Time bomb goes off in Houston

My prediction is that this separation of the educational and assessment functions of a university will become a model for 21'st century higher education.

Increasingly education will become a lifelong matter. It will happen in many different ways: independent study, on the job, in non-credit trainings, by manufacturer certifications, and by taking credit courses from many different schools, all around the world, both DL and not.

This will continue all through people's careers, as they find it more and more necessary to keep up with developments.

The problem is that every person will have a different mix of education and experience. It will be impossible for employers to sort it out unless some kind of assessment involving an understood and trusted public standard is available.

That's where places like WGU or TESC come in. They are place where people can bring all the education and experence they have accumulated elsewhere and have equivalent credentials awarded.

TESC and WGU, ideally at least, differ from degree mills in that they use credible assesment methods to determine if an applicant's education matches what would be required of a conventional course graduate. WGU apparently is developing what in effect are a huge set of course-challenge examinations.

The credible programs don't just grant degrees on the basis of receiving a resume. They make students demonstrate competencies on a course-by-course basis through the entire syllabus of a degree program.

I'll also point out that there is really nothing new about this. The University of London's external programme has been doing much the same thing since the 19th century. They assess their students by examination, and how the students actually learn the material is unspecified. Some use tutoring courses offered by other (often commercial) schools, others study on their own, still others just review material they already know.

 

Just buying a diploma per se would seem to be a waste of one's money, but not necessarily criminal on the part of the buyer. The possibility of prosecution may arise depending on how that worthless credential is used.

Two examples:

Michael McCorvey, president and founder of Upstate Bible College and Theological Seminary, was ousted after it was revealed that he misrepresented the school's accreditation and his own credentials.

Gary S. Stocco pled guilty to perjury and obtaining money by false pretenses after an investigation into the credentials of this "burns analysis expert" (they included backdated University of San Moritz degrees).

See http://distancelearn.about.com/library/blpages/blexposes.htm

And employers often haven't had specific standards regarding accreditation because it hasn't occurred to them that they should have. Many are getting smarter and investigating.

Recently one employer e-mailed me with a question about a particular school listed on an applicant's resume. I gave him the info (bogus accreditation, secretarial service address, etc.). When he e-mailed back, he mentioned that this applicant's other qualifications were sufficient that he would have made an offer ... if it weren't for that worthless degree.


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Kristin Evenson Hirst
DistanceLearn.About.com

 

This hits close to home, as their is a very generous pay incentive here in Massachusetts for attaining degrees, known as "The Quinn Bill". It's up to the individual cities and towns to accept it, but it awards pay increases of 10% for an Associate's, 20% for a Bachelor's, and 25% for a Master's or Law degree. The only catch is that the degrees (except for the J.D.) have to be in Criminal Justice, Criminology, or related fields, and be either accredited by the New England Association, or approved by the state Board of Higher Education. That's not automatic, as a co-worker of mine had to jump through a few hoops to get his Bachelor's in Criminology from Florida State University certified. I don't know if the state got burned by less than wonderful schools before or not, but they are fanatical about certifying degrees for the Quinn Bill, it's either RA or hit the road. And that's not a bad thing at all, IMO.

Just recently, the City of Boston accepted the Quinn Bill, and their union office was flooded with propaganda from various questionable schools, I remember Chadwick being one of the hard-sellers. Luckily, the union hired an educational consultant (RA Ph.D., full-time professor) to counsel officers with questions about their options.

For anyone interested, the text of the Quinn Bill is at: http://www.state.ma.us/legis/laws/mgl/41%2D108l.htm

And yes, I get my 25%, and there is no further increase for a doctorate. But I'm going for it anyway.

Bruce

 

Interesting point Bill. Some regulatory agencies define the term "accredited" and others do not. I have seen the term limited to RA or broad enough enough to include DETC. I have also seen where it is not defined leaving it up to a commonly understood meaning (which we often see is not commonly understood). I am not an attorney but I can see where no definition may leave the door open to WAUC, ACI, etc.

North

 

North,

Its Friday! I awoke this morning, had my usual bowl of Sugar Smacks, and was anticipating a pleasant day. But while scrolling through the daily posts my eyes fell upon the acrostic "ACI." Now, my day has somewhat of a "thorn in the flesh."

I will probably have a nightmare tonight: Someone asks me if my doctorate is accredited, and I have to respond YES, by ACI. At this time I wake up trembling, and in a cold sweat, but quickly realize it was only a bad dream.

Oh, well! I forgive you for all the trauma you have caused.

Russell

 

On tonight's 6pm news, it was reported that there is a group of citizens of Dickinson who are starting a recall petition for the mayor and one council member. Reason given - they exposed the police chief to "public ridicule" when they revealed that he had phoney degrees.

Since the police chief received no other disciplinary action other than loss of the additional pay for having a degree and now a group of citizens want to remove the mayor and council member, don't we now have a situation of "Reward the guilty" but "Punish the innocent".

Russell

 

I could have posted the web site with the picture of "Dr." whats his name's smiling face. According to the site from his church he is pursuing a doctorate at Oxford Graduate School. If they get TRACS approval he may actually end up with a *real* doctorate. Won't effect the value of his "accreditation" agency.

I agree it is a scary proposition. However, it is intersting to see how some regulatory entities leave themselves open to issues like this.

North

 

While I commend the good president of ACI for his desire to have a recognized doctorate(which I hope he obtains), you are correct, North. This will do nothing in regard to the value of ACI accreditation.

Russell

 

Bob, you are right. It's all about feelings in the country. It is better to FEEL good and LOOK good than to BE good.

My former commander in chief. No, I'll say no more. It still makes my blood boil just thinking of that lying piece of....@#$%#.

"But it is about sex!" Funny thing is HE didn't think so.

Yuck.

This is how far our country has slipped.

 

I am not an attorney but I can see where no definition may leave the door open to WAUC, ACI, etc.

You're absolutely right. That's why, in some circumstances, unrecognized accreditation is better than no accreditation at all.

 

I strongly disagree. You may initially fool some people with a degree with bogus accreditation by saying "why yes, my degree is from an accredited school", but then we're back to the time bomb analogy. Sooner or later, it's going to explode.

Bruce

 

No, it isn't. Unrecognized accreditation has just one purpose: to fool people. Most consumers of higher education (students and their employers) typically have no clue to the ramifications behind the question "Is it accredited?" They tend not to understand accreditation, so an accreditation statement--even one that points out that the accreditor isn't listed by the USDOE--tends to fool people into thinking the school is okay. Very, very few unaccredited DL schools have been open, honest AND complete in their comments about their lack of accreditation. It tends to drive away customers.

Rich Douglas