Always check to make sure the school is accredited. Some sites that might be useful:
http://educationusa.state.gov/accred.htm
http://www.elearners.com/resources/accreditation.asp

It doesn’t hurt to know what you’re looking for in a class. What do you hope to learn? If you can, find out about the individual teachers. Just about anything you need to get started is online. However, if you email or “snail mail” the professors you’re going to have you’ll gain more personal insight into the class and possibly how the professor thinks and his or her teaching style. You can try http://www.ratemyteachers.com/. If the college isn’t listed, ask them to list it. You could check the homepage or other links for awards that school has received, any headlines it has made, the rate of graduation versus dropping out, and your eligibility for financial aid if you need it. This site lists criteria you might want to consider: http://aaodl.net/criteria.htm. If distance learning is what you want to do make sure you have the time and the commitment so you can get the most of out it. It’ll help greatly if the professor is willing to offer help and suggestions by email if you get stuck. Compared with your experiences or thoughts of how the “bricks and mortal” institutions are run see how the distance learning (telecourses, online courses) stacks up. I hope this helps. )