Harcourt's CCHS Meets NIFI (and Loses)

Last night I looked at Steve's NIFI criteria at http://levicoff.tripod.com/criteria.htm for the first time. Today I applied it to Harcourt's California College for Health Sciences (CCHS), and the results are below. I have chosen those criteria for which I have concrete evidence to support the application to CCHS. I suspect other criteria could be applied to CCHS as well, although a number of them cannot. And just about anything said about CCHS here can also be applied to its parent company ICS/Harcourt, perhaps even more strongly.

Without further ado...

1. Unaccredited schools that are legitimate don't claim accreditation at all; but if a school claims an unrecognized accreditation, chances are that it's a degree mill.

As posted on the AED last year, a CCHS faculty member sent an email to a prospective student claiming regional accreditation for CCHS. This was later recanted by another faculty member, as CCHS has merely DETC accreditation.

3. Does the school claim that it "intends to apply for," "has applied for," "is investigating," "has been in dialogue with," "is recognized by," or is "pursuing accreditation" with a legitimate agency? Schools that use such phrases are often, though not always, degree mills, since these statements give no true indication about the institution's chance for actually achieving accreditation.

The recanting CCHS faculty member then went on to say "CCHS will begin seeking regional accreditation this year."

14. Does the school's catalog have a complete list of their own faculty, and does the list include where they received their degrees?

Not all of the faculty members listed at http://www.cchs.edu/faculty have their alma maters listed. I don't know if this is merely accidental omission or if they are trying to hide something.

19. If the school lists the number of students currently enrolled as well as the members of the faculty, is the student-to-faculty ratio realistic? A school that claims to have 5,000 students enrolled but lists only ten faculty members, for example, would have a 500:1 student-to-faculty ratio. That signifies a poor program. The average student-to-faculty ratio in a credible school should be 30:1 maximum.

This criterion is the Achille's heel for CCHS. CCHS claims upwards of 9,000 active students. As you can see by clicking the link to their faculty page above, they have 9 faculty members listed. I think most of this group doesn't need me to reduce the fraction, but I can't help but do it: CCHS apparently has a student-to-faculty ratio of 1,000:1 - twice as bad as Steve's standard for a "poor" program.

20. Does the school offer multiple degree titles within each level of education? Legitimately accredited schools generally offer only one or two three degree titles at each academic level, for example: Master of Arts or Master of Science. Any school that offers more degree titles than sound reasonable is very likely a sham.

CCHS, which only began offering master's degrees 2 or 3 years ago, has at least 4 different master's programs.

31. Does the school grant a master's or doctorate degree without any residency whatsoever?

Yes, all CCHS graduate programs are completely non-residential.

35. Degree mills offer certifications that have no professional validity at all.

As we have all read in the CCHS internal memo, CCHS offers, by their own account, programs that "were not designed to meet the accreditation, licensure, etc. requirements of the respective accrediting bodies, states, etc. They were designed to make money, not to help people meet the minimum job requirements for a vocation or profession." (The memo goes on to say, "They are the type of programs that ICS has been offering for many years.")

60. Do magazine or newspaper ads for a school include a photograph of the school's president, provost, or chancellor)? Generally, when legitimate schools feature anyone in their advertising, it's usually one or more prominent faculty members. Only degree mills tend to feature their chief executive officer in their advertising.

I don't see any reason not to include the school's website and catalogs in this criterion. In doing so, one cannot help but notice the most prominent person in these promotional offerings is the lovely visage of Roy "Boy" Winter, a businessman (not an educator) and president of CCHS. (ICS/Harcourt Learning Direct does the same thing with Bob "The Nooch" Antonucci.)

73. Does the school have the reputation of ever having been a degree mill historically? History is not the ultimate criterion in judging a distance education program, but the sleazier the history, the more red flags are raised.

I think we are all aware of the sleaze factor with ICS.

Okay, folks (you too, Steve), let's have it: Can CCHS be called a mill? Using the most common definition of "degree mill" as a "substandard school", I would say unequivocally: YES. And it is unquestionable that they market with a "degree mill mentality." However, as I pointed out in another thread, CCHS does offer some legitimate educational opportunities as well. And I will stop with that (hopefully thought-provoking) comment and wait for the edifying commentary from you folks that is sure to come.

 

For me, the primary consideration of a degree mill is "Is effort on the same par as resident programs for a similar degree" AKA do you have to work for it.

