Wednesday, March 7, 2007

Protect Yourself From Online School Scams

Accreditation is often confusing and becoming an issue in choosing an Online University. You see they are accredited and click on the link to verify so you assume they are legitimate. WRONG! There are many online school scams out there and it is important to ask questions and research a school you are considering to enroll in. So lets start with the basics of understanding Accreditation.
Regional Accreditation
There are six regional accreditation boards: Each of the 6 geographic regions of the United States has a non-governmental, regional agency that oversees and accredits degree-granting institutions headquartered in their territories. The six regional accreditation boards are: MSA--Middle States Association; NASC--Northwest Association of Schools & Colleges; NCA--North Central Association of Colleges & Schools; NEASC--New England Association of Schools & Colleges; SACS--Southern Association of Colleges & Schools; WASC--Western Association of Schools & Colleges. Regionally accredited colleges recognize degrees and credits earned at other regionally accredited institutions as equal to their own. An example of this is: if you earn an undergraduate or bachelor’s degree at one regionally accredited college, such as the University of Maryland, it will be recognized as a valid degree for entering a graduate program later at the University of Indiana or any other regionally accredited university. A major benefit of attending a regionally accredited college is that credits or degrees earned at one regionally accredited institution are generally fully accepted in transfer by other regionally accredited colleges. Credits and degrees earned at non-regionally accredited universities are not commonly accepted in transfer by regionally accredited institutions.
Distance Learning Accreditation:
The Distance Education & Training Council (DETC) is a nationally recognized accreditation agency for colleges and schools that specialize in distance learning. The DETC, founded more than 75 years ago, accredits more than 70 home study institutions. The Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges & Schools (ACICS) is another widely recognized institutional accrediting agency.
State approved Universities or Colleges: do not confuse this with accreditation! Many states regulate private training and trade schools by putting them through a state approval process. This process is not the same as accreditation. Sometimes it simply means that a license to do business has been granted. A "state approved" distance learning college may meet your career needs; it may provide sound training, but degrees earned from unaccredited universities are not widely accepted in the academic world. Degrees earned at "state approved" colleges may not be accepted for transfer and admission at regionally accredited colleges.
Program Accreditation:
Three different agencies in the United States specialize in accrediting business schools. Among these agencies, the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools Business International (AACSB) is considered, by academics themselves, the most prestigious type of business school accreditation. If you intend to pursue a career in teaching or research in a university environment then an AACSB-accredited business degree may be a wise investment. Academic departments within universities often seek specialized accreditation for individual degree programs. Careers regulated by state licensing may require degrees that carry special programmatic accreditation. Teacher licensing boards may require degrees earned from colleges whose education schools are accredited by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE). State bar or lawyer licensing regulatory boards often require law degrees from schools accredited by the American Bar Association (ABA). To become licensed as and engineer you may have to attend an engineering degree program that is accredited by the Accrediting Board for Engineering Technology (ABET).
So how can you protect yourself, you do an internet search on online education programs and assume that since it says the number 1 choice of students on the internet that this is a great school. Think Again! To understand the placement of a search in a search engine we must talk about marketing. For a school to be successful online they must market themselves, the more ads you see the more push they are putting into their ad campaign, even make of the search for an online college sites are paid for ad placement from schools. So how can you possibly know that you are choosing the right school. Change your search strategy , type in the name of school and student complaints you might get an eye full. Check with the better business bureau but remember you will never see the full impact of student complaints.
Visit the Council for Higher Education Web Site.
If you’re considering an online university, ask the following questions before you enroll: 1. Are Your Accredited? 2. If So, By Whom? Is the accrediting agency a recognized agency? Accreditation by an unrecognized agency is a common ploy used by online diploma mills. In the United States, the Council for Higher Education is the agency that oversees legitimate accrediting agencies. CHEA maintains a directory of recognized accrediting agencies online, http://www.chea.org. 3. Understand the Type of Accreditation You Need Attend only those online colleges that hold the type of accreditation you need to advance. 4. Verify Accreditation
The BBB records consumer complaints about online degree mills. Visit the BBB online at http://www.bbb.org.
Look at the schools web site and pay close attention to the faculty list, often diploma mills pop and disappear quickly one clue to look for is:
The school’s Web site either lists no faculty or lists faculty who have attended schools accredited by bogus agencies.
The university offers online degrees almost exclusively to United States citizens but is conveniently located in a foreign country, quite often a tiny nation that lacks any system of academic accreditation. Don’t be fooled by online degree and diploma mills. Many maintain impressive web sites. All of them advertise heavily online. Look beyond flashy graphics for the name of the school’s accreditation agency. If you have a disability investigate their policies, ask questions and ask for student references yes you can do this although not all schools will comply. If you find yourself enrolled in a unfriendly environment for disabilities or run into obstacles where the college refuses to comply to accessibility standards file a complaint immediately do not hesitate. The strength of students with disabilities lies in their voice and we must use it to make a difference. We have to convince schools who operate online learning programs to comply with the law. Accommodations is not simply extending the time allocation for students to take exams and quizzes, but it is the implementation of an effective strategy that insures that the student with a disability is able to grasp the material and navigate the program successfully and it also involves advocacy often by a person who is not disabled and it is just a job to them. For additional information check out this site concerning Middle States Commission on Higher Education at http://community.elearners.com/blogs/elearnersnews/archive/2006/09/18/Scam_3A00_-Diploma-Mills.aspx and remember even accreditation does not prove a college's ability to deliver a course effectively or demonstrate how valueable the degree will be.
For assistance contact me via email if you need assistance at
Stewart.MD@gmail.com

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