Will Thomas Edison accept DETC credits...?

Discussion in 'Accreditation Discussions (RA, DETC, state approva' started by LJinPA, Dec 15, 2004.

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  1. Kirkland

    Kirkland Member

    It looks as if everyone who has posted on this thread is essentially correct, just looking at the issue from their perspective.

    To sum:
    - DETC transfer credits are not accepted everywhere (not unlike the Discovery Card)
    - RA is about quality, but also big business and protection
    - RA vs NA seems to violate CHEA and DOE principles. There are no stated rankings in recognized accreditation. You are either recognized by the DOE and CHEA or you are not. Theoretically, they are equal (DETC has posted some interesting words to that effect). Versatility on the other hand is another matter and differences do exist.
     
  2. Bill Huffman

    Bill Huffman Well-Known Member

    Protection can mean a number of things here. In the past it has been argued that RA is trying to protect their monopoly against NA. Look at the percentage of students with RA versus NA degrees. The number of NA is such a miniscual percentage of the total graduates I can't believe that it more than rarely enters the mind of RA administrators. There's far far more competition between different RA schools than RA versus NA. Generally the RA schools are in a totally different league from the NA schools.
     
  3. tcnixon

    tcnixon Active Member

    Your mind may or may not be sound :) , but you are reading an older article. Since it was written, life has gone on, the world has changed, and, yes, it is no longer 100% true.

    That being said, it is a very rare occurrance.



    Tom Nixon
     
  4. Kirkland

    Kirkland Member

    I would shorten your statement to: "RA is trying to protect their monopoly." period. NA is just one of the great unwashed on the other side of the fence.
     
  5. Bill Huffman

    Bill Huffman Well-Known Member

    Does "RA monopoly" mean to you that they wish to exclude NA because of competition for students or do you mean protecting the academic standard and quality of higher education within the USA?
     
  6. Kirkland

    Kirkland Member

    There is no question that the major and most respected US universities are RA and that post-secondary education is a major industry. Participant institutions within this industry maintain their stock in trade through reputation and recognition. In order to function optimally, accreditation is a necessity for recognition along with institutional performance (educational quality and output) within the market. This system requires significant investment. Competitiveness suggests that the controller (i.e. accreditor) and those who participate and invest to maintain a position within this system (or any trade system for that matter) tend to protect that position and investment by limiting ingress by non-members and fraternization with competitive or non-member systems/related institutions.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Dec 25, 2004
  7. Kit

    Kit New Member

    Regardless of any individual's position on RA vs. NA or even the reality that RA does afford more utility, there's still a factor missing. The increased utility of RA is directly related to the assumption that RA always = quality education. Assumptions can ignore reality, this one is no exception. Consider the "SEE" (Success Equals Effort) programs, stated or otherwise, at colleges that have full RA accreditation:

    Benedict College's SEE program:
    http://www.capmag.com/article.asp?ID=3967

    In Benedict College's defense, at least they admit to their SEE policy. It's just as common elsewhere, the difference is that others aren't so open in admitting they're doing it too. To wit:

    National trends in grade inflation:
    http://www.gradeinflation.com/

    Grade inflation at Harvard University, a Harvard professor's perspective:
    http://chronicle.com/free/v47/i30/30b02401.htm

    The Carnegie Foundation:
    http://www.carnegiefoundation.org/perspectives/perspectives2004.June.htm

    I personally know a professor at one of the prestigious RA universities mentioned in the 'national trends' link who wasn't fired, but was reprimanded after giving two students the failing grades they so richly deserved. They legitimately failed her class, and as it was a hard science class there was little room for subjective judgement in grading. These two weren't students who worked hard but struggled with the material, they were students who hardly worked and were arrogant about it to boot. One of the two was caught cheating on the final, caught red-handed by the professor. Apparently cheating doesn't matter anymore either. The professor in question (for obvious reasons I won't name her or her university, so don't ask) was shocked when informed that those two filed complaints rather than hang their heads in shame and re-take the class. (They weren't the only two who failed, just the only two who complained.) She was even more shocked when she was officially reprimanded and told she would be required to pass them both. The only other choice she was given was unpaid suspension until further investigation. This was done even though it was the first time any student complaints had ever been filed against this professor. I really cannot reveal any more than that but in the case of those two students, suffice it to say it was all about money and "saving face". It certainly had nothing to do with quality in education or accreditation.

    Kit
     

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