This is part two of the FAQ on distance education, authored
by Steve Levicoff, Ph.D. It was obtained using DejaNews.
You should use DejaNews
when you want to find totally unchecked opinions on just about
any subject.
Article 13 of 14
Subject:
From:
Date: 1996/11/26
Message-Id: <19961126043800.XAA01405@ladder01.news.aol.com>
Organization: AOL http://www.aol.com
Newsgroups: alt.education.distance
X-Admin: news@aol.com
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From: Institute on Religion and Law
Bureau de Montreal
By: Steve Levicoff, Ph.D.
Respond to:
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Distance Education: The *Unofficial* FAQ
(A Periodic Posting)
Part 2 of 2
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[ Continued from Part 1 ]
14. I'm new to the distance education scene. How can I tell if
a school is credible or not?
If a school doesn't have regional accreditation, your red
flags should go up until you have substantive proof that
it's a credible institution. I use a 62-point set of
criteria to discern the credibility of both educational
institutions and professional credentialing agencies. If
you'd like a copy, drop me a note and I'll e-mail it to you.
It's a freebie, with no advertising or other bullshit
attached.
15. After looking at the whole ball of wax, I can't help
thinking that non-regionally accredited schools are a hell
of a lot cheaper than the regionally accredited schools.
Why don't I just go with one of them?
Because if you do, you will certainly deserve what you get.
Look, there are a lot of numb-nuts on this newsgroup that
think they're getting a bargain by going with an
unaccredited school to save a few bucks. But the old
saying, "You get what you pay for," holds up well here. A
legitimately accredited school may cost more now, but it
will pay off in the long run, both financially and in terms
of credibility.
For what it's worth, I have heard hundreds of horror stories
from people who have been ripped off by degree mills, and
you can be sure that when it comes to distance learning, the
degree mills far outnumber the credible schools. Remember,
if even one person can question the legitimacy of your
degrees, it's not worth it. When it comes to your
credentials, credibility is *everything*.
16. Okay, you've made your point. Now, let's get back to
constructive information. What about receiving credit based
on my experience?
Credit earned for life experience through the development of
a portfolio is fairly common at the undergraduate level, but
almost *never* acceptable at the graduate level. In other
words, an undergraduate degree may be based on previous
learning, since the theory of nontraditional education is
that it doesn't matter how you've learned what you've
learned, merely that you do, in fact, have the same level of
knowledge that a student taking an undergraduate course
would have. However, it is an accepted fact that graduate
degrees must represent *new* learning. That's an across-
the-board rule of thumb in *all* regionally accredited
programs.
Some distance education learning programs will grant only a
limited number of credits for life experience, while others
place no limitation on the amount of credit you can earn
using this method. Generally, you can maximize your credits
for life experience at any of the three state colleges
geared exclusively toward adult learners: Charter Oak State
College in Connecticut, Regents College of the University of
the State of New York, and Thomas Edison State College in
New Jersey. (As an example of how this works, I received my
own B.A. in Humanities from Thomas Edison State College by
doing 98 credits by portfolio, testing out of 16 credits,
and transferring in 6 credits for actual courses I had taken
years earlier.)
17. What's the difference between graduate programs that are
totally external from those which require some time spent in
residence?
*Most*, though not all, graduate programs that are *totally*
external tend to be degree mills. You should be aware that
the word "external" is open to interpretation. For example,
the regionally accredited Vermont College of Norwich
University advertises its M.A. program as being "external,"
although they do require a five-day colloquium in residence
and several one-day interdisciplinary seminars.
The concept of "residency" is also open. In the Ph.D.
program of The Union Institute, for example, there are 35
required residency days: a 10-day colloquium, three 5-day
seminars, and ten peer days. However, any of these may be
taken at numerous locations in the country (and, for that
matter, in other countries), so it's not as if you actually
have to schlep to Cincinnati to fulfill these requirements.
I support the concept of required residency periods at the
graduate level for two reasons. First, distance education
tends to be a "Lone Ranger" experience for many people.
