“Online courses: How to spot a FAKE degree” plus 1 more |
| Online courses: How to spot a FAKE degree Posted: 31 Aug 2010 02:53 AM PDT Dr John Bear Earn your degree in 48 hours. Get a BBA now and earn an MBA after two years of work experience. Fully recognised! Advertisements like this are a dime a dozen in newspapers and magazines, and some of them even offer electronic delivery (wherein the degree is delivered by e-mail). Recent research has estimated that the fake degree industry is worth over Rs 12,000 crore worldwide. In case of India, the UGC maintains a list of fake universities, but it does not provide you the list of online fakes. Careers360 requested Dr John Bear, a renowned authority on online degrees, to explain how to spot a fake degree grading institution. There is no unanimity on what a degree mill is. No one denies that a 'university' operating from a mailbox service, selling diplomas to anyone, no questions asked, is a mill. But what if there were a requirement of one month of study and a 10-page thesis? Six months of study, 50 pages? Two years of study and 200 pages? Would it be still a fake university? A survey of dozens of definitions of 'degree mill' found five relevant factors in determining school legitimacy:
Thus a degree mill can be defined as an entity in which:
Click NEXT to read on... Dr John Bear is a world-renowned authority on fake online universities and can be reached at John@mac.com Photographs: Careers360 The Apostille is used to fool people in one country into thinking a fake diploma issued in another country is legitimate. The implications are significant for higher education, immigration systems (visas), and commerce (jobs, promotions, pay raises). The Apostille is simply an international notarisation or documentation. Authorities in one location certify that the signature and seal on a public document from another location is an authentic copy. The Apostille Convention makes clear that, '...the effect of an Apostille does not extend to the content of the public document to which it relates.' One can take any document to a local notary service anywhere. The notary compares the signature on the document with the signature on a passport or driver's license, and if they are the same, will stamp and seal the document. The notarised document is then submitted to a national agency which confirms that the original notarised document has a proper seal and signature, then issues the Apostille. At no point does anyone read the document. Apostilles are issued by various agencies: the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in the UK, the Department of State in the US, the Ministry of External Affairs in India, etc, and sometimes by embassies and consulates. Scores of degree mills have used the Apostille process to fool students. They type out a statement that says they are licensed, accredited, approved and internationally accepted. That statement is locally notarised, then they get the Apostille and say, for instance, 'We are fully accredited and recognised by the government of the United States, as attested in a document signed by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.' Image: Uttam Ghosh/Rediff.com Many of the warning signs are self-apparent, if one is looking for them.
Photographs: Uttam Ghosh/Rediff.com These services evaluate degrees and credentials in one country, as they may apply to further education, licensure or employment in another country. They might be asked to determine if a Brasilian 'Bacharel' is equivalent to, higher or lower than a Japanese 'advanced diploma.' While most services are reliable, there are renegade ones, established or supported by degree mills. They produce reports stating that the credential of a given mill is the equivalent of a traditional university degree. One solution is regulating such services, or forming a trade association with high standards. In the US, there is the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services to fill this need. Another possible solution could be an expansion and refinement of the Bologna Process [www.ond.vlaanderen.be/hogeronderwijs/bologna/], an affiliation of 4,000 schools in 46 European countries, that is working to develop consensus on the work required to earn various degrees, and a standardisation of degree titles. In case of India the listings are maintained by the Association of Indian Universities as well as the UGC and that of AICTE. Consumer organisations Look on lists published by other organisations A book the author and his daughter have written on earning degrees by distance learning has chapters describing unaccredited schools and degree mills. While Bears Guide to Earning Degrees by Distance Learning is out of print, many libraries have it, and more than half the text can be found online without cost at www.tinyurl.com. Photographs: Dominic Xavier/Rediff.com Telephone them Who owns the website What is at the campus address Business information There is, in law, the concept of sumptuary, or so-called victimless crimes: gambling, prostitution, pornography, drugs, and now the sale of degrees and credentials. In each case, it is a matter of supply and demand. Because some people want the product or service, others will profit by making it available to them. This has gone on for centuries, and very likely always will. The best hope of progress, however small, is to shine the light of publicity on the bad schools, the light of embarrassment on the people buying and using their degrees, and the light of knowledge on professional educators, to encourage them to defend and protect their worthy tradition. Photographs: Dominic Xavier/Rediff.com This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php | |||||
| New early childhood degree offered in 14 regions Posted: 31 Aug 2010 04:37 PM PDT
New early childhood degree offered in 14 regions across NZ Early childhood education needs well qualified and well-prepared teachers says Te Tari Puna Ora o Aotearoa / NZ Childcare Association (NZCA) Chief Executive Nancy Bell, as they ready for the launch of their new Bachelor of Teaching (Early Childhood Education) in 14 regions from Kaitaia to Dunedin. "NZCA has been an established national provider of level 7 teacher education diplomas for many years. However, teachers increasingly see a degree as the entry level to their profession. An early childhood degree brings teachers into line with their primary and secondary counterparts." "As well as including the international theory and research underpinning the field, our degree has a unique Aotearoa focus which brings Māori and Pasifika knowledge to the foreground. Students learn while they work in centres, maintaining a strong relationship between theory and practice so our graduates are highly employable" says Nancy. "All of NZCA's programmes are delivered on day-release schedule, students work four days a week and attend classes on one day with assignments completed outside of class." "ECE teachers need a qualification that is research informed if they are to stay up-to-date with the current thinking in early education. Many go on to higher degrees and we need this capability in a sector which currently serves over 180,000 children." "We are very proud to be able to offer this qualification in Kaitaia. We want to offer the opportunity for students to study face-to-face just about anywhere in the country. Students are inspired by the commitment of our organisation to high quality ECE and the feeling that together we are making a difference for young children, they find our lecturers passionate and knowledgeable and our classes supportive and welcoming." NZCA's Academic Leader for the new Bachelor of Teaching, Lesley Rameka is very impressed with the qualification, "the degree is an amazing programme that is perfectly suited to New Zealand's unique cultural landscape." Studying at one of NZCA's 14 regional teaching bases is a great way to get qualified says Nancy, "Our well appointed teaching bases offer intimate class sizes, and a welcoming supportive learning environment. Students can access library and learning resources online 24/7 via our e-learning site." "We expect to take around 300 applicants nationwide into the first year with classes starting across the country from February 2011. Competition for places will be high despite the recent ECE funding changes." Applications for the Bachelor of Teaching (ECE) open on the 1st September. For more information on applying to study in 2011, call 0800 CHILDCARE or visit www.nzca.ac.nz ENDS This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php | |||||
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