Are there any other sites like this one?

I am wondering if there are any other sites like this one?
I know of Bain4weeks by Laurie Miller &
Getcollegecredits.com
Any others?

 

degree.net
degreeforum.com
degreetracker.com (coming soon)

 

Just out of curiosity, what ever happened to something that used to be called something like online-college.com or something like that?

 

I asked this question a few weeks ago and I started looking at some of the other sites. I took a look at degreeboard and degreeinformation DL.

Basically, on the degreeinformation site they quote this site and trash it there. Then, they spend most of their time talking about the likes of Kennedy-Western, Sorbon, and Knightsbridge. They don't care to discuss much in the way of RA or DETC schools it seems. You won't find a ton of posts with much information. However, Rich, Janko, and Bill seem to have made many good friends over there.

With degreeboard, it is hit or miss. It's not the best site either but better than the other. Just not a lot of topics or posters there it appears.

Sometimes you can get a good comment at degreeinformation. Jay posted that when looking at a non-RA school you have to ensure that it will meet your needs. He admitted that RA was more universally acceptable for sure. Still, they spend most of their time talking about what many might consider to be sub-par schools.

They are all worth a look once in a while. They generally tend to stay up while this site is down every so often these days. That's tough on distance education junkies.

 

I have two major complaints about "Jamesville." First, he uses that board to (a) mistate me and my points, (b) argue against them (normally with more distortions), and (c) won't let me or others post there in rebuttal. That makes him a liar and a coward. Further proof: he doesn't pull that stuff here or at degreeboard.

My second complaint about that board is its utter support for obvious degree mills like Knightsbridge. Crabb talks all the time about the need to check out schools, but he neither does this (hence his support for diploma mills), nor does he even offer up a process for doing so. (His comments on the subject have been based on checking the school's site--hardly objective!)

Those people are so irresponsible that it is hard to take even reasoned comments from them seriously.

 

http://www.freeuniv.com/

?

 

I sometimes peek in at degreeinformation.com to see if there is anything helpful being talked about. A few weeks ago someone posted the question, why aren't there more cross poster between DI and that board. I considered joining just answer but was too lazy to do it.

So, since I'm sure this thread will show up over there, I thought I would answer the question.

The reason I don't post over there is because the board rarely offers any useful advice. Once in a great while a good thread will start up and be allowed to run, such as one recently on Military Studies. But mostly what you see is any topic or question, within just a few post, is turned into a trash fest toward DI. Why should I cross post? There's nothing to post about. Heck, there aren't even any good political arguments.

 

No.

 

It appears to me that there is more tolerance to the spectrum of schools on degreeboard and degreeinformation, with "diploma mill" being defined more towards illegal and clearly fraudulent operations rather than those schools operating as state licensed, maybe approved, but not recognized by US DOE. This is sometimes considered the "grey area" of education since there is a good bit of non-tradition in this category.

This site has more participation and therefore a broader learned input. Those sites are much smaller.

The common denominator for all sites seems to be (to paraphrase John Bear) "if you are sure it meets your needs and it's legal, go for it". I don't believe any site, including this one, has been immune from hucksters pushing fraudulent products or faulty notions.

 

Perhaps it's not surprising but no one has mentioned the original DL discussion forum, alt.education.distance (aed) the usenet discussion group. It continues to exist although it also continues to be dominated by trolls and shills of varying stripes. (And Rita Laws still puts out the FAQ on distance learning every couple of months).
Jack

 

But this one shuts them down by refuting their charges.

As for the utility for such degrees, I agree with Bear. What I don't agree with is the reckless promotion of such schools that often appears elsewhere. This muddies the issues for people who don't yet understand the nuances of accreditation and other, related issues.

 

What is great about this board is that you can find exactly what you need. I knew to teach at an RA school I would need an RA degree, from there I asked questions and was lead to COSC. I took a risk, after some intelligent input from other folks here, that AMU will be RA before I graduate. I would not have known about either of these schools without this board.

To be fair, I may have gotten the same information at the other board but I'm not sure I would have trusted the sources.

 

Originally posted by Rich Douglas

There's nothing done academically (except for lower academic standards) done at unaccredited DL schools anymore.

This sentence doesn't make sense. I've reread it a number of times, even inserting assumed words, and I still can't make it out.

There was a time when low-residency schools, for example, had difficulty getting accredited. No more. I would challenge anyone to come up with an example of a school that can't get accredited, but really should be. Except for some tiny niche schools (primarily in California), I can't think of any.

This argument is out of the blue. I haven't read anyone arguing this point (schools that could get accredited but can't). I think there are choices being made on the part of some institutions regarding market niche, cost competitiveness, and/or belief systems that account for not being accredited therefore I believe there are many schools that provide a valuable education that may not be accredited. I'll have to leave specific examples to those that have more time to research it for now.

...Besides, how maby different sites does one virtual community need? One.

This is a bit dogmatic and is only your opinion. You're not shillin' for this site are you? In contrast, I'll offer: ...several to many, since variety is a good thing.

"Jamesville" is a place where people who can't play and work well with others go. While there are certainly some reasoned posters there, it is also a haven for personal attacks, falsehoods, and degree mill shilling.

