The Bears' Guide-DegreeInfo.com Connection

by Nathan Whiteside

It was the perfect arrangement, really.

Dr. John Bear and his daughter Ms. Mariah Bear were both very busy with their lives, yet the 14th and latest edition of the Bears' Guide to Earning Degrees by Distance Learning was becoming dated material, as the world of nontraditional education is constantly changing. The Bears' Guide has been the foremost authority on distance learning since its first printing in 1974, so something had to be done. Regardless of how much "spare time" they had (or didn't have) for such a project, it was time for a new edition.

We, the staff of DegreeInfo.com, were working hard to turn a simple online discussion forum into a major information clearinghouse for distance education. To that end, we were compiling a comprehensive database of accredited and International-GAAP schools, and developing plans to compile a similar database of unaccredited and fraudulent schools.

It didn't take a rocket scientist to see that we could help each other out.
"Once I thought about it," says Dr. Bear, "choosing DegreeInfo.com to help us do our research just made perfect sense. Not only do they have the experience and expertise required for this project, but they also have the staffing we needed to get everything done on a tight time line."

"It worked out really really well," says Chip White, the original founder of DegreeInfo.com. "We were already doing this research for ourselves, so the only difference was that we had to do it on the publisher's schedule, which wasn't a problem at all. Also, it was an incredible honor to work with the Bears, and on the book that launched John's reputation as the foremost authority on distance learning."

An honor indeed, yet Dr. Bear feels much the same way about Chip and his staff. "They made my life so much easier. They did the parts that I just don't have time for anymore, and only called on me to ask questions, and then at the end to review their work - which was excellent. Between their research and my daughter's help, it was a mostly painless process for me."

Of course, John did much more than that. Even as he explores other projects, Dr. Bear still has his finger on the pulse of the distance learning industry, so the staff would get several e-mails each week containing information or a lead on a new school that he had become aware of, in addition to his vast archive of e-mails from readers who send him a steady stream of updates and changes.

"The sheer volume of information that we had to sort through was incredible, and it was a challenge to organizat and keep track of it all. But I think we did a really good job of keeping it together, and I'm proud of the book that came as a result," says Chip.

More on DegreeInfo.com
But what about the comprehensive database of schools that DegreeInfo.com was building? Whatever came of that project?

That became the DegreeFinder database, launched in 2003. "We felt that it's important to give people options," says Chip. "Some people like having a book that they can thumb through, other people just want the most relevant facts at their finger tips. We're offering them the ability to have either or both - whatever they want." More recently, the DegreeFinder database has been offline, with a major revamp in the works. "What we did back in 2003 was pretty forward thinking at that time, and what we are currently working on will, we expect, be another leap forward." In the meantime, until the comprehensive database is available for use, you can search our Quick Degree Finder to find and receive free information on one or more schools offering the programs or degrees you're interested in.

But what about Bears' Guide print edition? Does DegreeInfo.com's involvement in the Bears' Guide project mean that the book and the online database are the same thing, or that the book is obsolete?

"Absolutely not," Chip replies. "Bears' Guide has a lot of useful information and chapters with more depth of detail on topics related to distance learning that what we've got available at DegreeInfo. And with the most recent edition of Bears' Guide being several years old, and Ten speed Press having recently been sold to Random House, the current edition is no longer available, so there's been recent discussion about producing a new print edition of the book. John (and DegreeInfo) both believe there's still a strong place for Bears' Guide as a resource and reference work, with comprehensive listings for those who enjoy reading and perusing in-depth the offerings of many different schools. And much of the information on the actual schools is the same, it's organized completely differently."

"However, the schools in the DegreeFinder database are not listed directly, but only as a search result based on desired criteria, such as the type of degree and residency that one is looking for. Depending on what you want or how you process information, you may want to buy the book, search the database, or both. All we're doing is adding more options."

The database will also be continuously updated and revised, so it will be the most up-to-date resource out there. And with the re-launch of the articles section, and the constant addition of more articles to it, we're doing our best to make DegreeInfo the go-to source for information on distance learning. In an ever-changing world, it's important to have the most relevant and up-to-date information possible, which is, of course, why most people seek out distance learning in the first place.