Like that if you enroll at that for-profit online university, you'll be getting a beneficial and innovative education packed with quality learning and appropriately-qualified classmates, or that you'll have good luck getting employment in your field of study after you download the pdf of your sheepskin.
My experience and The Wife's suggests that the contrary is probably the reality of the situation. At least at the for-profit school where I teach now, I know that my students are already employed in the field where they will make their careers; they have a credible chance of advancing within already-established careers so I can feel better about taking their money.
And even if The Chronicle of Higher Education says glowing things about such institutions of "higher learning" which in practice seem to demonstrate remarkable aptitude for marketing and streamlining student loan applications, but only minimal ability to engage in student and faculty selectivity, claims that the degrees being thus sold still might not be true -- and there might be some hints of financial bias on the part of the Chronicle itself.
Hat tip to eric at Edge of the American West.
My cousin-in-law is a cop that teaches a law-enforcement class at the most well-known of the online universities. His description of the environment, as well as the bits and pieces I've heard from you, have definitely caused me to revise my previous impression.
ReplyDeleteIf there's one thing I've learned over the last couple of years, it's that who you go to college with matters. Not in the sense of who you take with you, but who your classmates are going to be.