Accreditation Associations

Discussion in 'General Distance Learning Discussions' started by I am John, Feb 28, 2002.

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  1. I am John

    I am John New Member

    Hello,
    I have a question concerning accreditation associations, there must be a few hundred different ones out there. My question is, how can you tell if the accreditation association itself is legitimate?
    Any answers you fellows have would be greatly appreciated.
     
  2. drwetsch

    drwetsch New Member


    Here is a good start. Read the accreditation guide at http://www.degree.net/guides/accreditation_guide.html

    John
     
  3. Chip

    Chip Administrator

    Wellll...

    If you're talking about accreditation of schools in the US, you've got the US DoEd accreditors which are primarily the six regional accreditors (New England, Middle States, Southern, North Central, Western, Northwest) and DETC, plus a handful of specialized ones that deal with, for example, business schools and such.

    Regional accreditation is the gold standard, with highest acceptance among business and academia. DETC is substantially lower in acceptance rate, but still legitimate, as are the specialty accreditors.

    Outside of the US, accreditation isn't common and doesn't (in most cases) have the same meaning. There is instead a level of government oversight in many countries, and US schools generally look to one of a handful of references to determine a school's adherence to standards equivalent to US RA.

    There are a bazillion fraudulent accreditors out there. The three biggest frauds are probably the World Association, ACI and APICS. There are literally hundreds of others, most often created by the operators of fraudulent schools in an attempt to bring legitimacy to their programs.

    In general, if the school is in the US and isn't regionally accredited, it may eventually limit you or cause you problems. Years ago, when offerings were much more limited, there might have been circumstances where looking into a legitimate but unaccredited school would make sense. But today, in most cases there are excellent options in RA programs, many of them state-run or otherwise nonprofit and very reasonable in cost. Given that, it's difficult today to find a plausible reason to go with an unaccredited degree.

    Hope that helps.
     
  4. BillDayson

    BillDayson New Member

    Here's a webpage from the US Department of Education that contains a lot of information about accreditation:

    http://www.ed.gov/NLE/USNEI/us/accreditation.html
     
  5. John Bear

    John Bear Senior Member

    Three matters not yet addressed:

    Who accredits the accreditors. For years, I yammered that if an accreditor wasn't recognized by the U.S. Dept. of Education, beware. And then some of the very respected accreditors (such as AACSB -- then known as the American Assembly of Collegiate Schools of Business, and the main veterinary accreditor) decided not to follow certain mandates regarding student loans, and were unrecognized. Now CHEA, the Council on Higher Education Accreditation endeavors to fill that role -- recognizing accrediting agencies -- and by and large, they do a decent job.

    Unrecognized accreditors. There will be more than 150 listed in the next edition of Bears' Guide. The great majority are spurious. By their accreditees ye shall know them. When the World Association accredits Cambridge State University, financed by the notorious Columbia State University, closed down by Louisiana, and with a mailbox service 'campus' in Hawaii, how can one take seriously anything else they do? The only well-established sincere effort, IMHO, is the National Association for Private Nontraditoinal Schools and College in Colorado. I have a few problems with things they've done,but I have no doubt in the sincerity of Earl Heuser, who has been running it for 25 years. However, despite 6 or 7 tries, they have never been recognized by the Dept. of Education (or by CHEA).

    GAAP. Generally Accepted Accreditation Principles. While it has been suggested here and elsewhere more than once that I invented this concept, it was, in fact, used at the AACRAO (American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers) national convention in Reno 6 or 7 years ago, and I liked it. There is no official definition; they are indeed generally accepted principles, not legally mandated ones. Each registrar, HR person, and other gatekeeper has his or her own version, whether they call it that or not. Some accept DETC accredited schools; some don't. Some accept Belizean medical degrees, some don't. Some may accept Malawian accreditation of US schools (I am not aware of any, however). And so on.

    And I am (also)
    John
     
  6. RKanarek

    RKanarek Member

    Dear Dr. Bear:

    Greetings. Regarding your previous post:

    "...The only well-established sincere effort, IMHO, is the National Association for Private Nontraditoinal Schools and College in Colorado. I have a few problems with things they've done,but I have no doubt in the sincerity of Earl Heuser, who has been running it for 25 years. ..."

    Just curious: would you care to vaguely hint at the nature of the few problems you have had with them?


    Cordially,
    Richard Kanarek
     
  7. John Bear

    John Bear Senior Member

    Richard: Just curious: would you care to vaguely hint at the nature of the few problems you have had
    with them?

    John: I've had the concern that Dr. Heusser had been involved with Western Colorado University, which shared offices with NAPNSC which I found to be a non-wonderful place. But they folded something like 20 years ago. While Dr. H. has been unfailingly polite and helpful to me (entirely at a distance; we met once 23 years ago), he has been rather intemperate. Indeed after the last turn-down by the Dept. of Education, he wrote a long and hostile and accusatory letter to the woman in charge of that department (Dr. Karen Kershenstein) and sent copies to a great many others, self included. Talking about burning bridges!

    The agency has never reached critical mass. They don't get applications from schools because they have so few members (5 or 6, last time I looked). They aren't taken seriously in part because they have so few members (and perhaps in part because of opinions about some of those members; Trinity in Indiana has been criticized a great deal here). And, while they've had some people with good credentials on various committees (e.g., Wilson Riles, former Supt. of Public Instruction for California), it has, I believe, been very much a mom and pop (literally) operation. And the Heussers are of a certain age, and one must wonder what will happen to the agency when they retire or move on.
     
  8. I am John

    I am John New Member

    I would like to thank each of you for your kind response to my question.

    Primarily, I was concerned with the validity of accreditation associations other than the six major accreditation associations located in the US.

    There are many associations from other countries and I am certain that not all are valid. In fact, I am certain that many have been created for the express purpose of lending creditability to less than legitimate schools.

    Likewise there are many schools outside the US which offer quality education while still lacking the proper accreditation. Often these schools are criticized for their accreditation deficiency, but if one were to examine these schools in most cases they would find them to be privately owned and operating on limited funds. Also, if one were to make such an examination of these schools they would find many of them which operate in such a limited fashion to be fully capable of providing a quality education.

    The advent of the internet has opened many portals to the halls of education. Even so, many of the schools online have remained non-accredited due to their lack of the traditional classroom taught methods. While I concur that those methods of learning are best for most people, I do not agree with the degree of online education being inferior due to a lack of interaction between student and professor, or other students.

    Actually, in my opinion, I think in today's highly technological society the education which incorporates a said amount of earned credit hours online is superior. To that end, many regionally accredited universities have developed online courses and encourage their residential student population to enroll concurrent to their regular classes.

    Also as Dr. Bear has pointed out some of these accreditation agencies aren't taken seriously in part because they have so few members and this while they've had some people with good credentials on various committees.

    I don't know if Dr. Bear's new edition of 'Bear's Guide' will mention agencies located in the US as well as those that are not, but it would be nice to see a good listing with as many as possible in this area.
     
  9. I am John

    I am John New Member

    Dr. Bear,

    You and I also share another coincidence, fellow alumnus.
     
  10. John Bear

    John Bear Senior Member

    Contract for the 15th edition of Bears' Guide took effect yesterday. Work begins in earnest shortly. Publication probably next January.

    I am John writes to me, "You and I also share another coincidence, fellow alumnus."

    Berkeley? Michigan State? Hunter College Elementary School? Emerson Junior High? Sirius Puppy Training School?
     

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