2003 Chronicle article "Battling the Stigma of Nontraditional Credentials"

Discussion in 'General Distance Learning Discussions' started by warguns, Jul 3, 2007.

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  1. warguns

    warguns Member

  2. SteveFoerster

    SteveFoerster Resident Gadfly Staff Member

    And it features DegreeInfo's own Andy Borchers.

    -=Steve=-
     
  3. PhD2B

    PhD2B Dazed and Confused

    From the article:

    Good for this guy: He has no idea. :(

    Great article, thanks for sharing.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Jul 3, 2007
  4. PhD2B

    PhD2B Dazed and Confused

    Why does this article consistently refer to Dr. Borchers as Mr. Borchers?
     
  5. geoffs

    geoffs Member

    Well if you read it, its probably cause he got his Ph.d online....
     
  6. PhD2B

    PhD2B Dazed and Confused

    I think you are correct. I initially thought that since Dr. Borchers has a DBA, as opposed to the more recognized PhD, that the author simply made a mistake. The title of the article makes it look like it is unbiased article towards DL, but the small references to the people with DL doctorates makes me think otherwise. The article goes on to refer to another person, who has a PhD from Fielding, as Ms. Boyce rather than Dr. Boyce. The author clearly does not recognize doctorates earned through DL regardless of where the doctorate is earned.

    This kind of close-minded thinking - endorsed by The Chronicle no less - is evidence that the prejudice that goes with DL degrees is alive and kicking.
     
  7. iquagmire

    iquagmire Member


    Don't jump the gun so quickly - the article also calls Nova's business school dean, "Mr. Pohlman". The article mentions that he earned his PhD traditionally at Oklahoma State University. I think its more of a grammatical rule much like the one where President Bush is referred as Mr. Bush in articles.
     
  8. Rich Douglas

    Rich Douglas Well-Known Member

    Contrary to other posts, this is the closest. The CHE ignores the "Dr." honorific, calling people "Mr." and "Ms." instead. It has nothing to do with the source of Dr. Borchers' degree, or the manner in which he earned it.

    That said, the article is out of date and full of crap.
     
  9. Andy Borchers

    Andy Borchers New Member

    Question for Rich

    Rich - As one of the subjects of this article, I guess I have to ask - what part of the story is "full of crap" and "out of date"?

    Frankly, I find the article to be a pretty realistic statement of where things were in 2003 - and where they are now.

    DL doctorates are a wonderful doorway for people to learn and grow. In a tight academic job market, however, you're kidding yourself if you think a DL degree will serve as a substitute for a doctorate from a first tier school. It won't.

    Regards - Andy

     
  10. kelechi

    kelechi New Member

    Good article, but when I checked the time of publication at the chronicle website, it has date of publication as Wednesday, August 6, 2003. I think a lot has changed( positively) in distance learning since 2003. What do you all think?
     
  11. Shawn Ambrose

    Shawn Ambrose New Member

    Ultimately, the future of DL depends on us. If graduates from Walden, Capella, NCU, Nova, etc., are able to contribute to the academy in a meaningful fashion, then doors will continue to open. There will always be those who are close minded, but as universities continue to offer more DL offerings, it stands to reason that more opportunities will become available for DL grads.

    Shawn
     
  12. Vincey37

    Vincey37 New Member

    Any thoughts on why there is still no AACSB DL doctorate?
     
  13. Ian Anderson

    Ian Anderson Active Member


    Did'nt one of the regular contributors to this forum obtain such a degree from France?
     
  14. me again

    me again Well-Known Member

    Calling someone Mr. or Ms. is a sign of respect.
     
  15. PhD2B

    PhD2B Dazed and Confused

    This is good to know. I am glad to see that they are consistent about the use of titles.
     
  16. Ted Heiks

    Ted Heiks Moderator and Distinguished Senior Member

    There are no AACSB DL doctorates based in the United States; there are, however, about three(?) distance/research AACSB doctorates based in Europe.
     
  17. SteveFoerster

    SteveFoerster Resident Gadfly Staff Member

    I think if this article were to appear today it would say different things.

    -=Steve=-
     

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