Accreditation Is A Key In A Prosperous Online Education

If you're interested in pursuing an online degree or certificate, you have a wide variety of classes and programs from which to choose. Online offerings have been growing in numbers, enrollment and perception. These days, there are also scholarships, grants and other forms of financial aid available to help pay the tuition.

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 online college, university and technical school programs.

Online institutions can be accredited by national or regional agencies, but not all accrediting agencies are recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.  Agencies that are part of the nationally recognized Council of Regional Accrediting Commissions are. These agencies look at areas such as interactivity, trained faculty, student services and advertising as part of the accreditation process.  In October, the U.S. Department of Education reportedly published updated guidelines that add requirements, such as verifying student identities and monitoring enrollment growth.

“Diploma” or “degree mills” that allow people to buy phony credentials have posed a problem and some, such as Wisconsin State Senator Fred Risser, say the problem is increasing. He drew up a law that would put more tools in place to prosecute operations and prevent the use of fraudulent academic credentials in Wisconsin, according to a news statement from his office.  Many other states have taken similar action, the news release noted.

Others, including Congressman Timothy H. Bishop of New York, also have proposed cracking down on diploma mills, according to a January report in The Chronicle of Higher Education. The Federal Trade Commission in 2005 issued a “Facts for Business” guide to help businesses avoid hiring people with phony degrees. The guide recommended that employers check credentials and provided a list of warning signs, such as “quickie” degrees earned within a short period of time or several degrees earned in the same year, and institutions with names similar to prominent schools but located in different states. Students can find a list of accredited schools and recognized accreditation agencies on the U.S. Department of Education web site.

Up until 2006, however, federal law denied grants and loans to students attending colleges and universities with more than half of all students and programs online, a Chronicle of Higher Education article noted. The restrictions were part of what was known as a “50 Percent Rule”, established in an effort to curb the growth of fraudulent diploma mills and correspondence schools, according to a 2005 Inside Higher Education report. That problem was illustrated in 2004 when Colby Nolan, a pet cat, reportedly earned an executive MBA online for less than $400.

Colby was accepted into the online degree program after his application, filed by investigators, claimed he had taken community college classes and worked as a baby sitter, reports show. The kitty reportedly graduated with a 3.5 grade point average — and a worthless degree.  An attorney general’s office reportedly sued the company that awarded it for fraud.

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