My Ashford University Experience : distance learning

Fall is just around the corner: Football, Thanksgiving, kids going back to school…

Cajun — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 07:34:00 GMT

So Fall of 2008 is just around the corner and the usual excitement that goes with that is crackling in the air. The NFL is ramping up, the BCS people are already arguing over who the next college football champ will be, the kids are looking at going to school, the Class of 2012 is beginning their freshmen year in college or high school, etc. So what about you? Have you thought about going back to school? Is there something that perhaps you started many years ago that you never had an opportunity to finish or perhaps you never even got as far as starting? Fall of 2009 will be coming up before you know it as will Fall of 2010. Time waits for no one.

I had a guy comment to me not too long ago that it’s too late for him to go back to school. He’s got 2 kids, a full time career, and an ex-wife who pesters him nonstop and he thinks that it simply takes too long and he’d be too old for it to matter by the time he finishes. Currently he’s 44 and by the time he would finish his BS he would be 48. Well I’ve got news for him, he’s going to be 48 in four years whether he finishes his BS or not. Procrastination and making excuses will not slow time nor will it suddenly excuse the necessity for a degree to get to that next level. Excuses may placate a personal drive, but likely only for a short time. Instead this is the time for starting something new, something different, a blank slate if you will. If you’ve been considering college but have been putting it off for years seriously ask yourself “why”. You may be surprised to discover that you really don’t have a good reason for doing so.

Add to:

Texas Will Now Recognize National Accrediting Agencies

Cajun — Sat, 26 Jul 2008 19:12:00 GMT

Texas made it official on 7-24-08; they will now recognize national accrediting agencies such as the DETC, ACICS, COE, etc. For those of you who are new to the whole issue here's the short and ugly of it. The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board passed a policy which stated that only degree holders with a degree issued by a school accredited by one of the 6 regional accrediting agencies will be permitted to use their credentials within the State of Texas. Believe it or not Texas passed a law making it a criminal offense to do otherwise (misdemeanor). Therefore degree holders from schools like Aspen University, Penn Foster College or Andrew Jackson University would be committing a crime by using their degree for gainful employment purposes within the State.

Texas then published a list of diploma mills and degree mills, which was woefully non-comprehensive and in some cases outright wrong as in the case where they listed California Coast University as a degree mill. Unfortunately for the credibility of the State, California Coast University was accredited by the DETC. As you may imagine this captured the attention of the DETC, various alumni of California Coast University and generally anyone who else who may be concerned and the formal protests and letters began to flow not only concerning the inappropriateness of labeling California Coast University as a degree mill, but also the inappropriateness of the policy against legal and appropriately recognized accreditation agencies and the schools they accredit.

To make a long story short, the board eventually agreed to reconvene and reconsider their stance on accreditation. Shortly thereafter, on July 24^th they agreed to recognize national accrediting agencies as well. As for how this new policy will play out in the various state licensing agencies there is still a question. For example, Texas will not permit anyone who earned a JD via a distance, regardless of accreditation, to sit for the Texas State Bar Exam to practice law in Texas. CPA's are required to have earned a minimum of half the required credit hours in accounting in a regionally accredited school's B&M classroom, butt in seat. Additionally the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement will only recognize higher education from one of the 6 regional accrediting bodies and even goes on to itemize them in their educational standards. So though Texas is not out of the woods yet, there is a light at the end of the tunnel.

http://www.thecb.state.tx.us/GeneralPubs/Agenda/Ag2008_07/IXI/default.htm

Add to:

Considering online college? Here’s a formula to choose the best one for you

Cajun — Sun, 22 Jun 2008 00:19:00 GMT

In the forums one of the most frequent questions I see is "which school is right for me" or "can you help me choose a school" or "do you know of a school" etc. The problem with answering those questions is that choosing the right school is impossible for someone to do for you. They can suggest, point you in the right direction, even offer options but ultimately it is a personal decision that you, the student has to make. After all it is you that will do the work and ultimately pay the tab.

So here's a little exercise to help you decide on choosing a school.

Write down the top 10 criteria you have for a school. For example when searching out my MBA program some of my criteria was as follow:

I.) The school needs to be regionally accredited.
II.) The MBA needed a Leadership emphasis.
III.) The curriculum needed 12 classes or less.
IV.) The program must be under $15K.
V.) The school needs to be campus based with an online program.
VI.) The school needs to have accelerated courses.
VII.) The school needs to have 1 quantitative course combined finance and accounting.
VIII.) The school needs to have a good reputation.
IX.) The school needs to have a good support program.
X.) The school needs to be AACSB or ACBSP accredited.

