If you could look at all the online programs available today you would see that the difference between success and mediocrity often lies in the quality of the online courses and the faculty who teach them. Too often people accept the notion that traditional faculty know how to build and teach an online class. It's just not true in most cases.

If your faculty doesn't have extensive experience in building and teaching online courses, why risk your reputation on their ability to do so? Would you let a first-year lawyer handle the sale of your business? Who do you want to design your new house? You want the best that you can get for your budget.

Today, course content can be acquired from many of the major publishers or from custom course developers. Some companies also offer lease-to-own or fee-per-enrollment pricing models to make it easier for you to acquire quality content from the outset. A few also provide you with either fully trained online faculty or they will conduct intensive training programs for your current faculty.

The best online learning programs take advantage of the medium. They combine audio, video and text in an exciting and compelling way. They utilize realistic simulations ?voice-over tutorials?carefully placed quizzes and flash cards?real-world case studies ?and remedial paths and final exams aimed at helping students move what they learn from short-term to long-term memory. They feature instructors who know how to maximize the web as a teaching tool. They also foster a sense of community and shared learning. And most importantly, they're interactive.

You can no longer thrive (or even survive) in today's marketplace with low-quality courses or untrained online learning instructors. Your competition is better than that.