-edge field, and big innovations are on the way – and with recent innovations, there’s nothing stopping you from enjoying the advantages of an online degree.