I then take these 10 criteria and apply a number in order of priority with "10" being the highest and "1" being the lowest. Think of it in terms of dollars, $10.00 is worth 10 times more than $1.00. Make sense?

So now let's assume my criterion was as follows:

The school needs to be regionally accredited. = 10

The MBA needed a Leadership emphasis. = 7

The curriculum needed 12 classes or less. = 6

The program must be under $15K. = 9

The school needs to be campus based with an online program. = 5

The school needs to have accelerated courses. = 8

The school needs to have 1 quantitative course combined finance and accounting. =2

The school needs to have a good reputation. = 4

The school needs to have a good support program. = 3

The school needs to be AACSB or ACBSP accredited. = 1

As you can see, in my criteria of comparing two different schools I have assigned "The school needs to be AACSB or ACBSP accredited" as the least important of the 10 and "The school needs to be regionally accredited" as the most important at "10". Of course you make your own list and assign your priorities according to your opinions and desires.

Now in comparing two different colleges, for example let's compare Ashford University and Texas A&M Commerce.

Ashford scores in:

The school had to be regionally accredited.

The MBA needed a Leadership emphasis.

The curriculum needed 12 classes or less.

The program must be under $15K.

The school needs to be campus based with an online program.

The school needs to have a good reputation.

The school needs to have a good support program.

The school needs to have accelerated courses.

The total score was: 52 at 3+4+8+5+9+6+7+10

Texas A&M Commerce scores in:

The school needs to be regionally accredited.

The MBA needed a Leadership emphasis.

The program must be under $15K.

The school needs to be campus based with an online program.

The school needs to have a good reputation.

The school needs to be AACSB or ACBSP accredited.

The total score was: 36 at 10+7+9+5+4+1

As you can see Texas A&M Commerce has some things going for it that Ashford does not as Ashford has some things going for it that Texas A&M Commerce lacks in my opinion. But in the end Ashford scores higher overall than Texas A&M Commerce does. Thus Texas A&M Commerce is eliminated from my list.

Just keep going like that until you emerge with a winner. If you end up in a tie extend your criteria to 15 or 20 things instead of just 10.

I hope that helps.

Add to:

The DETC rolls out a list of newly accredited schools

Cajun — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 04:56:00 GMT

There are five newly accredited schools for potential students to consider. Some interesting offerings are here that have not been offered before and I did a quick scan of each of these schools. See below for my quick and dirty reviews based upon price, site content and offerings.

The following institutions were accredited as of June 7, 2008:

Allied American University

Founded 2007 (2008/2011).
Associates and Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Computer Information Systems, Criminal Justice, and General Studies.

The good:

A really slick Web site
A Bachelor of General Studies (a first for a DETC school)
Free transcript evaluation however I couldn't find how many transfer credits they would accept.
Textbooks included in cost

The bad:

$250 per credit hour for an undergrad degree is pretty steep for a newcomer and DETC accredited school. There are plenty of less expensive regionally accredited offerings.

American Center for Conflict Resolution Institute

12900 Lake Avenue, Suite 003A

Lakewood, OH 44107

http://www.accri.org/

Founded 1998 (2008/2013).
Offers certificate courses in Professional Mediation and Paralegal-Legal Assistant.

The good:

Their entire program is $900.

The bad:

Easily the award winner for the "worst school seal ever" award. It's a peace symbol with writing on it.
No degree offerings, the program credit transferability is dubious.
From where I'm sitting they have a S-L-O-W Web site.
Spell it with me, an U-G-L-Y Web site. I mean really…

Perelandra College

8697-C La Mesa Boulevard, PMB 21

La Mesa, CA 91941

Web Site: http://www.perelandracollege.com/
Founded 2002 (2008/2013).
Offers Masters of Arts in Counseling and Master of Arts in Creative Writing.

The good:

The DETC may have found a rare gem here. Like Harrison Middleton, there really isn't another DETC offering with these types of programs available. The Master of Arts in Creative Writing looks positively fascinating.

The school seems very centered on ethics and a value centric curriculum which as you all know, I am all about.
The cost is $150 per credit hour for either masters degree. This may very well be the least expensive masters degree on the planet earth. Tough, tough, tough to beat.

