How soon will an online degree be S.O.P.?

COLUMBIA, 4/23/13 (Beat Byte) -- If a partnership between one of Columbia's largest employers and a Silicon Valley-based provider of exotic databases is any guide, an online college degree could be the nationwide standard sooner rather than later.
 
MBS Books is continuing the march toward digital publishing with Direct Digital, a product from MarkLogic Corporation.
 
A publishing and distribution platform in the "cloud" -- part of that server-based megatropolis we access every time we go online -- Direct Digital will bring mobile, e-commerce, and so-called "reader metrics" to the textbook provider. Direct Digital provides information about how readers interact with content, including what they are reading, for how long and how frequently.
 
"Our partnership with MarkLogic highlights how digital publishing is delivering more robust digital learning materials," said Rob Reynolds, Director of MBS Direct Digital.
 
Big publishers such as McGraw-Hill and Elsevier have used MarkLogic's technology since 2001. The partnership with MBS "helps us bring our technology to smaller and medium sized publishers," said David Ponzini, Senior Vice President Corporate Development for MarkLogic.