That is what they do is accredit DL institutions. If the emphasis was on "more" then the question is more than whom? Sorry, perhaps you could phrase your question more specifically?
I am not sure they are. The vast majority of DETC schools are not university level schools, but instead career and vocational schools. Most DL schools, at the university level, are RA. DETC accreditation in most cases seems less stringent so I do see some schools who may not be able to achieve RA seek DETC approval.
DETC seems clearly, to me, to be staking out wider and wider claims in the world of distance learning. A couple of decades ago, they were accrediting precisely one degree-granting institution, and even that was considered rather daring and controversial (LaSalle Extension University, no connection whatever with the Louisiana diploma mill). They slowly expanded to take on Bachelor's degree schools, then Master's, and now professional Doctorates. And there is their unclear-to-me position on non-US schools. It appears that in the US, they stick to their "we accredit only entire schools, not departments within schools" mandate -- but then, with the University of Leicester and the University of South Africa, for instance, they appear to be accrediting only the distance learning portions and the non-Doctorate portions of the schools.
If you look at the dates of approval, the DETC is only accrediting 2 or 3 new schools per year. this is hardly "so many more." They also lose some. They would probably accredit a whole lot more, if they were allowed to accredit doctoral programs, other than first professional degrees. As it presently stands, the DETC requires schools to drop doctoral programs to achieve accreditation. They do seem to accredit foreign universities and just exempt their doctoral programs. Is DETC accreditation less stringent or just different? The regional accreditors, other than the NCA are extremely reluctant to accredit universities without a bricks and mortar component and without a high level of full time academic staff. It appears that many schools are denied regional accreditation for reasons that have absolutely nothing to do with the quality of education.
DETC (follow-up to Dr. John) I AGREE WITH DR. JOHN AND WOULD LIKE TO AD THAT THEY (DETC) HAVE REALLY OPENED UP TO THE LIKES OF THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY. MONEY, MONEY MONEY
Re: Re: Detc Just out of curiousity; what has brought you to this conclusion? Have you compared the way both accreditors actually evaluate DL schools? Or, is this just your opinion? If you did make comparisons, and in fact concluded that regional accreditors are more stringent, would you share your findings? I would very much like to see what leads you to make this statement. The DETC has been accrediting distance programs longer than the regional accreditors have been. Therefore, I would be inclined to think that DETC programs have undergone more stringent reviews than RA DL programs. However, with a good argument, I could be convinced otherwise. From what I observed and experienced, the main difference between DETC and RA DL schools is the course delivery method; not so much course content. For instance, RA DL programs incorporate CD & DVD lessons and more structured schedules. On the other hand, DETC schools seem to focus more on correspondence and self study at your own pace. However, DETC course content seems to be equivalent in most cases. If this is the only difference, and I believe it is, why are DETC programs less respected?
This would indeed be fascinating. I am myself very interested in the practicalities (from viewpoint of university) of regional versus DETC accreditation.
None. Unisa's DETC accreditation covers programs up to the first professional degree (none of which are doctorates). Taft has applied for DETC accreditation, and will probably be the first university to offer the JD under the umbrella of DETC accreditation.
Yes, I know of two. They are as follows: 1. University of St. Augustine in S. Augustine FL, http://www.usa.edu , which offers Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) and Doctor of Health Science (DHSc) 2. Concord University Law School http://www.concordlawschool.com , which offeres JD program
I forgot about Concord, which was involved in the DETC pilot. Ike is right. What was I thinking? (I wasn't? Yeah.)
But DETC accreditation doesn't do a JD program much good. Neither, for that matter, does RA by itself. You NEED ABA accreditation to make much of a difference. Nosborne, JD
I'm not sure what the ABA considers to so magical about students learning in a traditional setting. I agree that the Bar exam pass rates of DL schools could improve, but then so can the quality of programs. I would LOVE to see and complete a DL ABA JD Program. The thought of going to night school for four years makes me want to hit myself in the head with three hammers repeatedly. Why not even the American Bar Association College of Law. They could manage the quality themselves. Oh Well.
