Fielding versus Touro

I used the term to connote a learning environment where the student worked in a solitary manner, away from the campus, using the course materials provided, and submitted assignments, all without "classes." "Classes" meaning a group of students and a faculty member going through a curriculum simultaneously, either synchronously or asynchronously. From what I can tell, TUI offers courses on CD-ROM and in an online environment. Does it offer actual online classes with other students in the same classes interacting with each other during the course?

 

As a TUI student you are on your own just are you are in the NCU program. The only interactions are the threaded discussions.

 

Here your "misinformed opinion" rears its ugly head. TUI is not a correspondence school in the sense that you describe it. It offers online classes with other students interacting with each other both asynchronously and synchronously. In fact, the core courses provide Horizon Live sessions in which the instructor and students discuss the subject at hand. Further, these sessions are accompanied by PPT slide presentations in an effort to keep the discussions on track and relevant.

I find your attack on TUI "dishonest". You claim to know the school yet you haven't a clue about it.

Susanna

 

WRONG!!! Please inform yourself before making such conclusive statements. As mentioned previously, TUI offers HL sessions in addition to TD's.

 

WRONG??? I completed my MS from TUI so I should know what I am talking about. They do NOT use Horizon Live for the masters program and my understanding was that they only use Horizon Live for a portion of the classes.

In the PhD program, how many classes use Horizon Live and how many do not?

 

I will say it again it depends on what and why you are looking at a particular program. If you want the prestige factor then Fielding has it over any of the programs we are discussing. The quality of Fielding will never be questioned. If cost is a factor which by some of your other choices it appears to be then WGU or Touro would be adequate but when comparing Fielding it is of a higher tier. I will also say that it is usually a good idea to go with a school that has some B&M presence.

 

OK, then... why imply that they "only" use TD's when you know full well that they also use HL sessions?

In the PhD program they use HL sessions for all of the core courses.

 

It rained all night
The day I left
The weather it was dry
The sun so hot,
I froze to death
Touro, don't you ply

 

When I read the above statement, I would assume you mean the use horizon Live all the time. How many classes are the core classes for the PhD?

 

I haven't attacked TUI. I dismembered the silly idea that a fair comparison of it to other schools should somehow include Touro College. And I asked questions about TUI's delivery methodologies, which are not clear from reading its website.

Beyond whether or not students go through courses together, I see little difference between the two. If not NCU, based upon what you've shared, more like UoP. (Except that what you describe sounds more dynamic in terms of technology than what UoP uses--good on TUI.)

Neither school comes close to Fielding in terms of an established scholarly community. Nor does UoP, for that matter.

 

I love it when people with a clear connection to the school or schools under discussion defend theirs rabidly. I don't have a stake in the discussion, and am willing to hear both sides. If I err in my observations, great. They're subject to revision--no harm to me.

Take a lesson from my discussions regarding Union. They routinely contain criticisms where criticisms are deserved. And they don't contain trumped-up notions like including Touro College in a discussion of TUI.

I once, long ago, bought a Hyundai from a Porsche dealer. That didn't make my Hyndai a Porsche. (But my BMW from a BMW dealer is a BMW.)

 

Sure, why not compare Touro to NCU? I have no clue about NCU so far be it from me to say that NCU is not worthy of comparison. As a student of Touro, I am impressed with the academic rigor. Having said that however, if I had the resources as well as the time to travel, I would have chosen a PhD program that has wider acceptance in the field, i.e., Fielding.

As for the demeaning comments about TUI or any other accredited school for that matter, I find it disingenuous and counter-productive in producing meaningful discourse on this board. I am not saying that a school couldn't be criticized for a particular format or practice here but rather refraining from statements such as "the school in comparison is a joke". This is hurtful to those in attendance and quite frankly uncalled for.

Susanna

 

I don’t think Rich was calling TUI a joke but I agree that using the term “joke” to describe an accredited university like TUI is very unnerving. You work your but off for a degree only to have some else describe your experience as less than worthy.

I have no idea as to what TUI’s doctoral programs are like, so for me to compare NCU to TUI would not be fair. As a student at NCU I have been very impressed with NCU so far. Their courses are very challenging and require a lot of work on the part of the student. As Susanna had alluded to previously, if I had unlimited funding and more time for travel, I too would have chosen a school with more overall acceptance. In the meantime I am just happy to be able to work on a doctorate where in the end I will not incur any debt or have to use up all of my vacation time for the next few years.

 

I wonder why you assume cost is a factor, and I wonder what "some of [my] other choices" are. I have not explicitly disclosed which schools I am considering, so I am curious what you perceived to be my other choices. Please do not misconstrue what I am saying, though. I am not at all offended by your statement, just curious.

Actually, cost is not a factor for me, and I agree that selecting an online program with a B&M presence is a wise decision. However, I cannot find a program in the subject matter I need that offers the coursework online but also maintains a B&M presence.