I have a BS, a MA, a MS, and close to a PhD, all the traditional way. My wife is enrolled at CCHS, so I feel that I can comment on this question.

CCHS does require a considerable amount of effort. I would classify it at about 80-90% of a decent resident program. If a student is a good independent learner, the sky is the limit on how much can be learned. The course material is pretty good. If you are the type of person who cant learn on your own and have to call "the instructor expert", then you should not even consider this approach and enroll in a traditional program.

As far as false representation, every thing I have ever seen about CCHS (i.e literature and website) state they are DTEC...it also says that transferring credit depends upon the instituion.

I do know this. The Military considers CCHS as an acceptable school for military officers who need a Masters degree for promotion.

If this is a terminal degree for the individual, I think CCHS is a good school, especially if the person really wants to learn.

The biggest Complaint I have with CCHS is that they could do things alot faster if they integrated web based learning...oh well.

 

I can't let this go by without commenting on the faculty issue. CCHS offers 4 masters programs and one has two distinct majors. The 1999 catalog (when I was enrolled) lists 46 graduate course that are parts of these degrees. On the faculty page there are 2 faculty listed, one with an MA and the other PhD. The 2000-2001 catalog lists 3 faculty, 2 with masters and one with PhD. They also list authors and staff. These 46 courses are varried, for instance: ethical considerations, legal considerations, cultural diversity, healthcare planning & marketing, psychological aspects of illness, environmental & occupational health, addictions, nutrition, stress, exercise, organizational behavior, death & dying, biology of aging, healthy aging, research and evaluation methods, epidemology, financial accounting, healthcare economics & policy analysis, healthcare finance, biostatistics, quantative methods - to name just a few.

Can you imagine that for all these courses they have 3 instructors. Now they say they have other people read the papers and have writers that write the course but the bottom line is that when you call with a question and ask for your instructor you get one of 3 people. I enrolled for 10 courses and had the same instructor for 9 courses. The other course I could only call certain days because at that time this instructor was part time. I never had any contact with a PhD prepared person.

I have applied many times to accredited colleges to teach master's level courses and am told that they only allow PhDs teach the graduate courses as their accreditation requires at least 90% of teachers teaching graduate students to have PhD. I don't think CCHS is a degree mill but it certainly has problems with its faculty/student ratio.

When I do teach undergraduate courses I am only approved for specific courses closely related to my masters. I am not sure how 3 instructors can have expertise in so many areas to be qualified to teach 46 very different courses.

I was not part of the undergraduate program at all but looking at the catalog the educational qualifications and the number of different courses taught by the few instructors listed is even more staggering. Of course they always list the graduate faculty in the undergraduate catalog so it looks like someone with a graduate degree is teaching undergraduate courses. So the few faculty with graduate degrees are really busy ;-)

[Note: This message has been edited by tcnixon]

 

I agree with you that the instructors can not possibly be experts on all these topics. That is why the individual better be a "self-learner". If not, thats when I think in most cases, traditional classwork is better. I did take a look at the person who wrote the legal text for CHCS, and she difinitely is an expert...however, you are correct that others grade the papers. CHCS is what it is...a way for individuals to obtain a masters degree primarily learning on their own.

 

As we all know, ICS/Harcourt is DETC accredited. But, some of their marketing tactics is just downright embarassing.

Long time ago, I ordered their information packet just to see what they're all about. I received the info alright. Inside the package, you'll find an application form and all these coupons and even a "diploma sticker" that, once attached to the application form, you'll receive a free diploma frame (only if u respond within 14 days or so). Few weeks later, I got another package in the mail. Follow/up letters are fine of course, but they weren't. It was another package but this time the tuition is reduced by a few hundrew bucks, but you don't get ur diploma frame. Later, I got another one in the mail. The tuition is something like $300 and now you'll earn a certificate, and not a diploma.

You think it ends here??? They called my cellphone and i told them flat out, I'm a Uni undergrad student and I just wanted to see what they have to offer, and that they should stop sending me more junk cuz I ain't gonna read them.

End of Story

Byran

 

Wish I had viewed this thread earlier

Exit Quietly makes some valid points. I've had enough of the nonsense from CCHS, but I'm afraid if I quit paying they will try to ruin my credit. Since I did not receive what I paid for, I don't see how they would have a case. Still, they are just evil and wicked enough to report me to the credit bureau.

My advice to any lurkers--Read the above post and search this forum for more opinions. CCHS is the absolute worst!

