Middle States Accredits WOLI

Middle States Association (MSA) now accredits Washington Online Learning Institute. WOLI has a well-regarded paralegal program, and other programs as well. This is the first time that MSA has accredited a fully online school. This is, in my opinion, a signficant development. MSA had previously rejected several online schools that approached them for consideration, but apparently made an exception, or policy change, for WOLI.

Question: Do you believe that this accreditation portends a future where Regional Accreditation becomes the norm for purely online education? Or, is this a fluke limited to WOLI which will likely not become a standard model for future accreditation?

 

My wife is curently enrolled at WOLI. They are accredited by the CSS-MSA, not the MSA-CHE. The CSS-MSA accredits high schools and non-degree granting post-secondary schools. While a division of the MSA and technically regionally accredited, they are not recognized by CHEA, nor will their credits likely transfer to many schools. TESC has already rejected my inquiries as to the acceptance of WOLI credits. While accredidation by the CSS-MSA is a positive thing, it is relatively unhelpful if you're looking to transfer the credits elsewhere. Penn Foster's Career School certifications are also accredited by the CSS-MSA, but are also accredited by the DETC which is at least recognized by CHEA. WOLI's paralegal certification is $6000, Penn Foster's is $813.

Pug

 

<This is the first time that MSA has accredited a fully online school.>

The MSA accredits Excelsior...fully online. The CSS-MSA, the "wing" of the MSA that accredits WOLI, also accredits Penn Foster...another fully online school.

Pug

 

Washington Online Learning Institute (WOLI)

WOLI grants certificates, not degrees. There is nothing misleading about the claims on WOLI's website. I don't think Middle States would tolerate a misleading statement. WOLI has an excellent program; WOLI provides a superb education. There are programs that are both less and more expensive then WOLI's. In terms of quality education and preparation for a career, which is what WOLI is all about, WOLI excells.

WOLI has an articulation agreement with U. of Phoenix. I know for a fact that some colleges besides Phoenix have accepted WOLI credits towards their own degree programs, but it is not guaranteed, of course, since WOLI does not award college degrees. You should contact WOLI and suggest to them that they enter into additional articulation agreements for college credit issues.

I was advised by someone at MSA that WOLI is, in fact, the first fully online school to be so accredited by them. Excelsior and Penn Foster both have traditional classrooms in addition to their online and distance learning components....

 

Re: Washington Online Learning Institute (WOLI)

WOLI states on their website that they are accredited by the CSS-MSA...that is a fair and true statement. The very next line in WOLI's accreditation statement is that the MSA is recognized by the USDE and by CHEA, thus leading one to believe that WOLI is accredited by an accreditor that is recognized by the USDE and by CHEA. This is flat out untrue and deliberately misleading. I personally called CHEA and asked them last Friday. Only one division within the MSA is recognized by CHEA (the MSA-CHE). My exact question to CHEA: "Since the CSS-MSA, WOLI's accreditor, is a division within the MSA, is it recognized by CHEA?" CHEA'a response, "No, it is not. Only the MSA-CHE is recognized by CHEA, not the entire MSA." CHEA even followed it up in writing to me.

As far as you being told that WOLI is the first fully online institution accredited by the CSS-MSA, that is incorrect no matter who prvided the information. Penn Foster Career School, formerly Education Direct, has been accredited by the CSS-MSA for years. You can verify this from the CSS-MSA website (www.cssmsa.org) or with a phone call to Hank Cram. Penn Foster absolutely does not have traditional classrooms. I don't believe Excelsior does either...but it's really not fair to even list WOLI with Excelsior because they are NOT accredited by the same entity.

As far as the quality of the WOLI program, I think it's respectable. The course materials are quite good and the instruction seems thorough. I don't find fault with the program content, I find fault with the misleading representations of accreditation.

On the cost - I am sure there are programs out there that are more expensive and less expensive than WOLI. That said, WOLI is the most expensive, by far, that I have seen offered by an institution that is not accredited by a CHEA recognized accreditor. The same program can be done at any community college in America for about $3,000 and would be USDE and CHEA recognized at the RA level. The same program can be done at Penn Foster for about $813 and be USDE recognized at the RA level and CHEA recognized at the NA level. For $6,000 at WOLI you only get only USDE recognition at the RA level...nothing from CHEA. The question here is one of utility for the money.

