DETC and CHEA

Discussion in 'General Distance Learning Discussions' started by Rich Douglas, Jan 4, 2002.

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  1. Rich Douglas

    Rich Douglas Well-Known Member

    I've sent the following e-mail to CHEA:

    Dear Sir or Madam:

    On a very active website containing chat threads regarding distance education, there is frequent debate over the value of DETC accreditation of degree-granting institutions. The discussions seem to fall into two areas: the workplace and in pursuit of a higher degree.

    A recent survey of admissions officials conducted by John Bear, Ph.D. (and analyzed by me) indicates a clearly lower level of acceptability of degrees from nationally accredited schools. Using a rating scale, admissions officials rated such degrees approximately 47% as acceptable as those from regionally accredited schools, with a full 20% of respondents rejecting such degrees entirely. I wrote an article about this phenomenon recently (available free at www.degree.net); of the eight prominent distance learning schools I contacted, seven stated in no uncertain terms that degrees and credits from DETC-accredited schools were unacceptable for admission/transfer. Yet, as you know, the DETC is recognized by both CHEA and the U.S. Department of Education.

    When the DETC was the National Home Study Council and accrediting technical training correspondence schools, this wasn't an issue. But with the simultaneous rise of both the DETC's efforts with degree-granting schools and distance learning in general, it has great potential to cause students harm. This is particularly true if they find their degrees are not considered comparable to those from other accredited institutions. A degree from a DETC-accredited school could be an academic and/or professional dead-end.

    I'm wondering if this disparity is a concern at CHEA, and if there is anything being done about it. As an interested participant in nontraditional higher education over the last 22 years, I feel these two forces--the DETC and distance learning as a whole--are here to stay. But accreditation is a confusing issue for consumers (students, graduates, and employers). The issue I've described only compounds matters.

    Thanks for your attention.

    Sincerely,

    Richard C. Douglas
     
  2. Mary A

    Mary A Member

     
  3. Rich Douglas

    Rich Douglas Well-Known Member

     
  4. Leslie

    Leslie New Member

    Thanks Rich. Please let us know if and when you hear from them. It is a serious issue. On the one hand the DETC is recognized by CHEA and the Dept of Ed and on the other hand DETC credits are not well-accepted at RA schools. This is confusing and potentially devastating to future DL students. There needs to be a resolution of this issue.
    Leslie
     
  5. Is anyone going to the CHEA conference in San Francisco, Jan 21-23? Some session descriptions:


    • States, Accreditors, Diploma Mills and Accreditation Mills
      What are the major features of “diploma mills” and “accreditation mills?” What is the role of accreditation in responding to the public about these operations? How can states and accreditors work together to prevent fraudulent higher education providers from reaching students and the public?

      Presidents’ Prospectives: What Do Presidents Want From Accreditation Anyway?
      Many presidents value accreditation, but others are not shy about expressing their disappointment at various times. Why do some presidents value accreditation? Why does accreditation produce disappointment for others? How can presidents and accreditors work more closely to strengthen the value of accreditation and diminish disappointment?

      Legal Challenges for Accreditation
      How does the legal system view accreditation? What is the impact of various court decisions about the role of accreditation? In a litigious society, how can institutions and accreditors remain collegial rather than adversarial?

      Accreditation and Federal Policy
      What are current policy concerns in Washington, DC, that affect the role of accreditation? What is emerging federal policy? Are there steps that accreditors and institutions should take to shape
      federal policy as it relates to accreditation?

      Accreditation and Transfer of Credit
      What progress is the accrediting community making in addressing transfer of credit and implementation of the CHEA Statement on Transfer and the Public Interest? What are the arguments for and against use of accredited status as a determinant of transferability?

      Approaching Reauthorization and Shaping a CHEA Legislative Agenda
      Approaching reauthorization of the Higher Education Act, what should be the priorities of the accrediting community? How can these priorities be reflected in a CHEA legislative agenda?

      Current Quality Issues in Distance Learning
      The distance learning environment is fluid and sometimes even volatile, with more and more new providers of distance-based education and more institutions deciding how they wish to be involved in distance delivery. In this context, are some quality issues emerging as particularly important? What are they? How do we address assuring quality in distance learning?

    If anyone attends, please report back!
     
  6. Mary A

    Mary A Member

    Thanks, Rich. You might want to address your letter to Dr. Judith Eaton
     
  7. Rich Douglas

    Rich Douglas Well-Known Member

    I would have, but there wasn't an e-mail link to her, specifically. I used the one available on the CHEA website. We'll see.

    Rich Douglas
     
  8. It's [email protected] .
     
  9. Rich Douglas

    Rich Douglas Well-Known Member

    Thanks. I just sent it.

    Rich Douglas
     
  10. Rich Douglas

    Rich Douglas Well-Known Member

    I just got off the phone with an Argosy representative. In the course of our discussion, I brought up the possibility of admitting graduates with degrees from DETC-accredited schools. She didn't know of any at Argosy/Sarasota, but did not discount the possibility. She suggested such a candidate might be required to take the GRE or GMAT.

    Rich Douglas
     
  11. John Bear

    John Bear Senior Member

    Gert: Is anyone going to the CHEA conference in San Francisco, Jan 21-23?

    John: I'm trying to figure what's up. CHEA invited me to be one of a dozen or so presenters at a conference on diploma and accreditation mills, scheduled for last October and canceled. They have not communicated since. I didn't even know about their SF convention, much less that they have a session on this topic, until this week. Am I overlooked, blackballed, or irrelevant? Since the convention is half an hour from my house, I may, instead of putting on a Tom Head disguise and going to Australia, put on my Maxine Asher costume and head for San Francisco.
     
  12. Rich Douglas

    Rich Douglas Well-Known Member

    No word from anyone at CHEA as of 1/17/02.

    Rich Douglas
     
  13. b4cz28

    b4cz28 Active Member

    Did they ever reply? Its been 14 years.
     
  14. Rich Douglas

    Rich Douglas Well-Known Member

    No, but I'm expecting a reply any minute now.
     
  15. SteveFoerster

    SteveFoerster Resident Gadfly Staff Member

    “That is not dead which can eternal lie,
    And with strange aeons even death may die.”

    ...but not, it would seem, DegreeInfo threads.
     
  16. Neuhaus

    Neuhaus Well-Known Member

    I applied for a job in late 2005, shortly after my separation from the Navy, and I eventually received a written rejection from them...

    It was just shy of New Year's Eve 2007.
     

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