It’s Time for an Online College Consortium

Posted on August 24, 2007 by David Gray

This recent blog post written by Steven Bell on July 20th speaks to a national problem affecting all traditional as well as online schools: how are they ranked; is the process appropriate and fair; is it of real value or is it tainted by reputational prejudices on the part of evaluators in the mainstream media who work outside of academia. Mr. Bell, by the way, is Associate University Librarian for Research and Instructional Services at Temple University. He writes a very interesting blog entitled "The Kept-Up Librarian" that you may find useful in staying abreast of college news and views. In this particular post he's advocating for an independent third-party evaluation process that would at least balance the surveys and reports being generated by the media. I, alternatively, am advocating in the online world for something that could be significantly more visible and powerful: the organization of a consortium of the nation's very best online colleges brought together to specifically define the baseline qualities of an online education of excellence.

With online colleges the issue in my opinion is most acute. Why? Because reputable, accredited colleges and universities offering legitimate, rigorous online programs and courses are having their legitimacy questioned. The legitimacy of all online education providers is put under a cloud of suspicion due to the presence of some opportunists who are exploiting the online medium for profit motives that undercut traditional educational values and ethics. I'm talking about the online degree factories and diploma mills that evaluate student readiness chiefly on a student's ability to write checks.

If we in higher education, affiliated with the best institutions, don't define the qualities and requirements of legitimate online study, we leave a void that frees others to operate without a set of standards and guidelines that students and stakeholders could use to scrutinize the various online offerings. Currently, unfortunately, it seems to me a chief criterion among many students and parents for determining an online college's standing is the amount of advertising being placed by various lesser institutions in the online world. That's fine for soft drinks, I suppose. But when it comes to a legitimate education… real degrees and credible credentials…it's time we in the business of providing legitimate programs join forces to defend and define the significant attributes and qualities of an online education.

Anyone in the online education world who shares this view is welcome to contact me directly at any time. Together, perhaps, we can build momentum for this idea of a like-minded consortium of professional educators with a shared interest in making sure online standards of quality are understood and appreciated by all.