Journal of Online Education

The Journal of Online Education is published by Global Academy Online, celebrating its 12th year as an institutional online and hybrid university builder. Publication is random. New posts are boldly noted on the Academy's website at www.GlobalAcademyOnline.com the day the Journal is posted online. The Academy was organized and developed by the education, research, and training center, CEFE.org, the Center for Entrepreneurship, Ethics, and Free Enterprise. The Center is also the founder and co-sponsor of the global humanitarian outreach,The Billion Dollar Project, an international philanthropic organization using online technology to expunge and eliminate ignorance, hunger and poverty in the world.

Tuesday, June 19, 2012

100 Marginal Online Colleges and Growing

According to the 2012 edition of The BestWorst Online Degree Program Providers100 accredited online college providers are marginal at best. They offer little academic rigor and virtually no chance of transfer to a top tier university for an advanced degree.

Each of these marginal online schools offer degree programs rated a number One (1) on a One (1) to Five  (5) rating scale. Top rated schools can achieve the highest rating of number Five (5). Almost 25% of the almost 400 schools currently rated and ranked are found in the poorest category.



st list has grown over the years. Marginal online programs of universities attract many non-traditional students returning to school and in a hurry for a degree. They throw caution to the wind and will opt to take what they think is the easy road. They want to achieve satisfaction but insist on a school that seems both easy and “accredited”.

Most number (1) schools are really academically poor. In addition to their rating, they have one other thing in common and that is a marginal and poorly trained faculty. Online faculty, according to top online schools, should be every bit as good as traditional faculty lecturing in a classroom and carry equal or better credentials. It appears the current crop of online marginal colleges is just throwing together faculty and degree programs left and right. The motive, it seems clear to critics, is to keep up and get in on the cash bonanza bandwagon they perceive is ahead.


The biggest marginalized players in the Online Degree provider game are those universities that really stand out. Students dedicated to getting a college education who have investigated the scene know exactly who they are and avoid them. One of the sad commentaries about the marginal schools is that many potential learners are in a hurry for a degree and throw caution to the wind. They do not investigate and fall victim to false promises of success and job success. They will opt to take what they think is the easy road to achieve their education goal.


Questionable colleges are lying in wait and laying the trap for unsuspecting students that cannot see whether the target institution is or is not a degree mill or a quality online provider. Often, by the time an unsuspecting learner has caught on to the scam being blinded by the promise of a quick and easy road to an accredited degree, it’s too late.


The BestWorst Online Degree Program Providers is published with new updates annually. The eBook is a free download from several online sources. It weighs ratings heavily on the quality and experience of each university’s teaching  faculty.
____________________



Dr. Fred DiUlus - author, educator, and online education pioneer is the father of online college ratings and rankings, He is the volunteer  Director and CEFE Fellow at the Center for Ethics in Free Enterprise and the CEO and Dean of Global Academy Online, Inc., online university builders.