Int'l. Education Mobility [Invitation]

Hi all,

Interested in international education mobility issues? Then, join me in our new "Education Mobility" group on XING.

From our group start page:

"Dedicated to *International Education* at the tertiary level (colleges, polytechs and universities) and in lifelong learning, including its traditional, online/distance learning (ODL), blended learning and elearning modes, with a special emphasis on the transnational mobility of education services.

These are exciting times with much recent activity worldwide surrounding major changes (such as the Bologna initiative, Erasmus programs, ECTS, SICA/CAT) and policy changes in the area of higher education with wide-reaching consequences and global repercussions. We will try to cover every topic related to international education, including (but not limited to):

- international higher education policy
- quality and perceptions of quality
- accreditation (university, college)
- study abroad programs
- credit transfer and evaluation
- internationalization of the curriculum
- international student services
- curriculum design
- degree requirements

Let the discussions, activities and the sharing of experiences begin..."

XING, similar to LinkedIn, is a social networking platform. There are 2+ million members worldwide. While XING has a free basic account, most useful is its premium account at approx. USD 7.00/month. However, you can still join our "Education Mobility" group on a basic account.

Hoping to see you there,

Russell

 

Welcome to those who've joined our group so far. I am especially encouraged by the caliber of members (from deans to directors of distance learning) that makes it a truly professional and global platform.

Incidently, I have been told that XING is giving one Premium month for free until August 10th.

Russell


P.S.: More about XING groups...

While the discussion forums are just one of the "places" XING groups meet, it goes beyond that. Regular face-to-face events are held internationally in many groups; there are international conference calling options and a most powerful networking interface. No hiding behind nicks/handles, meet professionals in your areas of interest by name and eye to eye.

XING is constantly adding new features in response to user suggestions. Last month, for example, a global job marketplace was added.

 

Great idea. No more anonymous shills who pretend to be students of schools, yet pontificate about everything in higher education, whilst their alleged studies remain unattended...

Dave

 

If those who plan to join "Education Mobility", you should know that XING will require your actual name and that you upload a recent photo to your profile.

(for others, who, as a recent new member put it, want to minimize their internet footprint, you should know that fake names such as "Mr. Notim Portant" will not be accepted. In the effort of maintaining a high-quality social network, such user accounts will be deleted.)

Russell

 

Must be a great group, they would not let me join.

Denver

“I don't want to belong to any club that will accept me as a member”
Groucho Marx

 

I would like to note, for anyone who cares, that I was the one who registered anonymously (as Unne Cessary). I do not believe that requiring someone to register using a "real" name, address and photo will do anything to guarantee a high quality social network. I could easily have picked a name from a phone book, used the address, made up an occupation and employment site and there is no way that the moderator of that forum would have known it was all a lie. Listing your name and address, with a photo, on the internet is tantamount to an invitation for stalkers and identity thieves. Mr. _Expo may not worry about such things but I do. I have cordially invited him to remove me from the site. I wish him and his site the best of luck. However, I don't mind saying that the site will almost certainly be boring and that everyone knows that the REAL reason for the name,address,company,shirt size, etc. is that somebody(ies) will be trying to sell you something very soon.

 

If I go to a restaurant and have a bad meal and then you go to a "similar" restaurant and have a good meal, your experience does not negate mine.

 

Hmm. I'll have to upload a recent photo to my profile?

1. I'm much too poor to own a camera.
2. I live by myself. Who would take my picture?
3. Even if problems 1 & 2 were solved, I'm much too technologically incompetent to know how to upload a photo to a website.

 

That is not true. Check your inbox!

You will be accepted once you have a profile photo. Of course, that was stated clearly on the bottom of the 'Access' (application) page which you accepted. Or should we make an exception just for you?

Having a photo policy is not really a new concept. For crying out loud, even my distance learning institution requires one for my student ID.

Russell

 

That is funny that you say that. Because of the good first impression you made on me, I just today defended you and your stance on privacy, by proxy, in a tangle I had with a fellow XING moderator. And here you are bad-mouthing me. Again, while I cannot accept a "Ms. Unne Cessary" as a profile name (as it goes against the Terms & Conditions of XING), I did support your privacy concerns, how unfounded they turned out to be. For heaven's sake, we are just asking for your name. There is NO requirement to expose your address or any other identifying pieces of information. As I asked you in the email, but never received an answer, what can even the most creatively malicious person do with a NAME only?? Be creative. If your name is William, you can call yourself 'Bill' for all I care! Just don't use John Doe or similar. It is a subtle show of disrespect to fellow group members. Even the photo of an Asian girl (although it probably wouldn't fit with 'Bill';-)was fine - nobody goes out and checks.

How can you say that? Just because we have a policy with which you don't agree? That's pretty infantile.

You have just illustrated a reason why social networks such as XING with tight policies exist. So people who care about their reputation think twice before they badmouth others. There's no nick/handle behind which to hide.