 

ICS/Harcourt could very well be the bottom of the barrel for DETC. I can't imagine that they would ever get regional accreditation without very significant changes. I agree that the teacher to student ratio is extremely troubling. In my opinion it reflects poorly on DETC.

Whether or not they're a degree mill depends on your definition of degree mill. Personally, I wouldn't call it a degree mill simply because they are accredited by DETC.

 

CCHS

I just checked the faculty link in the beginning message. The chief instructor for the graduate programs has an MS. The Instructor in the BS program only has a BS and the associate degree programs a BS or AS. In most respectable schools you must have a degree higher than the students. In other words to teach graduate students you must have a doctorate and to teach undergraduates a master's degree.

I was a student at CCHS a few years ago. There were 2 instructors that taught all the graduate courses in several master's degree programs. There were well over 40 different courses from business, ethics, law, psychology, biology, statistics, etc. One instructor was full time and has been there since 1995 and the other was part time. I know the other was part time because when I would call with a question they would give me the days she worked telling me she was part time. She was there 3 days/week.

I had a disagreement regarding my internship after I spent 3 months in a facility and had already written 55 pages toward my project. I was accused of cheating and told my project was all over the Internet. The study guide that I received was different than what the instructor told me on the phone. And she kept changing what was required every phone call. Out of frustration I finally dropped my last class and sit with a certificate and no degree. Luckily I was not counting on this degree as my primary graduate degree. I wrote to DETC which told me CCHS was great then wrote to the Department of Education. Nothing really happened and CCHS is still accredited and still has a few instructors teaching all the courses without credentials in the courses they are teaching. It is comforting to know that I am not the only one who has had trouble with CCHS.

I miss "harcourtbites.esmartguy.com" What happened to it?

 

Looks like they had time to make a fancy brochure

but still have not hired any additional instructors. They had a substantial increase in tuition but have not addressed their problems.

 

Re: Looks like they had time to make a fancy brochure

Well, you must not be looking at the same catalog I received today.

There are nine master's degreed, five doctoral degreed, and several M.D.'s on the faculty.

Each of these has a degree in the field in which he or she teaches.

The web site is not up to date and is a work in progress since the new owners came on board.

CCHS meets all requirements and guidelines for DETC accreditation as well as federal government guidelines for student loans and grants.

Instead of having a sympathetic ear perhaps you should have an objective ear.

 

For Sympathetic Ear

I did not realize you were enrolled in CCHS until I read your post on another thread.

Therefore, my comment about your needing to be objective was unnecessary and uncalled for.

Please accept my apology.

 

Are things so boring around here these days that we need to dredge up three year old threads?


Sheesh!






Tom Nixon

 

What a cool school. Only students enrolled in it are able to be objective about it, and its name allows one to aalmost sound like one has gone to medical school.

Gee whillikers, I could go buy an el cheapo doctorate in widget science from the Cane Ridge School of Widgetry, pick up (with a lot of non-academic hassle, apparently) a degree from this fine institution, and then go about calling myself "Dr Janko, a graduate of CCHS." It wouldn't technically be a lie, after all, since both parts of the phrase would be true. Just not together.

Now this set-up just might work. After all, only a subjective crank would actually ask any questions...

 

Say what??

 

Suppose, wfready, that you were consumed with lust for a doctorate, or at least for the prestige of being called "Doctor". Suppose that you got a charge out of people thinking you were an expert in a health care profession, and loved slinging clinical terminology around to impress the gullible and defame the skeptical.

How simple it would be to combine a useless doctorate acquired from some mill with an actual degree from CCHS! CCHS just about sounds like a med school, after all, and if you were already Dr wfready (in no particular field), the terrifyingly simple expedient of coupling the honorific Dr with an allusion to CCHS could lead all sorts of unreflective people to think you were a real doctor in a health care field.

All it takes is just a little fussing with the wording of your own publicity to create a misleading collocation of unrelated facts. This sort of lying by insinuation has the advantage of deniability--oh, I didn't actually say, and so forth.

This is all hypothetical, of course, and no reflection on the garden-variety reputable CCHS student, or on CCHS.

Call it abagnalysis. We've spent a lot of time discussing time bombs of outright false claims on resumes. I just got to musing on the possibilities of another type of academic fraud: false collocation and slippery terminology. A school with a med-school-sounding name, no matter how reputable, could be abused by a fraudster with a fake doctorate from elsewhere but willing to do some actual work at the med-school-soundalike--to devastating effect upon the unwary and vulnerable.

Just another paradigm tossed into the pot.