Thread: Bear's Guide 16th Ed. Obsolete?

I have just reviewed the new Bear's Guide and feel it has finally gone the way of the phonograph record or CD It’s now obsolete with no need for further publication (or this one for that matter)
First the book is the same in overall content as prior editions so if you have it , nothing has really changed much. Secondly, it lacks many of the various schools and diploma mills now in existence. I know it had to have a cut off date for publication but information is lacking or dated. Schools as Akmai U. and AMBAI to name 2 are not listed and they have been around for a while. There are factual errors as Empresarial U. being listed in the Accredited with short residency section. This school has been suspect for years. Schools as the Blackstone School of Law have old addresses.(They moved to PA)."The University of Dundee's nursing program both require a minimum of 5 weeks session on Campus" This is not true -it can be done entirely by distance. The "Ph. D by Published works at the University Of Luton does not exist as described in the new guide. It has quotes as "as of 2002 or 2001 we could not find it online" This is rather dated for a 2006 edition. There are many quotes going back to 2002. Bear's 15th Ed. was published in 2001 and 2003. Is there no new info? Perhaps info changes so quickly that Distance education cannot only be followed on the Internet.
Following Degreeinfo and/or Degreediscussion and following the ODA unaccredited degrees site is the new Bear's Guide for 2006.
Don't get me wrong- I have purchased all the Guide's during the years , admire the work Dr. Bear and Mariah have done. The Guide's always fascinated me. BUT I now feel it'

	George Washington University George Washington University GWU offers an online Bachelor’s Degree in Police Science; and Master’s Degrees in Education and Human Development, Paralegal Studies, Public Relations, Educational Technology Lead, MBA – Healthcare, and MPS in Security and Safety Leadership. GW University is a prestigious and well regarded school. Established in the heart of the nation's capital in 1821, GW provides innovative programs in more than 200 fields of study, including graduate certificate, master's and doctoral programs. Under the guidance of a world-renowned faculty, you will explore both theory and practice in courses that prepare you to meet the needs of an increasingly complex society. Click Here to receive FREE information on this school.

	Nursing Degrees Nursing Degrees Registered nurses (RNs), regardless of specialty or work setting, treat patients, educate patients and the public about various medical conditions, and provide advice and emotional support to patients' family members. RNs record patients' medical histories and symptoms, help perform diagnostic tests and analyze results, operate medical machinery, administer treatment and medications, and help with patient follow-up and rehabilitation. •Registered nurses constitute the largest healthcare occupation, with 2.6 million jobs. •The three typical educational paths to registered nursing are a bachelor's degree, an associate degree, and a diploma from an approved nursing program; advanced practice nurses — clinical nurse specialists, nurse anesthetists, nurse-midwives, and nurse practitioners — need a master’s degree. •Job opportunities are expected to be excellent, but may vary by employment and geographic setting; some employers report difficulty in attracting and retaining an adequate number of RNs. Click Here to find FREE information on schools offering this course of study.

In my haste I need to fix 2 sentences.
This line should read "Perhaps info changes so quickly that Distance education CAN only be followed on the Internet.
And the last sentence" BUT I now feel it's time is done.
( I now feel guilty criticing the Bear's Guide when I have to edit my own couple of paragraphs!)

	George Washington University George Washington University GWU offers an online Bachelor’s Degree in Police Science; and Master’s Degrees in Education and Human Development, Paralegal Studies, Public Relations, Educational Technology Lead, MBA – Healthcare, and MPS in Security and Safety Leadership. GW University is a prestigious and well regarded school. Established in the heart of the nation's capital in 1821, GW provides innovative programs in more than 200 fields of study, including graduate certificate, master's and doctoral programs. Under the guidance of a world-renowned faculty, you will explore both theory and practice in courses that prepare you to meet the needs of an increasingly complex society. Click Here to receive FREE information on this school.

I think it would be interesting if there were a distance learning wiki, so that whenever someone found an interesting new program, they could simply enter it.

An issue would be with nonsense entries from people promoting degree mills, but with enough watchful experts to check out new entries, I think anything untoward wuld be revised pretty quickly.

(For those saying, "What's a wiki?" see the most famous one: Wikipedia, an online encyclopedia that anyone can edit that in the last few years has grown to have over a million articles.)

-=Steve=-