With the advent of the Internet, society is becoming even
more withdrawn than before, and the in-person contact that
accompanies academic residency experiences is valuable in
many ways. Second, at the graduate level, persons are often
trained to be leaders in their fields, and residency
experiences provide both a reality check and quality control
point that will aid you in becoming the best professional
you can be. (Face it, if you had a personal problem, would
you want to be counseled by a so-called professional who
held an unaccredited degree and did his or her doctorate on
a *totally* external basis?) Moreover, I submit that anyone
who wants to avoid *all* residency experiences at the
graduate level doesn't deserve a graduate degree in the
first place, since he or she will certainly not become a
competent professional. Remember, graduate-0level
residencies mean an occasional couple of days, maybe even an
occasional week or two, at a time. They do *not* mean
entire semesters spent in residence. If you can't hack
that, you should question why you want a graduate degree in
the first place.
18. What are my options in licensure-oriented fields such as
law, psychology, and counseling?
Let's take them one by one. First, law: This is one of the
more popular areas of inquiry on the newsgroup, and the news
is not good. Forty-three states have an "ABA-only"
requirement, i.e., in order to sit for the state bar exam a
student *must* have graduated from a law school that is
approved by the American Bar Association. The ABA has made
it clear that they do not support nontraditional education;
in fact, even in the traditional environment, the ABA has
strict requirements that limit legal education to a three-
year full-time or four-year part-time process. Bottom line:
No external or nontraditional law school will qualify you to
take the bar in any state whatsoever . . . except
California. However, there are two "caveats emptor" here:
first, the California bar exam is one of the toughest in the
country, and the pass rate is very low for nontraditional
programs. Second, most states do not have a reciprocity
arrangement for graduates of unaccredited California law
schools. That means that, even if you earn your law degree
nontraditionally from a non-ABA approved school and pass the
California bar, you will not be able to practice in any
other state. For all intent and purpose, the *only* was to
become a lawyer in the state of your choice is through the
traditional route at an ABA-approved law school.
Now, psychology: In the same way that most states have an
ABA requirement, almost all states have an APA (American
Psychological Association) requirement at the *doctoral*
level. In other words, to become a licensed psychologist,
or to be allowed to sit for the psychology boards in most
states, you must hold a doctorate in psychology (either a
Ph.D. or a Psy.D.) from an APA-approved institution. The
good news is that this standard is not as firm as the
standard used for lawyers, so if you hold a doctorate from a
regionally accredited school that is *substantially* in
conformance with the APA standards (such as The Saybrook
Institute, The Union Institute, Walden University) you will
be able to sit for the psych boards. At this writing, The
Fielding Institute (in Santa Barbara, CA) is the only
nontraditional program that is approved by the APA. You
should be aware that *all* psychology doctorates have a
residency component (usually in the form of short-term or
modular residencies). If a school offers a psychology
degree but it is not even regionally accredited (examples
include LaSalle University and St. John's University, both
Louisiana degree mills), avoid it like the plague; you will
not be able to sit for the psych boards under *any*
circumstances with such a credential.
In the field of professional counseling (a field separate
from psychology, usually leading to licensure as a
professional counselor or "LPC"), there is much more of an
open attitude toward nontraditional learning. At this
writing, counselor licensure is also open to master's degree
graduates, as opposed to the doctoral requirement for the
field of psychology. You should be aware, however, that any
school offering courses designed to lead to the board exam
of the National Board for Certified Counselors (used as the
primary licensure exam in 33 states at this writing) will
have some residency component for each licensure-required
course. Best bets in this area: Liberty University
(Falwell's school in Lynchburg, VA) and Vermont College of
Norwich University. Liberty has a somewhat boring
rote/canned program, but they have met the board
requirements for the NBCC by way of being in Virginia, one
of the most tight-assed states in the nation regarding
counselor licensure; they normally have a week-long modular
requirement for each course. Vermont College of Norwich
University has a much more flexible, creative curriculum,
and each licensure-oriented component requires an intensive
weekend seminar. As with psychology, beware of degree mills
offering licensure credentials, and check carefully into the
requirements of your state *before* enrolling in a program.
19. I have some questions about specific institutions. HOw do I
find out more about them?
There are many schools about which new newsgroup readers
have specific questions. Some of the more common are
Regents University, Thomas Edison State College, and Charter
Oak College (the most well-known nontraditional programs at
the bachelor's level), as well as the numerous regionally
accredited programs at the master's and doctoral levels.
