What an Ivy League Phd thinks of us

[malcs]

Exactly!

Some people forget that education can be thought about in the same ROI (Return on Investment) terms as any business decision. The same people send their kids to expensive schools rather than state schools when they know that they can't affort it. They give me a dumb look when I tell them that my kids have a choice of any state school, and that I am not paying for a private school or letting them take loans out for $100k.

In most cases, getting your degree with the methods that we are using gives the highest ROI of any method. You spend less time, and less money, and get similar results.

I have a friend who is the head of a department in a southern university (Phd), and he was complaining to me that his school is missing the extra revenue that they would be getting if they had an online service. He feels that all courses that don't require student-teacher interaction could be tought this way.

Many universities use the "lecture hall" concept. 100 people jammed into an auditorium to hear someone recite from a textbook, often with an incomprehensible accent, with no chance of student interaction. I contend that any course offered in such a way is equally suited for distance learning.

Some types of courses are better tought in classrooms because they do require large amounts of equipment and interaction. The rest can be tought using a variety of venues and methods.

I often use the name Excelsior-SUNY Regents for my degree. I wish that EC did not pick the name Excelsior, it just sounds a bit like a degree mill. That being said, I will gladly describe the amount of work that I put into this degree, and the fact that EC has regional accreditation and very strict rules, to anyone who challenges me on it.

One other important thing....
Distant learners are not usually going to school on their parent's dime. They are paying their own way, and interleaving education with work and family obligations. When I look at a resume of a prospective employee, there is nothing that turns me off more than seeing someone who spent 12 years going to school to get a Phd that should have been completed in 7 years. I always think, " So, you spent 12 years of time, and 12 years of your parent's money before you entered the job world? Nice gig if you can get it!".