The bad:

At this price with these offerings and values, nothing really. If you had to get nit picky though the Web site isn't as slick as it could be.

University of Atlanta

801 Executive Park Drive, Suite 204

Mobile, AL 36606 info@uofa.edu;

http://www.uofa.edu/
Founded 1991 (2008/2013).
Offers Master of Science and Bachelor of Science in Business, Social Science, Computer Science, Education and Healthcare Administration. Master of Business Administration and Executive Master of Business Administration. Concentrations in: Administration, Finance, International Business, Marketing, Human Resource Management, Management Information Systems, Computer Science, Educational Leadership and Criminal Justice.

The good:

This looks like it is going to be a big school with a lot of offerings. They are already promising no less than three, count them, three doctoral degrees.
The "University of Atlanta" has a pretty impressive sounding name that is not likely to even be given a second glance by the great majority of HR types out there screening resumes as it just sounds like a school everyone has heard of.
Super slick Web site with the exception of some of the goofy grad photos. Bravo guys…
At $350 per undergrad course and $600 per graduate course these guys offer a price point that is almost impossible to beat making the cost vs. benefit of their degree offerings ALMOST a no brainer. I can't wait to find out more about this school.

The bad:

Things could backfire for them if they jack up the prices quickly. As of now they have the former price leader Ashworth University beat with a stick so let's hope for restraint.

The school is called the "University of Atlanta" but located in Mobile, Alabama. Hmmm…that is a little odd.

Yorktown University, Inc.

4340 East Kentucky Avenue, Suite 457

Denver, CO 80246

http://www.yorktownuniversity.com/
Founded 2000 (2008/2013).
Offers Master of Arts in Government Completion Requirements.

The good:

A somewhat unique offering in the Master of Arts in Government.
An interesting newsletter which is odd for most DETC schools.
They seem to genuinely believe what they write about on their Web site, in other words, they seem committed.

The bad:

Ugly Web site, not quite as bad as the American Center for Conflict Resolution Institute, but close.
One degree offering? I suppose it beats a couple of diploma courses but odd. I suppose they intend to do one thing and one thing well?
At $250 per credit hour this is no bargain unless you must have a Government degree. At this price point there are viable regionally accredited offerings.

Well that about sums it up. Some new kids on the block for you guys to check out. I've enjoyed looking through these Web sites and I think you'll find some interesting things on them.

Add to:

So I'm Considering a Doctorate Degree

Cajun — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 20:56:00 GMT

First up, I've written about them before and I'm doing it again, but the Harrison Middleton University's College of the Humanities and Sciences has the best looking all around liberal arts doctorate programs I've seen. I love the concept of performing your research based upon readings from the Great Books, many of which have shaped our way of life in the Western World. Some of these works have influenced everyone from Marx to the framers of the United States Constitution to Einstein. I love the concept, I love the idea of the program.

The cost is very reasonable at just over $16K and of course I love the idea of being "Doctor Cajun." However there is a con, the degree seems as if it would have very little practical use as a credential in the "real world" even though the education gained from this program may prove invaluable indeed. So the inner pragmatist within me keeps shouting "something else, find something else" so I continued my search.

Found at http://www.chumsci.edu/pages/degree/doctorarts-coursework.asp

My search eventually landed me on Northcentral University's Web site. This school offers a deep law enforcement discount placing the degree program squarely within my predefined "affordable" range and the idea of a PhD soothes my inner pragmatist because of its utility in teaching and academia. I've made no secret of it; if at all possible I would love to teach college management, leadership and criminal justice courses. I am passionate on the subject matter, I am interested in the topics and because of that, I am gifted in those areas.

NCU has concentrations that are in areas of interest to me such as in Criminal Justice, Homeland Security, Homeland Security: Leadership and Policy and a strange but interesting offering in Business, Corporate and Campus Security. Holy cow!!! On top of that if I choose 18 hours in electives towards Organizational Leadership that will be added to the transcript as a secondary specialization. So it would read something like Doctor of Philosophy in Business Administration with a specialization in Criminal Justice and Organizational Leadership…not bad, eh?

Another consideration is that NCU is accredited by the ACBSP and is regionally accredited by the NCACS which would turn into a weighty teaching credential.

I'll have to start really weighing my options again. In all honesty if I could have any job on the planet, right at the top of my list somewhere would be a college professor or instructor in criminal justice, management and leadership, I've just never considered that to be a practical goal but now it looks like it could actually happen one day…maybe.

Add to: