I think that taking online classes at a solely online school (like pheonix) does matter, but there is a way around this. I'm assuming you're out of school, but is there a state university around you? They generally offer online classes as part of their normal curriculum that show up as regular credit on your transcript. I think that's the best option...followed by online classes from your community college. I'm pretty sure taking pre-reqs from an online university isn't the way to go...