By Susan Smith Nash, Ph.D.
Members of the military who enlisted, in part, to pay for
college, are facing very challenging times as they attempt to take advantage of
their benefits.
First, for active duty military professionals, there are
fewer education officers and counselors working on the major bases. Further, the military has moved toward fully
online processes, from initial program information to registration and access to
the colleges and universities.
Next, the degrees, courses, and program listings can be very
confusing. The market is a crowded one
these days, and instead of two or three colleges who offer courses on base or
via correspondence or online delivery methods, there are dozens of institutions
vying for the military tuition assistance dollar. Their programs are often quite similar, which
makes it difficult to differentiate between them except on the basis of cost
and convenience, unless of course, they have a recognized name.
However, things are not always as they seem in terms of
colleges and universities. How many
soldiers choose the University of Maryland University College because they
think it is the same as the University
of Maryland - College Park?
True, the University of Maryland University College (UMUC) is part of
the same state university system, but it is an entirely separate entity. Similarly, the University
of Wisconsin - Oshkosh
is not the same as the University of Wisconsin - Madison. To continue with this theme, all of the State
University of New York locations are separate entities. One branch or location may not have the same
ranking as others, which could be a factor when applying to graduate school.
Along the same lines, but with potentially more impact, is
the issue of accreditation. Tuition
assistance can be used toward nationally as well as regionally accredited
institutions. Great care and caution
must be exercised here because standards vary widely and some are held in
higher esteem than others, even though tuition assistance can be used to pay
for an education at nationally as well as regionally accredited institutions of
higher education. For example, the
Distance Education and Training Council (DETC) has very rigorous review
processes. Colleges must pass not only
program review, but a review of records, support services, financial aid,
instruction, career counseling, advising, etc.
National accreditation is very likely to rise in
prestige. At this point in time,
however, the subject is very controversial.
Traditional, regionally accredited colleges often look at DETC
institutions as having an unfair advantage because they have not made the
investment in facilities, permanent faculty, research, etc. that the regionally
accredited institutions have made. The
fact that some nationally accredited institutions (and even some regionally
accredited ones) are for-profit and publicly traded corporations bothers a
number of college administrators in not-for-profit institutions. They believe that it is just too easy to compromise
quality in pursuit of profits. Colleges
that are supported by state funds or earnings from endowments are considered to
be more "pure" and their mission and vision tend to be more
idealistic.
Again, however, appearances deceive and things are not
always so straightforward. Many colleges
and universities have roots in a religious group or denomination of a
church. While some are fairly secular
(Southern Methodist University (SMU) comes to mind), others are not, and their
curriculum and code of conduct is informed by the precepts of the sponsoring
organization. Most of the time, this
makes no difference to the student, but some may not feel comfortable in
participating in online discussion groups, or may feel their intellectual
freedom is being hampered.
Perhaps one of the biggest dangers of choice is the
possibility of accumulating numerous hours of credit and using up all of one's
tuition assistance benefits without actually ever graduating. With more choices, this is more likely than
ever. The menu is attractive, the
choices appealing, but the problem is that not all colleges and universities
will accept all transfer credits. Many
military students have found themselves in the situation of having to retake
courses at their own expense in order to satisfy residency requirements.
Typically, students will take courses they can while on
base, either through weekend or intensive night courses. Then, they will take CLEP, DANTES, or
Excelsior exams to earn college credit.
However, when they are at a point when they'd like to graduate, they
find that their home college or university will not accept the credits. However, not all is lost. There exist a few regionally accredited
colleges that will take a large number of transfer credit hours. For example, Excelsior
College (Albany, NY),
will accept up to 100% credit earned through tests, ACE-approved military
education, and transfer courses from approved institutions. Charter Oak and Thomas Edison (NJ) will also
accept significant numbers of hours.
They will also accept portfolios and experiential learning.
Colleges with generous transfer policies have been
lifesavers for frustrated military eLearners who have taken courses how and
wherever they can. The guidance,
rigorous review, and professional academic advising by masters degree-prepared
staff adds integrity to the process.
Nevertheless, unscrupulous imitators abound. Military eLearners must be cautious when
approached by entities that claim to be able to award an instant degree based
on the student's combined experiential learning, military experience, and any /
all training and college courses. It is
important to check accreditation, as well as the name of the institution, which
could be a "sound-alike" or "look-alike" rather than the
real thing.
The Department of Defense is launching numerous initiatives
to put a stop to unethical high-pressure sales tactics, financial aid scams,
and other negative dealings. The DoD is
developing a list of unacceptable behaviors that characterize overly aggressive
outreach and marketing. Colleges and
universities are held to high standards and should not engage in deceptive
practices, high-pressure sales, spam, e-mail assaults, personal information
gathering, predatory financial aid with hidden fees, or automatic enrollment
practices.
While the landscape is changing rapidly, the reality is that
more options and opportunities exist than before. If the military eLearner takes the time to
carefully read through the information, analyze options, there exists a high
likelihood of finding a good match between interests, objectives, and education
programs.
[Listen to the companion podcast at:
http://community.elearners.com/blogs/inside_elearning/attachment/432.ashx - 8.30 MB]