Will the Ivy League schools make it through the on-line education scams?

[TM99]

11. Misinformation

Yes, I get that many, including myself, are upset about how private institutions (and state ones for that matter) are more concerned with money than with education these days. And don't get me started on the private banks and the student loan scandal of our time.

However, with that said, the University of Phoenix is an accredited institution that offers legitimate online and offline courses and degrees. It is not a diploma mill.

My undergraduate degree was from a small private liberal arts college on the US News & World Reports top schools. I then got my first Masters at an Ivy League institution. A few years after that I earned two degrees from the University of Phoenix, one in clinical mental health counseling and the other an MBA with a concentration in entrepreneurship. I went straight into an excellent state university's Doctoral program in psychology where I finished my professional training. I have also done several online programs with certs in various subjects including electronics and computer programming.

The University of Phoenix was, at the time I did my studies, the only stand-alone terminal Masters at a private institution with CACREP accreditation which it has maintained in good standing to the present day. I was able to start a private practice in psychotherapy with that degree well before finishing a Doctorate. That gave me an opportunity to start supervision in the therapeutic schools that normally would have required waiting until I had finished my Doctorate.

I had bad teachers and good teachers at all of these institutions. I ran into good and bad administrative decisions as well at all of these institutions. Each had their strengths and their weakness. For someone as self-motivated as I have always been, the adult education model at the UoP was ideal for me while I worked and played gigs.

Other than correcting this bit of misinformation, I agree with the bulk of your response. The key to a good education is solely with the student. Online education can be excellent but it does depend upon the student's learning style. Are they self-directed? Do they mind not having actual face-to-face contact? If they intend to go further with graduate or post-graduate work, they have to make sure that their online program is regionally accredited by the DOE.

Coursera is excellent. Have you also checked out The Saylor Foundation? It is completely open-source material with full 'majors' in various subjects. Check it out.