Ashworth's National Transfer Network
#1
I made the mistake of trying to inform people of Ashworth's National Transfer Network at DI without knowing all of the back story on these forums. I am slowly getting caught up now.

As part of the debate I wound up with a (IMO) useful argument against RA being necessary.

I did some simple job search queries and found some empirical confirmation that academic snobbery is in academia.

"Regionally Accredited" = 3,800 Job Postings (almost entirely colleges and universities)

Out of 3.7 million job listings that is 0.1% of jobs explicitly requiring a "Regionally Accredited" degree.

The prestige argument was also rather interesting as a reason given not to go to an NA school was lack of "prestige". Yet, no one would argue any of the Big 3 or any other RA schools they frequently recommend had any "prestige".

And apparently having New Mexico Junior College on my resume as opposed to Ashworth College will make the employers swoon, as it obvious projects educational excellence of the highest caliber being RA.

Finally they pimp StraighterLine, which I have no problem with except for their hypocrisy of it being an unaccredited, for-profit corporation that does not offer financial aid.

Almost forgot, when you need to figure out which schools take NA credits you are just supposed to use Google and people who don't like to use government bureaucracies to do their own financial aid are lazy. If you argue with this "advice" you do not belong in college.
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#2
Welcome to the non-toelicker board, Poptech.  I did read that thread over there and was not at all surprised to see how a new poster was set upon by the usual asshole swarm just for making a legit point.  New names, same old degenerate style.

Also noticed that Steve "Deadbeat Dad" Foerster mentioned that CHEA had dropped the ball on HETA, which also was an important point that seemed to be overlooked in the ensuing clusterfuck.  By making transfer credit difficult the higher ed cartel effectively exploits students by discouraging price shopping.

The vast majority of those few organizations mandating a "regionally accredited" degree either have no idea what they are talking about or otherwise are using the term as a generic synonym for a "legit" (i.e., not diploma mill) degree.   The RA cartel certainly would like the sheep to believe that "the RA label" was a mark of quality, and not a tool of power, control, centralization and coercion.
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#3
(02-11-2015, 02:05 PM)Armando Ramos Wrote: By making transfer credit difficult the higher ed cartel effectively exploits students by discouraging price shopping.

Exactly, who is going to protect the paychecks of academia when they actually have to earn their money by teaching classes that produce real results for a price students can afford?

The irony here is how similar RA argumentation is to the climate change debate, I recognized the same appeals to authority, circular logic and unsubstantiated fear-mongering. This is a shame because from my research DE/DL can be a big part of the solution to skyrocketing high education costs (that and abolishing federal student aid). Even with all the government red-tape and RA misinformation out there I like the options I see with some of these NA schools.

(02-11-2015, 02:05 PM)Armando Ramos Wrote: The vast majority of those few organizations mandating a "regionally accredited" degree either have no idea what they are talking about or otherwise are using the term as a generic synonym for a "legit" (i.e., not diploma mill) degree.   The RA cartel certainly would like the sheep to believe that "the RA label" was a mark of quality, and not a tool of power, control, centralization and coercion.

They are definitely using the implied fear-mongering of "RA or it's a diploma mill" no matter how many minor concessions to NA they try to throw out but these only happen when they are challenged. They also prey on those prone to peer-pressure and want to be part of their group who always have to add cavaets to any defense of NA there.

The key I believe is to use things like NA and the USDOE against them to make them answer questions they cannot answer such as,

Why would an employer not believe a degree is legitimate when the U.S. Department of Education recognizes the school as accredited?

They have no where to go and fall back into circular reasoning.
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#4
(02-11-2015, 02:42 PM)Poptech Wrote: ...DE/DL can be a big part of the solution to skyrocketing high education costs (that and abolishing federal student aid). Even with all the government red-tape and RA misinformation out there I like the options I see with some of these NA schools.

Great point, Poptech.  When the government is "loaning" $20,500 a year in taxpayer money for tuition, it's no surprise that tuition suddenly shoots up to right about $20,500 a year damn near everywhere.  That pretty much renders moot one of the DETC/DEAC and similar schools' strong selling points--cheaper tuition.  When you don't have to pay it back right away (or ever, if Obama has his way) it doesn't really matter how much tuition is nominally, because to you it's free.  On the other hand, if you are paying out of pocket, price becomes an immediate and significant concern.  Without "free money," when you weigh the dubious intrinsic value of RA against a less pricey but otherwise equal education offered by NA, NA would win with most people who can count.
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#5
For years John Bear and the gang screamed accredited-accredited-accredited. Then, guess what? That's not good enough. It has to be RA. Ok, then it became any RA degree/school will do. They are all the same, just so it's RA. But as we all know it's not the same. Does anyone seriously believe that Harvard, MIT, Princeton, Yale, means the same as UOP/and others of the same gender. Take the lesser level RA schools and try to get hired as a professor at the Big Boys party.

Obviously the reason they say RA is RA is because they got degrees that were easier/cheaper/quicker. The very things they accuse others of. Bottom feeder RA schools compete with the DEAC and other national accreditors. My belief is that for pure learning, the DEAC schools are better. Are they accepted better than the bottom crust of the RA's ? I don't know. I doubt it. I can just imagine applying for a position at any of the large state run colleges with all RA bottom feeders. But as Bear would say, If it's RA that's all that matters. That's not what many are saying about UOP/TESC/NC, and others like them. They seem to think they have been sold a bag of CRAP. Could be. My thoughts would run along these lines. RA, at the bottom end is usable if you have other things to bring to the table, experience-skills-smarts-willingness to move about. The same skills that make DEAC schools usable.

I have three DEAC/NHCS accredited degrees and two unaccredited degrees. According to the gang I'm one of the untouchables, and yet I have lived worked and my life has been just fine. Not one employer ever challenged any of my listed schools. I once got an accredited school to accept my unaccredited credits into their program. That according to the gang can't be done, but I did it. Many others have done much the same. The gang repeats what they want to be true, wish to be true, pray to be true. In reality, they, like Bear, don't know. They never tried doing what they (THINK ) can't be done. Many things can be done if you try.
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