Evaluating e-degrees

HEADNOTE

How should HR professionals regard job candidates with online degrees? There's considerable debate over whether they're as qualified as those who lug briefcases full of books across a real campus.

In many

ways, Alex Zai is your typical online learner. As vice president of store operations and international development for PakMail Centers of America, Inc., Zai's job is too demanding for a traditional classroom education. Seeking an MBA program that could accommodate his extensive foreign travel schedule and give him a greater understanding of international business, Zai enrolled in the University of Phoenix Global MBA Program. The courses, which were offered entirely online, allowed him to complete his coursework after his kids were asleep, while waiting in airports, or while conducting business in other countries.

How does he describe the quality of education received? "Mediocre at best," he admits. Zai rarely received feedback on his work, there was no interaction with the other students, and he often felt that his writing skills were better than those of his instructors. "The only thing I gained from the online courses was a better understanding and use of the Internet," he explains.