I agree that Fielding's reputation is solid. Two of my favorite scholars and authors in the field of online teaching and learning are Fielding graduates, and if Fielding offered a doctoral concentration in e-learning, I would probably enroll. (Granted, Fielding's new Teaching in the Virtual Classroom Certificate seamlessly articulates into its Ed.D. in Educational Leadership and Change program, but it does not count as a concentration.)

My top priority for choosing a doctoral program is not the cost or residency requirements necessarily but, instead, the general reputation of the school and the specific curriculum concentrations offered. The research reputation of my doctoral program would be more of an issue for me, I am sure, if I were on the job market. But I currently hold the academic position I would ultimately want out of a Ph.D. program, and only TUI's Ph.D. in E-Learning Leadership meets the demands for the curriculum I want to augment my administrative position, academic interests, and career goals.

So--now to disclose my decision--I am sticking with TUI unless I become disappointed with the experience after my first two courses (which begin in January).

 

I have considerable respect for NCU, and I am pleased to hear that you are enjoying your experience there. NCU is, in fact, my second-choice school--again, not because of any bad "reputation" issues but because it does not offer the specific concentration I want. Its Ed.D. in Education Technology Management comes close to what I want but not as close as TUI's Ph.D. in E-Learning Leadership program.

My wife is enrolled in the Ph.D. in Curriculum and Teaching program at NCU and loves it. I have been impressed with the course text selection there as well as the rigorous assignments and diverse mentors. (And the student services there are nothing to sniff at, either.)

So--to all you NCU folks out there--be proud to be a Roadrunner!

 

Prior to my considering doctoral studies I spoke with a significant number of chairs of departments, faculty, students and graduates as well as colleagues who graduated from Union, Fielding, Touro, Walden and at the time ,The graduate School of America (Now Capella), as well as NCU. My objective was to obtain an insiders perspective as to the level of rigor and quality of the doctoral programs, the qualifications and level of accessible of their respective faculty and the level of satisifaction or dissatisfaction of students and graduates. Although one person's findings, which are obviously open to question, these were my findings about three of these schools:

1) UNION- I was taken aback by the number of doctoral graduates whose dissertations were not on par with the standards that the other schools noted aboved required from their students. In fact, I reviewed two of my colleagues' doctoral dissertations at the time and was totally in awe that they recieved doctorates. In addition I spoke in depth with two Psychology graduates at the time and they related their disappoinment due to their respective boards of licensure not accepting their doctorates for licensure. Union is obviously in the process of revamping their doctoral programs at this time and it will be interesting to see if this is reflected in the rigor of their programs in the future.

2) FIELDING- A very research oriented program (Psychology) with much less emphasis on clinical work. As previously noted they have rigorous programs that hold significant prestige and acceptance in the academic and employment community. Unfortunately their students' preformance on the national psychology licensing exam was fairly low in comparison to other California based schools, including unacredited ones.

3) TOURO- Speaking with the Chair of business in depth on several occasions as well as with one colleague in their doctoral program and several doctoral students I was quite impressed with the rigor and quality of their doctoral program in business. These are not give away doctorates but rigorous, quantitative and research oriented programs that require quite a bit of effort to attain.

 

Thank you for your insightful comments. I wish you the best of luck at NCU and beyond. As for Rich's comments; I am sure I interpreted them just as he intended them.

 

Thank you Simon for this constructive and informative feedback.

Susanna

 

Had you been more forthcoming with your situation,then my suggestions may have been different.

I had no idea that a concentration in E-learning was important. You had asked a general question about one of the top(in prestige) DL schools going.
All else being equal and cost wasn't a consideration then there is no reason not to choose Fielding.

Now we get a better picture all things are not equal. This equates to a CEO of a fortune 500 debating going to HBS for a degree or St. Joseph's of Maine. The Maine degree may suit him better when ultimately he already holds the position he wants and feels the knowledge in that program is something he/she really wants to learn.

In summary(sorry about the rant) the more information you give the better the advice.

 

Touro University International – not AACSB accredited
Northcentral University – not AACSB accredited
Nova Southeastern University – not AACSB accredited

I use the business administration program as an example since each of these schools does have a comprehensive business administration program. The bottom line is these schools have to be professionally accredited before their business administration programs can be compared to other public or private universities with AACSB accreditations. My points are: (1) these schools are virtually the same outside of our discussion group and (2) each of these schools does have much to gain from the success of the other two schools. For instance, if one of these schools applies and eventually achieves AACSB accreditation, it opens door toward AACSB accreditation for the other two schools. Therefore, they should be treated as allies instead of rivals. I personally look for the day when we will spend our times comparing these schools to their state public schools (i.e., University of California at Riverside, Arizona State University, Florida State University…) instead of assessing which of them is the top ONLINE school.