Online degree programs are the future for universities, especially for graduate programs wanting to attract professionals. It’s not just University of Phoenix and Devry anymore.
Im studying online at A&M which is a top engineering school. We watch the same lectures as on campus students, it’s just recorded and posted for me later. I have the same hw, reports, projects and exams as well. For the exams, I have to either go to a testing center or have an online proctor which watches me via webcam.
When I was researching schools, almost all had some sort of online equivalent. I guess it depends on the program and school, but their definitely not a joke like you’re implying.