Stratford Career Institute, up for DETC Accreditation

Discussion in 'Accreditation Discussions (RA, DETC, state approva' started by LearningAddict, Jan 18, 2013.

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  1. LearningAddict

    LearningAddict Well-Known Member

    Distance Education and Training Council: Applicant Schools

    I think they're going to have a tough time.
     
  2. Johann

    Johann Well-Known Member

    Yes, they will have a tough time.

    Interesting, that it's the Canadian arm, in Montreal, that's applying - and no mention of its US premises in St. Albans VT.

    I've personally taken three courses through the Canadian school. Cheapness, convenience and surprisingly good customer service (in my view) are their strong points; as I see it, (lack of) educational rigor is the main weakness. You will get out of their courses exactly what you put into them. And you don't have to put very much in, to succeed with very high marks. Read the assignment and take a 20-25 question multiple-choice, unproctored, un-timed, open-book exam. Do that around 20 times and you're done. Your diploma looks quite nice and is issued fairly promptly.

    I once took their C++ programming course - and it was possible to very get high marks on that course without even firing up a computer once! Read and succeed! I found the gardening course much better-organized, with good texts, but the same easy-peasy testing. A good summer pastime for me, but hardly serious education.

    Perhaps I'm not their usual target market. Bin ta college. Bin ta university, too. :smile: So I had expectations. Maybe the average Stratford customer has different expectations - I dunno.

    Stratford are assertive, assiduous marketers and the WORST thing I can say about them is that for years, they have been selling "High School diplomas" that have no standing or equivalence - in the US or Canada. I've seen DETC accredit a couple of universities in Canada that came to grief - Meritus and Lansbridge. From my experience with Stratford, they have a long, long road ahead of them, if they're serious about DETC.

    Johann
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Jan 18, 2013
  3. Johann

    Johann Well-Known Member

    BTW - that infernal/internal link process linked to S-t-r-a-t-f-o-r-d UNIVERSITY every time I wrote S-t-r-a-t-f-o-r-d.

    My remarks, of course, refer to S-t-r-a-t-f-o-r-d Career Institute, not the University.

    Johann
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Jan 18, 2013
  4. Johann

    Johann Well-Known Member

    I thought about it some more. DETC accredits schools at different levels. As long as SCI remains a non-degree-granting school, I guess they might have a shot -- but they'll have to do something about those high school courses.

    Johann
     
  5. LearningAddict

    LearningAddict Well-Known Member

    It would be fine if the high school courses were preparatory-only. But they purport it as a "High School Diploma" and while it may be technically true, it's still actually useless as a credential... I find it hard to believe they wouldn't know that.
     
  6. Johann

    Johann Well-Known Member

    Sadly, I'm pretty sure they do know. :sad: And strange, too, that, they're a tiny bit more up-front with other courses --saying things like the Stratford course alone will not get you into the field -- you'll need Provincial certification, prescribed course of education, practicum, or whatever.

    With the High School thing -- I think it's 'congratulations - here's your Stratford HS diploma --and you might now want to take a shot at a GED.' I've read angry "rip-off" reports from former Stratford students who found their "High School Diploma" wouldn't take them where they wanted to go -- but there are usually two sides to that type of story. Difficult to tell who knew how much up front.

    Funny thing - you never know when you might need that high school record. Last year, at 69, a four-time college grad, I was required to submit my high school records for admission to a course I was contemplating. I was a bit over the fifty-year limit (that they keep records for, before destroying them) but the local Board of Education office still had 'em and gave me copies.

    Neat - they also kept other records and I was allowed to have a copy of my 1954 IQ test results... :smile: Yes, really!

    Johann
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Jan 19, 2013
  7. LearningAddict

    LearningAddict Well-Known Member

    That's a real shame. I've read some of those complaints. The high school level is the very last place you'd want to have utility issues. I feel very badly for those students.
     
  8. Ted Heiks

    Ted Heiks Moderator and Distinguished Senior Member

    And what were the results of those IQ tests, if you don't mind my asking?
     
  9. Johann

    Johann Well-Known Member

    Apparently, Ted, I was really smart once, back in 1954, when I was 11. I have no idea which horrible events of the intervening 59 years addled my brainpower. Perhaps it was formal education. Perhaps drink or fornication. :sad:

    I'm nowhere near as intelligent now, I'm sure. It's just a number, not necessarily significant at all today -- but since you asked, the number back then was 164. And yes - I have the written proof positive.

    Johann
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Jan 20, 2013
  10. Ted Heiks

    Ted Heiks Moderator and Distinguished Senior Member

    My Mother tells me that I scored at the genius level on an IQ test in elementary school (though she couldn't tell me the exact number). As an adult I scored a 131 on an IQ test that was on the internet.
     
  11. Johann

    Johann Well-Known Member

    Well, I guess we've both pretty much proven it, Ted. :smile:
    High IQ scores in early years have NO relationship to good outcomes, monetary (or any) success in adult life. None. Period.