My last fault with WOLI is their claim that their program, consisting of 11 courses, is worth 900 clock hours. This is important because in order to sit for the CLA exam through NALA, 900 clock hours is necessary. A 33 semester-hour certificate program from a RA college (11 classes like WOLI) is worth only 495 clock hours. This is a standard calculation (1 semester hour equals 15 clock hours) used by NALA and all accredited universities). I confirmed this with two colleges yesterday as well as with the NALA headquarters. 900 clock hours, according to NALA, is a 60 semester-hour program...an Associate Degree. So if WOLI is claiming that their certificate program is equal to 900 clock hours, and therefore also equal to 60 semester-hours, why is every other certificate program in the country only worth 495 clock hours? And more importantly, why is the articulation agreement with the UoP only for 30 semester hours? WOLI's program may be registered with NALA as a 900 clock hour certificate, but it is in no way equivalent to the work involved in a true 900 clock hour program. In my opinion, and it's only opinion, it is only a matter of time before NALA realizes this.

On the issue of other colleges accepting WOLI credit - I am certain colleges other than UoP have accepted WOLI credit. I am simply stating that WOLI credit will not transfer into the vast majority of schools. This issue is only important because obecause of WOLI's statements regarding their accreditation which would lead one to believe otherwise.

Pug

 

As a follow up to the question of credit transfer from WOLI to accredited colleges and universities, I asked Hank Cram, the Executive Director of the CSS-MSA, the question. The following is taken from my email correspondence with him:

Me: "Another question just came to mind. Is WOLI a
candidate for accredidation as a "non-degree granting
institution?" If so, is that equivalent to other types of regional accredidation as far as transferability and acceptance of credit is concerned?

Hank: "It (WOLI) is applying for accreditation as a non-degree granting institution which is different from a college or junior college which awards credits that are transferable among colleges and universities. Whether or not work completed at WOLI would be recognized by a college or university or even another non-degree granting institution is a question you would have to pose to the institution you are hoping to transfer."


Pug

 

There are other paralegal programs available:

- University of Florida : $1,350 for certificate program

http://www.correspondencestudy.ufl.edu/legal.asp

- Los Angeles Mission College:

Cost of tuition similar to WOLI. However, you earn 36 accredited transferable credits.

http://profj.us/certificate.htm

- Florida International University:

Cost is similar to WOLI.

http://caps.fiu.edu/legal/ParalegalOnline.htm

- Tompkins Cortland Community
College

- $124 per credit hour for Associates in Paralegal Studies. You may transfer previously earned credits to the program.

http://www.sunytccc.edu/academic/paralegal/main.asp

 

Again, I am not saying that WOLI offers a bad program, I am simply stating that their claims of accreditation are extraordinarily misrepresentative, and that their is a huge discrepancy between their claims of clock hour/semester hour value. For the money there are better choices out there in terms of accreditation and utility.

Pug

 

No problem Pug. I just wanted to present visitors with alternative choices.

Duke University offers a paralegal certificate program online.

http://www.learnmore.duke.edu/paralegal/online/registration.asp

The cost is $6995. However, you can add duke university as part of your resume. If you have a bachelors degree, you can sit for the paralegal exams.



-----------------------------------

Happy Halloween everyone. No scary posts now.

 

See, now that's value-added. Duke has serious name recognition and their credits will transfer to any school. That might actually be worth the $6000+. Maybe.

Pug

 

WOLI (Washington Online Learning Institute)

I checked with WOLI this morning and alerted them to the fact that their accreditation page lists CHEA. The person I spoke to seemed surprised and advised that if there is any incorrect information on the page, he was not aware of it, but will look into it and correct any errors.

Regarding tuition: it is simply not true that WoLI's tuition is the highest of any non-degree granting institution, or any institution not recognized by CHEA. First of all, consider that WOLI's tuition includes a full set of textbooks, with a retail cost of nearly $1000, that is built into the tuition. I have not done an exhaustive survey, but other schools, not recognized by CHEA, charge far more than WoLI for a similar progarm. For instance, AIPS, the American Institute for Paralegal Studies, charges approximately $10,000, plus an additional $800 or so for books, for a paralegal program that looks to be like WoLI's. That is double WOLI's tuition. AIPS is accredtied by ACCET, not recognized by CHEA. And little Paralegaltech, a school which was clearly a copycat school, basing itself on the WOLI model, charges $5496 for a similar program, and does not provide a single textbook. So it is effectively $1000 more than WoLI in tuition. Paralegaltech is accredited by DETC. DETC, contrary to what has been written here is NOT recognized by CHEA, except for those schools that grant degrees. A school accredited by DETC that awards certificates will not be recognized by CHEA. I have not done an exhaustive survey; these examples are simply readily available, but I am sure that it is not true that WOLI's tuition is the highest of any non-degree granting school.