This first sentence is a silly generalization. I post on all three sites occasionally on issues that spark my interest. Even your second sentence contradicts the first since this site also has had its share of personal attacks, falsehoods, and degree mills. I think we are reading your personal distaste and demonization of those who are pinging you back. You are somewhat protected here (obviously, if you are calling people names such as "liar" and "coward" and not being reprimanded or removed) so I think you are getting return fire from the other bunker. It's physics.

The term "shill" is misused and misunderstood. Someone who is a proponent or has a point of view is not a shill, only one who acts as a decoy in concert with those who would conspire to defraud should be afforded that title.

 

Degreestar Coming Soon

I've been motivated to create a IT degree related website. I've designed it, bought the domain name but been too darn busy to finish. Total price $21.00 for Domain name and Hosting site. Even the templates are free, just need a little creativity.

$8.95 www.Godaddy.com <--Domain Seller (1 year)
$12.00 www.Prackhost.com ?<--Hosting Site (1 year)
$0.00 www.freewebtemplates.com <--Site template

www.degreestar.com


Vonnell

 

Originally posted by Rich Douglas
...what I meant was that there is nothing "alternative" about chronically unaccredited schools. It used to be that some alternative schools couldn't get accredited. Not any more. CCU demonstrated this clearly. The only thing chronically unaccredited schools do differently is hold up a much lower standard.

While I certainly understand your point, I don't believe it is as cut and dried as that since I believe there are many exceptions.

...I use that standard to show that schools like K-WU and Century (and Knightsbridge) don't have to be unaccredited in order to serve their populations, except that their populations aren't interested in doing the work necessary to earn a real degree.

I had a great deal of respect for Neil Hynd who I understand passed away recently. He held a doctorate from Century as well as a host of traditional degrees and certifications related to engineering. From our discussions, I believe he worked hard for all of his education, and had a high degree of commitment and participation in his field as well as distance education.

Fine. But it is the participants that make up the character of the discussion threads. And "Jamesville" shapes that very much, whereas this site allows everyone--until an individual demonstrates he/she cannot abide by the rules. "Jamesville" arbitrarily shut out people, including me, without ever allowing them to post.

Quite a few people have complained about being shut out here too.

Yes, but personal attacks are dealt with, and degree mill arguments are allowed to be refuted. It is the opposite at "Jamesville," where those who would refute the degree millers' arguments are shut out.

I touched on this point earlier. Since there is more degree tolerance at degreeinformation, it appears to me that attacks on individuals who have other than traditional or accredited degrees are highly discouraged. If it is perceived that an individual is posting for the purpose to discredit an individual for his education choices, then there is trouble. However, from the posts I've read there is very little tolerance and open disdain for fraudulent degrees.

Oh, it's a "bunker" all right. And yes, in more than 6,000 posts I've lost my temper a few times. Look at what some of the things posted about me have contained, Rod. Look at the amount of lies and deceit I've sustained. And look at how many of these are initiated over at "Jamesville," where I'm a regular topic of discussion without even posting there. Look at how many times on that board someone (usally James, Neil, or Dennis) will, out the blue, conduct a personal attack on me. At least when I've said the things you indicate, they've been in response to others' comments.

At this point, I don't think there is a need to throw flak back and forth. The better man will refrain.

Oh, please. The whole Knightsbridge affair at "Jamesville" is one big CF that certainly fits your description. KU has been demonstrated as a one-person diploma mill with no legal right to issue degrees. Yet its promotion goes on, unfettered.

What is it with Knightsbridge? A google search showed 612 hits, the lowest footprint in a list of schools that I recently tested compared to Stanford with over 35,000,000 hits. Virtually invisible. I don't believe there are any Danish laws restricting them from issuing degrees, they are not officially sanctioned however. Apparently, they do have a right to issue diplomas that meet their own guidelines. I suppose I could do the same thing if I wished to call myself a university for what's it's worth. Other than one individual, I don't know think I've read of any other graduate.

By the way, Rod, as a matter of example, I do not consider what you've said in this post as a personal attack. Rather, it is a reasoned response to salient questions about my posting behavior and comments. Fair enough. Do you think for a minute that we could have had this exchange at "Jamesville"? Well, you could have, but the noise would have drowned out my response, even if James Crabb allowed it. (Which he obviously won't.) That arbitrary censorship is what his site is really about.


Well, that's good, my comments were not meant as a personal attack, just counterpoints. I think there is room for discussion and reasoned positions at the other sites mentioned, but some points of view have been beaten to death. I have read objective discussions you've had at degreeboard.

 

And many, many more here. Funny how the vast majority of people who I conflict with are connected with operations such as these. Funny, especially since I've been such a big fan regarding some unaccredited schools over the last 3 decades. But these people can't handle the naked light of facts regarding their operations, nor even a minimum of balanced inquiry. This is almost never the case at legitimate schools, or legitimate discussion boards for that matter.

 

Nothing like it in the world!

 

As to your original question, "Are there any other sites like this one?" the answer (as Uncle most eloquently stated it) is "no." This is the best. The only site that might rival this one is the discussion site provided by your university (whatever that might be) as it allows you to discuss specific issues related to your specific degree program with others who are also involved in the same program or school. The others basically suck.
Jack
(I'll send ten bucks to anyone who can tell me, "Who the heck is Jamie Littlefield," and "When will she wake up?"

 

Thanks to all of you!!!
I guess you guys confirmed what I already knew,
This is the best site by far!!