I was digging through some old threads and I came across this post on the pecking order of school programs. I would like to know what people think about this order. Do you agree or should the order be different? What should the order look like?
I would probably flip-flop numbers 5 & 6. Other than that change, the "pecking order" looks like it would meet my preferences when hiring someone (not that education always plays a big part in hiring decisions). Of course, this is a distance learning forum so it would be unrealistic to expect anything other than a bunch of posts claiming DL is just as good, if not better, than traditional classroom education. In the end, if you had an 18 year old child, where would you want them to go to school?
I think the order has more to do with employer perception than reality. I think DL programs are just as good as their in class counterparts. I would say that the order is correct as is. I don't think accelerating a program makes it any better; in fact I think accelerating a program takes away from the learning process.
I agree that employer perception is key. W.I. Thomas once observed, "if men define situations as real, they are real in their consequences”. Even perceptions have real consequences. I agree that accelerated programs leave much to be desired. That is why I would rank a traditional program at a purely DL school above an accelerated program from a B&M school. However, with both pretty far down the list, I'm sure I'm just splitting hairs
One thing [of many] that I learned from my active duty military days is "perception is reality." The reason for this is people will generally keep their thoughts to themselves, but what they perceive is what they believe. So if someone thinks you are guilty of something, then, in their mind, you're guilty. So you would switch 4 and 5. What if the accelerated program was from a top tier B&M school?
Still pretty much on target...a change in perception is going to take a while. And frankly, I think that there is much to be said for...and much lost...for a traditional 4-year undergraduate degree in a B&M environment. OTOH...that simply may not be an option for a person - such a serviceman/woman deployed to the Middle East.
As a hiring manager, I would group 1,2, and 3 together. If it is a B&M school, the name recognition is the most salient point. I don't think I've ever asked a candidate whether they got their degree full time, part time, or online. I am most skeptical of the accelerated programs if a candidate were able to get a bachelors degree in 2 yeaers for example.
And I say that having taken and taught accelerated programs, so I can't even identify why I feel this way?!?!