Online Education Success Due To Accreditation

Online degree and certificate programs have come a long way since Colby Nolan

, an actual cat, earned an executive MBA. The option of online master have grown substantially in numbers and enrollment. There are also many grants, scholarships and loans these days to help pay for them.

This money is available largely because of accreditation, a 2001 report from the American Council on Education Center for Policy Analysis and EDUCAUSE suggests. The federal government, which is considered the largest source of financial aid in the country, looks upon accreditation as a sign that colleges, universities and technical schools offer students a quality education that merits financial aid, according to the Council on Education-EDUCAUSE report. A U.S. Department of Education pilot program years ago apparently helped the government to realize the potential of scholarships for single mothers and technical school programs.

There's a delicate balance in accreditation, self-regulating colleges and universities and providing money for college programs, the Council on Education-EDUCAUSE report cited. Most important in the balance is that the government accepts programs and that accreditation confirms a quality higher education, according to the report. Agencies that are part of the nationally recognized Council of Regional Accrediting Commissions accredit online institutions based on areas such as having trained faculty, offering interactive programs and classes, providing students with access to services and ensuring that advertising is accurate, with necessary program information provided. The U.S. Department of Education in October reportedly published updated accreditation guidelines that include additional requirements such as verifying student identities and keeping track of enrollment growth.

Officials have been taking measures toward stopping "diploma" or "degree mills" that allow people to buy phony credentials. Wisconsin State Senator Fred Risser, who's among them, says the problem with diploma and degree mills is increasing. Risser crafted a Wisconsin law intended to prosecute these operations and prevent the use of fraudulent academic credentials, according to a news statement from his office. Many other states, according to Risser's office, have taken similar action.

On the national level, Congressman Timothy H. Bishop of New York has proposed cracking down on diploma mills, a January report in The Chronicle of Higher Education noted. As early as 2005, the Federal Trade Commission released a guide that, among other things, recommended employers check credentials as a means of avoiding hiring job candidates with bogus degrees. The Department of Education offers a list of accredited schools and recognized agencies on its web site, making it easier for students and employers to refer to these institutions.

Even with accreditation procedures for online institutions in place, students as late as 2006 might have been hard-pressed to find government grants and loans for some online programs. The law until that time denied grants and loans to students attending institutions where more than half of all students and programs were online, according to a Chronicle of Higher Education report. The restrictions, part of what was known as a "50 Percent Rule", were created in 1972 as a means of curbing the rapid growth of fraudulent diploma mills and correspondence schools, a 2005 Inside Higher Education report noted.

Colby, a pet cat, was accepted into the online degree program after investigators filed an application claiming he had taken community college classes and worked as a baby sitter, reports show. The feline reportedly achieved a 3.5 grade point average, and earned a worthless degree. An attorney general's office sued the company that awarded it for fraud.

by: Natasha Bright

POST COMMENT

Obtaining Your Degree Through Online Education Continuing Education With Career Training Culinary Arts Schools Offer Many Options To Their Students Become A Pilates Instructor Through Pilates Teacher Training Schools In Oakland Pride Themselves Of Well-deserved Popularity These Are The Things About Children Education And Major Purchases 4 Money-saving Tips For Back-to-school Shopping Floors For Schools And Kindergartens Leading American Schools For The Scholars And Undergraduates Sikkim Manipal University-distance Education: A Family Of Over 1.77 Lakh Students Education Is Top Priority: Obama Grants For Mothers Free Grants For College Education Why A College Education Is Essential