Lastly, I think it is hard to compare schools solely on the basis of tuition. There are lots of factors that go into the value of an education; the certificate or degree received is just one of them. I have taught at several schools, and I have no problem stating that the tuition you pay at WOLI is worth every penny.

I can't say the same about other schools I am familiar with.

 

Re: WOLI (Washington Online Learning Institute)

I don't think I said WOLI was the most expensive non-CHEA recognized program. I think I said I wasn't aware of a more expensive one. The American Institute for Paralegal Studies is certainly more expensive than is WOLI.

I'm also not evaluating WOLI based solely on tuition. I'm evaluating them based on tuition, accreditation, and truthful representation. I think the academic side of WOLI's program is pretty good, it's the other stuff that tarnishes them in my opinion. And again, for the money, there are a ton of other RA and NA, CHEA recognized programs out there for less...way less. If a student is strictly looking for a certificate, WOLI may be a decent option. If that student also wants the flexibility to later transfer those credits into degree-granting programs, WOLI is not a good choice. My wife is a student at WOLI. Although she likes the program content and instruction, she was absolutely mislead by the claims of accreditation that are tied to CHEA recognition on the website. She never would have enrolled if she knew then what she now knows. I am certain there are many other students that feel the same way, and I am certain that many future students will feel duped unless WOLI significantly changes the wording of their accreditation statement.

Pug

 

Re: WOLI (Washington Online Learning Institute)

FWIW, both DETC and ACCET are on the CHEA website.

So are the two other schools you mention:

Paralegaltech
http://www.chea.org/search/actionInst.asp?CheaID=169172
AIPS
http://www.chea.org/search/actionInst.asp?CheaID=162657

Since you claim to teach at WOLI you should be proud that they have become accredited by an arm of a regional accrediting agency. Credit transfer from any non-degree granting institution to a degree granting institution is a tricky matter. Students who primarily want to earn college credit and a degree are best served by attending a degree granting institution. The goal of specialized schools such as WOLI, ParalegalTech and AIPS is to provide students with the education required to work as paralegals. As such, I believe all three schools do a fine job and have been successful in enabling their graduates to obtain excellent positions. Any college credit a student happens to earn at these schools is an additional benefit.

 

LegalEd:

1) DETC is recognized by CHEA.
2) The professional programs ARE accredited by the DETC. The scope of the DETC is to recognize HS through Graduate degrees.

I think what you are attempting to say is that the DETC will not accredit schools that only grant career diplomas. I have no idea as to whether or not this is the case, but they absolutely accredit professional certification programs, not just degrees. To again use Penn Foster as an example, the CSS-MSA accredits the high school and career school programs. The DETC accredits the degree programs AND the career/vocational diplomas and certifications.

Pug

 

Excelsior doesn't have "traditional classrooms" - they didn't even have courses at all until fairly recently......

 

I know. Legal Educator has been poorly informed about a couple of things:

1) WOLI is not the first MSA accredited institution without a classroom presence. The CSS-MSA has been accrediting Penn Foster for years and the MSA-CHE has been accrediting Excelsior for years.

2) The DETC is recognized by CHEA and the DETC does accredit both degree and non-degree programs, as they do with Penn Foster. The following is a link to the DETC website (http://www.detc.org/Post_Sec.html) where one can view the accredited institutions, degree granting and non-degree granting, professional/vocational, etc. CHEA has a recognition policy that stipulates half (or more) of all institutions accredited by a "Commission" must be degree-granting. Over half of the DETC accredited institutions are degree granting, so they (the DETC)are recognized by CHEA. Less than half of all postsecondary institutions accredited by the CSS-MSA are degree granting, therefore the CSS-MSA is not eligible for recognition.

Pug

 

I believe that CSS-MSA does not accredit any degree granting institutions. If an institution is degree granting, they can only apply to MSA-CHE. Likewise, MSA-CHE does not accredit any non-degree granting institutions.