Even more common are questions about degree mills such as
LaSalle University, American Coastline, California Coast,
Kensington, Kennedy-Western, the American Institute of
Computer Science, and other schools that have been discussed
on the newsgroup.
Chances are that if you are wondering about a specific
school, it's already been covered here. Therefore, your
best starting point is to look up previous posts about the
school you want to check out. You can find these by doing a
web search at <http://www.dejanews.com>, the archival
resource for all Usenet newsgroup posts. Just use the
school name as a search term and see what has *already* been
posted in the newsgroup about them.
You will often find that there is a diversity of opinion on
the credibility of many schools. Take this as a red flag:
if the reputation of a school is controversial or open to
scrutiny, chances are that the school is not very credible
in the first place.
20. Okay, so what's my next step?
Get a book or two, write for a slew of catalogues and
program literature, and do your own research. Take your
time and make careful decisions, and don't be in too much of
a rush; the decisions you make will impact you for a
lifetime. Above all, don't take *anyone's* word as to what
is right for you - not even John Bear's, not the even the
word of half of the yahoos who post messages here
(especially the ones with the unaccredited degrees), and not
even mine. Take responsibility for your own research *and*
your own decisions so you can ensure you're making the right
moves.
21. By the way, what about the "official" FAQ for this group?
The FAQ written by Rita Laws has some useful information,
but you should be aware that of several factors. First,
Rita holds an unaccredited Ph.D. from California Coast
University (which I have classified as a degree mill).
Second, many - though not all - of the people who
contributed to the FAQ and who are acknowledged by Rita also
hold unaccredited degrees, or have been professionally
associated with degree mills. Finally, Rita lists the web
sites for several degree mills (including California Coast
University, Miami Christian University, Greenleaf
University, Greenwich University, Summit University of
Louisiana, and the University of Berkeley) - therefore, in
listing both accredited and unaccredited schools together,
use of her list as a resource tool to search for a program
becomes a big risk.
I believe that Rita's FAQ contains many errors, both in
facts and in other positions, but you should read it
nonetheless. As always, you should take neither her
positions *nor* my positions to heart, but get off your butt
and do your own research into *all* sides of the issues,
then make your own decisions as an *informed* educational
consumer.
22. By the way, who the hell are you anyway?
Glad you asked. I am, it would seem, the "instigator
emeritus" of the newsgroup, having raised hackles here on a
regular basis until I semi-retired recently to pursue other
activities. And, if you didn't want to know about my
qualifications - as you should want to know the
qualifications of *anyone* who purports to pontificate on
this newsgroup - then you would have already deemed yourself
to be a careless educational consumer. So, for
informational purposes, here, without the usual hype, is my
standard biographical sketch:
Steve Levicoff is Director of the Institute on Religion
and Law in Ambler, Pennsylvania, and has served as an
adjunct professor at Biblical Theological Seminary, the
Philadelphia College of Bible Graduate School, and The
Union Institute Graduate School. He earned three degrees
non-traditionally from regionally accredited colleges and
universities (B.A. in Humanities, Edison State College;
M.A. in Theology and Law, Norwich University; Ph.D. in
Religion and Law, The Union Institute). In addition to
articles in The Christian Century, Christian Counseling
Today, Christian Education Journal, Evangelical Journal,
and Visions Magazine, his books include "Christian
Counseling and the Law" (Moody Press, 1991), "Name It and
Frame It? New Opportunities in Adult Education and How to
Avoid Being Ripped Off by 'Christian' Degree Mills"
(Institute on Religion and Law, 4th ed., 1995), and
"Street Smarts: A Survival Guide to Personal Evangelism
and the Law" (Baker Book House, 1994), as well as
additional contributions to book anthologies.
And yes, I still like to push the edge of the First
Amendment envelope, and I'm sure that several newsgroup
readers (especially those with unaccredited degrees and
those affiliated with degree mills) will trash some of what
I have to say here. That's cool; it's better to be talked
about in vain than not at all. If you, after reading this,
have any questions, feel free to e-mail me; I'll respond as
time allows.
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Steve Levicoff, Ph.D.
76624.376@compuserve.com
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