    A painful truth. :sad: I've lived with it for 70 years (as of this Thursday). Another 70 years of pension to go, and I'll be even with the Tax Department! I'm not going anywhere before then!

    I'm familiar with those Internet IQ tests. For amusement, you can re-take, memorize and/or write down the answers and get a meta-Einstein IQ score of 200!! They LIKE you to score well - because if you can get 125 or more, they invite you to spend $75 to join their High-IQ Society and buy T-shirts etc. from their on-line store.

    For a price, you could probably get your Internet test certified by the following prominent academics from Big Bang Theory:

    Dr. Sheldon Cooper
    Dr. Raj Kukurpali
    Dr. Leonard Hofstetter...and of course
    Mr. Howard Wolowitz M.Sc. :smile:

    Johann
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Jan 21, 2013
  12. Johann

    Johann Well-Known Member

    I just remembered something else about the Internet IQ tests. They don't usually lead to bogus universities, but they sometimes say if you pay the $75 and join their "Society", you'll also get membership in their bogus Think Tank, that usually has an impressive name - Intellectuals' Consortium for World Improvement or some such. No end of scams...

    Johann
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Jan 21, 2013
  13. Johann

    Johann Well-Known Member

    The definition varies, depending on whom you talk to, Ted. Some say anything 140 or over, others 160, some 180.

    Here's a bit from a Wiki:

    "The label of "genius" for persons of high IQ was popularized by Lewis Terman. He and his colleague Leta Hollingworth suggested different scores as a cut-off for genius in psychometric terms. Terman considered it to be an IQ of 140 on the Stanford Binet (about 0.4% of the population), while Hollingworth put it at an IQ of 180 (theoretically extrapolated at 1 in 2 million)."

    Here's the whole thing:

    Genius - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

    Here's another take:

    "So what is considered a genius IQ score? Generally, any score over 140 is counted as a high IQ. A score over 160 is considered by many to be a genius IQ score. Scores that are 200 and over are often referred to as "unmeasurable genius."

    That's from here:

    Genius IQ Score - What Is Considered a Genius IQ Score

    My personal experience:

    If you got a super-high score years and years ago, it might not mean anything, today. Maybe you can sell it to a narcissist! :smile:

    Johann
     
  14. noone

    noone New Member

    There is no campus in St. Albans Vermont, that is just a post office box. It exists so people will think the school is American. Look on a map St Albans is a very small border town, a lady there forwards the mail a few times a week. Montreal is their only location. Everyone working there knows their programs are not accredited. They also know the typical SCI student doesn't have, how can I put this in a nice way? I guess I can't, SCI students are mostly morons. Everyone at that diploma mill has nothing but contempt for you, the students. And yes their cancel policy is scam that you can't get out of. Unless you can build a time machine to go back in time and return the book before you got it. It's impossible to cancel, but if you try to make sure to send that book back registered mail and separate from that a cancel letter that you have proof you sent. Even then expect a collection agent to come after you. The HS diploma is the most popular program by far and no school anywhere recognizes it. They are very aware of these two things.

    ""High School Diploma" wouldn't take them where they wanted to go -- but there are usually two sides to that type of story. Difficult to tell who knew how much up front."

    They will answer truthfully if you ask about accreditation, the thing is they know almost none of their prospective students know enough to ask. They only ask about it after getting rejected by a bunch of colleges. The answer SCI gives you "we never said it was accredited".

    "surprisingly good customer service"


    You are not calling to say the diploma isnt recognized or they didnt get your cancel letter. You are the happy 5 percent. Did they ask you if you wanted to write a testimonial?
    PS I know SCI is reading this, they spend alot of time online doing damage control. Did you notice when you type the schools name in google no complaints come up in first 5 pages? They spend ALOT of time on this.
     
  15. Johann

    Johann Well-Known Member

    Well, now they've got some real damage to control. DETC recently rejected SCI, with unusually caustic remarks. How they're going to wipe the egg from their faces, I don't know. My own remarks weren't too kind either, but I doubt they care. See this thread:

    http://www.degreeinfo.com/accreditation-discussions-ra-detc-state-approval-unaccredited-schools/46428-stratford-career-institute-bombs-entirely-detc-attempt.html

    As I said before, Stratford Grad T-shirt (including one for me): "No job, no money, no skills - but I've got a diploma." :smile:

    Johann
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Aug 6, 2013
  16. Johann

    Johann Well-Known Member

    Matter of fact, they did. It looks like they ask this (in writing) with every "grad package" when you finish. Good timing! :smile: They solicit suggestions, too, at the end of the program. I offered them a few, to remedy what I saw as deficiencies in two of their programs. They even thanked me, but as far as I know, none of my suggestions was ever put into effect. I was not surprised.

    Johann
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Aug 6, 2013
  17. Johann

    Johann Well-Known Member

    And you know this how? :sad:

    Johann
     

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