TUI's home page: why still so amateurish??

Re: Touro's Website

That is one of those life lessons. It is often necessary to dig below the surface and know what you are looking for (eg recognized accreditation). I know that at one time when I was reading Christianity Today I was amused that a couple of the most amateurish ads were from accredited schools who evidently did not have any graphic artists on board. Yet, a couple of the better ads were from unaccredited schools (one of them being Trinity Theological Seminary in Indiana). You cannot necessarily judge a school based on surface appearances and statements (which is where some people get themselves into trouble).

North

 

Actually, they're not. Also 100% non-residential and RA: Jones International University, Excelsior College, Thomas Edison State College.

 

TESC requires 2 weekend residencies for their MS in Management program, so I don't think they can be classified as "100% non-residential" anymore; more like 99% I'd guess.

As for people assuming, based solely upon the attractiveness of their web site, that TUI isn't a valid school - that just seems downright silly (to put it mildly). They do, after all, have their accreditation information prominently linked from their front page. I don't have any connection with TUI, and at this point I don't even foresee ever taking a course from them, but I really don't understand why everyone is getting so carried away with bashing their web site. It needs some work, to be sure, but it isn't that bad!

 

Kristin Evenson Hirst wrote:

Actually, they're not. Also 100% non-residential and RA: Jones International University, Excelsior College, Thomas Edison State College.

Response: My mistake.
What I meant is that TUI offers the first (and still only as far as I know) 100% online RA PhD in the country.

 

Gary Rients wrote:
As for people assuming, based solely upon the attractiveness of their web site, that TUI isn't a valid school - that just seems downright silly (to put it mildly).

response: I personally don't think TUI is not valid because of their website, and I think most people in this newsgroup think this way.
But I think that a poorly done web-site can reflect carelessnes from a school (fortunately this is not the case with TUI). Yes, TUI is fully RA and offers excellent services to their students, but they have been la little unambitious with their page, don't you think?
I mean, its not only the page's design but a lot of its links either don't work or they simply disappear from the page only to reapear later (and yes, I've tried different computers). This might not be very important to you but it is to me and for many of those who value quality and professionality. Don't get me wrong, their page is not horrible, but it does need some work. It doesn't have to look beautiful, just decent. I don't think I'm asking too much (I mean, I don't think that a more acceptable website is that hard to do).

 

Of course there are quite a few 100% dl ra Universities. There are also several 100% online Ph.D.s. The boast is inaccurate and untrue. While I see TUI as a legitmate if unproven University, this kind of untrue claim chips away at it. I have also seen Jones International make the same claim and thought less of them because of it.

To those to who don't see the value of a professional website you are missing the point. First impressions and appearance do matter. Universities spend a lot of money producing quality catalogs, and the ones that understand our current "wired" society will at least produce a quality web site. Now if they are getting too many new students perhaps the current website is a valid strategy.

 

DaveHayden wrote:

There are also several 100% online Ph.D.s.

Response: I think most of us know this. Excuse my ignorance but how many are RA 100% online PhDs outside of Touro in the U.S?
Plus with a virtual library & no textbooks required? I'd like to know for my own information.

They're boast might be a bit of a hyperbole, and I am not an expert in DL, but I think that TUI proving to be one of the most innovative schools in the field of DL.


DaveHayden wrote:

To those to who don't see the value of a professional website you are missing the point. First impressions and appearance do matter. Universities spend a lot of money producing quality catalogs, and the ones that understand our current "wired" society will at least produce a quality web site. Now if they are getting too many new students perhaps the current website is a valid strategy.

I agree with you here.

 

I think the poster meant the only RA school with no residency requirement for the Ph.D. program.

Eli

 

Is there another fully non-residential RA PhD in the country? If so, let me know, because I thought I had looked at all the options.

 

I do not understand all the analysis.

In short, Touro witnessed phenomenal growth in the past two years. Yes too many students decided to enroll which forced the existing structure to attend to more important issues as student services, technology, adding faculty, and programs etc.

As mentioned at the outset, Touro will focus on the site and do the needful. And YES, as mentioned also at the beginning of this thread I DO agree that their site is not flashy and there is room for improvement.

Please let us give this topic a rest.

Eli

 

Eli,

This entire thread reminds me of the people I manage everyday. Depending on the issue of the day, Management is stupid for entirely different reasons. I try to explain stakeholder management, but it ends up coming out like a bunch of college boy BS. I thought you addressed the issue very early on, but the response has generally been, "yeah cuz they suck.......they even suck so bad that...........see I told you they suck" OK the website sucks. Deal with it! Not everything is going to make everyone happy at once. Once TUI Improves their website, and I KNOW they will, someone else will be pissed about something else. It seems that especially where TUI is concerned, there are many more interesting things to talk about.

 

Hi Sulla

Please excuse my mistake. I meant to write 100% online RA Ph.D. programs. I haven't researched this area but I was under the impression that several were offered (ie Nova Southeastern, Capella, Fielding and others). NorthCentral while not RA apparently will be shortly. It could be that these programs require some minor residency. If so my statement was clearly wrong. Many thanks.

 

Touro's accreditation stems from its home campus, Touro College. It has been related that the inclusion of Touro International's non-residential Ph.D. programs in that accreditation may have been done in error, that the accrediting agency--Middle States--may not have realized they were accrediting the first 100% non-residential Ph.D. program.

The other programs you mention all have residency requirements.

Northcentral (note the spelling) is a candidate for accreditation, but its accreditation is by no means guaranteed. I've reported on several occasions that it is rare for a free-standing DL school to receive candidacy and not go on to accreditation. I believe it has happened only twice in the last 20 or so years. (Prometheus College and the International Graduate School.) But it does happen. And even if the North Central Association grants accreditation to Northcentral University, they could require modifications to the doctoral programs that would require residency. (I'm not stating the likelihood of it, just that it could happen.)

Rich Douglas

 

Hi Rich

Thanks for the additional information. So TUI is the only 100% non-residential RA Ph.D. program? How much residiency does the The Union Institute and University require? So while TUI's original statement is incorrect they could have said, "The only 100% online RA University with non-residential Ph.D. program".

 

If what you stated is true then why cannot the Middle States reverse its decision? I am sure there is something they can do unless they *did* intend to include TUI's Ph.D. under TC accreditation. I am not an expert on accreditation procedures but I hear it is pretty rigorous and find it hard to believe that no residency for a Ph.D. was missed by the auditing committee.

Moreover, I noticed that they (Middle States) recently included TUI in their site as a branch campus.

Eli

 

I agree with you, Eli. The fact that the accreditation team was not aware that there weren't other RA 100% phds out there does not mean that TUI's RA was done by "error".
I am sure that the Middle States ware aware that TUI's PhD had no residency requirements before approving it (has this been the case the Middle Case would have rectified their decision and force TUI to make changes).

The Middle States' approving TUI just tells me that TUI's program must have satisfied the requirements necessary for RA and have additional services that compensate for their no-residency requirements.

I heard another poster stating that there are some RA schools that offer degree mill education in some of their classes. In case any suspects Touro of doing this (and I don't think there are many), let me say that (according to its students) TUI's courses are seem
to be very challenging, and there continues to be real good word of mouth about them. So one can conclude that Touro is performing well as a RA school.

-S

 

We will see what happens when Touro College's accreditation is up for renewal or reaffirmation. If TUI was erroneously included as part of Touro College, it will be definitely corrected. For now I consider TUI a fully accredited college. I just hope that Rich's statement was based on conjecture. If not, there is a big problem.

 

TUI wlll absolutely be re-accredited as long as it continues to meet the standards set by the Middle States Association.