 

What kind of participants is this new group looking for?

The photo and names requirements, along with words like "no hiding behind nicks/handles, meet professionals in your areas of interest by name and eye to eye", suggest an employment networking site.

One of Degreeinfo's strengths, its niche in the education world, has always been that it addresses distance learning from a student's-eye perspective. There's no reason why anyone needs to post a photo or a cv before exploring the realities of whether particular DL programs are credible and meet their needs.

Those kind of consumer inquiries inevitably raise international mobility issues. We've been all over it: Saint Regis, Liberian "accreditation", "GAAP", the Russian wonders, credential evaluators, Sorbon, L-numbers, "VAE!", UNESCO, Bologna, Lisbon... But it's always bubbled up from the bottom, from the real-life situations of students trying to negotiate the deadly minefields that they encounter whenever they do a search for DL online.

I'm very happy that a new group might attract professors and administrators towards taking more notice of these issues. That could be extremely valuable. But I'm a student, not an education professional. My place is here, I think.

 

There are members of degreeinfo, past and present, who have meet each other face to face and collaborated online. I have meet degreeinfo members who are professionals in their respective fields. This forum is an example of a global communication platform that host discussions about "Educational Mobility Issues".

In regards to identity disclosure, anyone can form the appropriate identify at "Educational Mobility", post a fraudulent picture, and call themselves assistant director. In this era of internet identity theft and spam, what measures will you take to protect the identity of those who post their real photos and names?

"You will be accepted once you have a profile photo. Of course, that was stated clearly on the bottom of the 'Access' (application) page which you accepted. Or should we make an exception just for you?"
" How can you say that? Just because we have a policy with which you don't agree? That's pretty infantile."
"Having a photo policy is not really a new concept. For crying out loud, even my distance learning institution requires one for my student ID."

- mbaexpo. According to degreeinfo's terms of services, you're post may be considered spam. Regardless, I thought your promotion of a new discussion forum was harmless and may actually provide useful information. However, when members posted their criticisms and concerns, you insult them in return. In the national and international business arena, you have to expect tough resistance to ideas and business development. In a way, you are being interviewed.

"Having a photo policy is not really a new concept. For crying out loud, even my distance learning institution requires one for my student ID."

- Many regionally accredited universities and colleges that offer degrees and courses online require student IDs. I believe that the great majority of internet forums, blogs, and other networking sites require no photo IDs or real names.

 

This is only partially true. I have been participating in this forum via my personal account since early 2001. As much as I've enjoyed (and will continue to enjoy) the discussions here, the number of international education or international education mobility threads is few and far between. I started the group because I felt this area of interest to me was underserved.

It is not up to me to "take measures." While I've started the group and am its moderator, XING owns the group. It is my responsibility to make sure group activity conforms with XING Terms& Conditions. XING has measures in place. While the group itself is searchable (and can be found) via Google, I have configured the preferences of the group such that discussions are only accessible by members. Profiles are never visible outside.

I have clearly marked this thread as an "invitation," so as not to deceive anyone. I am a regular member and this is one instance of my contribution to the discussions on distance education, with a focus on international considerations.

I have been in the international business arena for over 20 years and can handle tough resistance... in multiple languages. As long as it remains factual, I welcome it.

It's turning out to be a two-way interview.

The only major networking site not requiring a profile photo that I can think of is MySpace. Need I say more? ;-)

 

You're probably right. I'd hope to think so. (I just felt stupid going out on a limb for someone's concerns, only to find this person pre-judging the new group as "boring" based on a disagreement on its photo policy.)

 

Excellent question, Bill. At first, I was hoping to restrict it to policy makers, administrators, deans, registrars, credential evaluators etc. etc., but received several requests to join from students (or former students) in ERASMUS programs and the like with a strong interest in the subject. I've not turned away even one. How could I?

Far from it. My earlier statement that it now has a job marketplace functionality should not be mis-taken. This functionality was by member request and just rolled out last month, 4 years after the start of XING. XING last year changed it's name from OpenBC (Open Business Club), which actually better described it's original purpose, for a name with more of an international ring to it.

And DegreeInfo has done a marvelous job at it, along with relative newcomer degreediscussion.com. XING, while it has many fora, is not a forum per se, it's mainly a business club.

I agree with you completely; it is the real-life situations bubbling up that drive the discussions,... which is why the student segment will not be missing in the Education Mobility group. I hope we will be getting into the finer points of, for example, the Bologna initiative as it unfolds until 2010 and beyond.

Aren't we all students and will always be... in this age of life-long learning and participation? Only an interest is these issues, from a policy-maker or policy-taker perspective, is sufficient.

Russell

 

" I have clearly marked this thread as an "invitation," so as not to deceive anyone "

- Anyone or bot can mark a thread as an invitation with the sole purpose of
inviting people to register at degreemills. In my humble opinion, you are presenting an informative resource and I value your contributions. Even if they are based on fact or opinion.