Online distance learning has gained rapid popularity with the
advent of the internet, which has proven to offer great supporting
facilities and convenience for online education. However, just like
everything else with pros and cons, the internet has also opened doors
for the widespread sale of bogus online degrees. According a report by
USA Today, there were already 400 diploma mills in the year 2003 and the
numbers are rising. In fact, many of these unscrupulous operations are
run by organizations in an industry that is worth $500 million a year.
However,
amidst the negative hype about online education, there are actually
many distance learning colleges offering valid degrees and diplomas.
These institutions do not sell bogus certificates, but actually aim to
provide quality education as alternatives for on-campus higher
education. Valid online courses with online video lectures as well as
online library facilities and test examinations conducted are often
deployed to ensure that students truly qualify in their areas of study
and graduate legitimately. Sadly though, many employers only see the
negative side of things, and easily brush off online education degrees
as equivalent to bogus degrees.
In view of the confusion, the
National Education Board of the U.S. government has authorized 6
accreditation agencies to provide institutional accreditation to
education institutions, as a measure to differentiate legitimate
universities from the crooks. This means that students choosing their
universities will be assured that these universities would have met
minimum criteria set forth by these agencies for learning institutions.
Additionally, there is also The Distance Education and Training Council
(DETC) which provides accreditation specifically for distance learning
institutions. The DETC is an accreditation agency that is recognized by
the US Department of Education and the Council for Higher Education
Accreditation (CHEA). Furthermore, there is also specialized
accreditation for specific programs of different areas of
specialization. These programs which are found to have attained
excellence will be awarded accreditation by various professional
accrediting agencies depending on the area of specialization. For
instance, the International Association for Management Education (AACSB)
gives accreditation to accounting related programs while health
programs are accredited by the American Health Information Management
Association. It is also important to know that only accreditation
agencies recognized by the Department of Education or CHEA are
considered accreditation agencies which are acknowledged.
What
does accreditation mean to a student? An institutional accreditation
agency evaluates the various aspects of universities or colleges against
minimum standard criteria to determine if the particular institution
meets their list of basic requirements and quality of education. College
accreditation is necessary to ensure that the education, facilities and
support provided by a college or university adheres to basic levels. On
the other hand, specialized accreditation evaluates excellence in
individual program regardless of which institution the program is being
delivered within. In this type of accreditation, course content and
program curricula is evaluated against pre-set standards of the
institution.
All accreditation does is to assure employers,
students and parents that the graduates who are awarded degrees from
accredited colleges have undergone quality and adequate training in
their respective areas of specialization. This also means that colleges
that are not accredited by the proper accreditation body would not have
met the standards imposed by the agencies. However, courses taken by
prospective employees that are accredited by the respective agencies
would have met standards imposed on the respective specialized areas.
It
is totally up to the judgment and decision of the employers on
evaluating the validity of an online or on-campus degree. With the
recent hike in bogus degrees, employers can't help but be stringent in
their applicant screenings and consider those with degrees that have
been accredited. This may prove tedious and sometimes employers may get
confused. Therefore, if your accreditation is provided by an agency
recognized by the US Department of Education, then you will need to
explain to your prospective employers on the background of the
accrediting bodies. This way, you can avoid employers from sidelining
your application based on something that they may be unclear about and
increase your chances of being short listed for a job interview.
