We are always open to new s***estions!

Hi Kyle -

What might be a good idea is access to a database, where you could look up availability of distance programs, by subject and degree level.

I think Tedmeister (Ted Heiks) might have access to such an animal, as in other forums, I've known people to ask a question like "Where can I go for an RA Distance Master's in Psychology for $X or less?" Ted has often replied with a very complete listing with a high degree of detail, so I'm presuming he knows where you could find such a database or or how you'd start one.

I think if we made a database for Degree.net, it should be as international as possible.

Cheers

Johann

Most of my lists I compose from printed guides such as John Bear's _Bears' Guide to Earning Degrees by Distance Learning_ (and various predecessor titles), Marcie Thorson's _Campus-Free College Degrees_, Matthew & April Helm's _Get Your Degree Online_, as well as the old standby bricks & mortar guides who eventually developed distance learning guides, such as _Barron's Guide to Distance Learning_ and _Peterson's Guide to Distance Learning Programs_. Of computerized databases of distance learning programs, the Arts and Sciences Away Page www.freewebs.com/dlasap and Jonnie's Distance Learning Page http://www.geocities.com/SiliconVall.../2386/distance are excellent resources. And then there are the occasional distance learning programs that I accidentally stumble upon myself while surfing the Net. Naturally, most of the distance learning discussion boards have their own searchable databases.

I'm wondering whether a degree database or a degree wiki would be better. Degree wikis are easier to add to, but you run the risk that they will deteriorate into a trash-fest for people who think such-and-such school is too expensive or who don't like nationally accredited schools.

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Theodore Lamar Heiks
BA, History/Political Science, Western State College of Colorado, 1984
MBA, Entrepreneurship, City University of Seattle, 1992
MBA, Marketing, City University of Seattle, 1993

As far as listings of UK and other foreign dissertation-only docs, Bears' Guide is by far the best.

__________________
Theodore Lamar Heiks
BA, History/Political Science, Western State College of Colorado, 1984
MBA, Entrepreneurship, City University of Seattle, 1992
MBA, Marketing, City University of Seattle, 1993

Hi -

I think Ted said it well, when he mentioned WIKI's could become a trash-fest. For that reason, I think a searchable database would be preferable.

On an international note, as Ted says, Bear's Guide may very well be the best for foreign dissertation-only doctorates.

However, I was thinking of a database of international programs at ALL degree levels - Associates in the few countries outside the U.S where these exist, British "foundation degrees" (which are kind of like Associates) then Bachelors and on-up...

Johann

Sure, by all means.

__________________
Theodore Lamar Heiks
BA, History/Political Science, Western State College of Colorado, 1984
MBA, Entrepreneurship, City University of Seattle, 1992
MBA, Marketing, City University of Seattle, 1993

Is there a way that this thing could be constructed such that ordinary members could contribute straight factual information for various search fields (school name, website, degree titles/majors/concentrations, tuition, accreditation, last updated, etc.) and then the mods convert all this into a searchable database, with the degree listing for such-and-such degree having a clickable function for "add new school"?

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Theodore Lamar Heiks
BA, History/Political Science, Western State College of Colorado, 1984
MBA, Entrepreneurship, City University of Seattle, 1992
MBA, Marketing, City University of Seattle, 1993

Hi

That sounds fine, but do we maintain a division between

(1) Schools with known/approved accreditation,

(2) Those without any, and

(3) Those like SPUNI, Ansted, Revans and the like - the type of school that claims to be "accredited" by one or more unrecognized outfits: e.g. USDETC (not DETC), Central States Consortium, WOEAC, USDLA/DLAB, IDLAA, REDAC, BOUA, WAUC, UCOEA, The Merry WIDU etc.?

If there's a space for umm--"schools" accredited by these third-tier orgs, then people need to be warned!

Is there any way to prevent the good-list, the mill-list, the shill-list (and possibly worse-list!) being one huge bungle, jumble and/or jungle?

"It's a jungle out there
Some times I wonder
How I keep from goin' under"

(Grand Master Flash)

Johann

Gosh! When I s***ested a field for accreditation, I was thinking of US-based USDOE and/or CHEA approved national accreditors, regional accreditors, and professional accreditors and foreign GAAP-equivalent accreditors. There is probably some space for unaccredited schools provided it is duly noted that they are not accredited by any recognized accrediting agency. Examples of unaccredited schools with some utility would include California-approived law schools (which qualify you to take the Bar Exam) and California-approved PsyD programs (which qualify you to take the professional licensure exam in psychology). What to do with the other unaccredited schools and the outright mills is the moderators' call, but whatever they would do, I hope they take into consideration how their decision will impact the credibility of the proposed degree search engine/database.

__________________
Theodore Lamar Heiks
BA, History/Political Science, Western State College of Colorado, 1984
MBA, Entrepreneurship, City University of Seattle, 1992
MBA, Marketing, City University of Seattle, 1993

Hi, Tedmeister -

I'm sure your plan was to include only bona-fide schools BUT - look at the TRAFFIC we get here - people who ask ONLY about bad schools - like the 8-page thread on Ansted --and we still can't convince the guy! They'd be ADDING the bad schools hourly if we let them!

Can we really expect the moderator to weed the crap schools/accreditors out? Well, maybe we can, if it's ShotoJuku! Still, it's quite a job and certain members will likely be ticked off...

Wait a minute -- maybe then the ticked-off contingent will depart! Yeah, let the moderators decide! If they do it right, we get rid of some pests! If they're wrong, we've got somebody to blame!!

Johann