Our Approach

Our students enjoy the Socrates difference

When you become a student of South University you'll notice a big difference in our approach to online learning. That's because we've blended our own long-standing experience as a provider of quality higher education with the online learning strategies developed by Socrates Distance Learning Technologies Group® (Socrates), a pioneer in the world of online education.

Trained instructors

Each of our instructors has successfully completed approximately 100 hours of training through Socrates, which sets the standard for excellence in online faculty instruction. This training equips each instructor with the skills and knowledge to support adult learner success in our online classrooms — and only Socrates Qualified Instructors are eligible to lead our courses.

Standards of academic excellence

All of our courses achieve the following standards of academic excellence, which Socrates Distance Learning Technologies Group® (Socrates) has identified through years of researching and developing online learning methodologies.

Attend class anytime: All courses are 100% asynchronous which means there is no set time to attend class. All courses promote personalized learning.
Informative lectures: All lectures augment — rather than repeat — textbook reading.
Relevant course media: All course media are developed to enhance learning, not just fill space.
Active discussions: All discussion questions are designed to promote active discussion, rather than the delivery of finite answers.
Designed by professional instructors: All courses are developed by our team of professional instructional designers, who understand how to focus studies, promote interactive exchange among all class participants, and enhance learning both inside and outside of the classroom.
Graduated learning: All courses build from a basic learning level to a more advanced learning level.
Relevant readings: All textbook readings directly relate to course content and assignments.