02-03-2010, 10:36 AM
They just added three new members. Who knew it even existed?
Sounds like a great idea, consistent with what some here have suggested in the past relative to securities-like disclosure for degree programs.
You have "Lemon Laws" for car dealers to protect the public, you have inch-thick prospectuses for franchises and investments, but you have no disclosure whatsoever for the expensive and ethereal RA gold standard that actually measures nothing.
Interesting that it's the DL schools voluntarily taking this step toward transparency. Forward thinking in one area, forward thinking in others.
Three More Colleges Join Major Distance Learning Transparency Initiative
Sounds like a great idea, consistent with what some here have suggested in the past relative to securities-like disclosure for degree programs.
You have "Lemon Laws" for car dealers to protect the public, you have inch-thick prospectuses for franchises and investments, but you have no disclosure whatsoever for the expensive and ethereal RA gold standard that actually measures nothing.
Interesting that it's the DL schools voluntarily taking this step toward transparency. Forward thinking in one area, forward thinking in others.
Three More Colleges Join Major Distance Learning Transparency Initiative
Quote:BOULDER, Colo., Jan. 20 /PRNewswire/ -- College Choices for Adults, a website dedicated to providing adult learners with unique information to accelerate and better inform their college selection process, announces publication of data for three additional providers. Ashford University, Nazarene Bible College, and University of the Rockies join the 13 Transparency by Design charter institutions, which already publish information about their program-level learning outcomes, outcome metrics and how students perform against these measures.
"The concept of transparency is very attractive to us and consistent with our university's educational philosophy," said Ashford University President Jane McAuliffe. "This partnership raises the bar and takes us all to new levels of accountability."
David M. Phillips, Vice President for Online Academic Services of Nazarene Bible College concurred: "Thorough disclosure is a key differentiator in an increasingly competitive marketplace. This site represents part of a positive trend in higher education."
The website (www.collegechoicesforadults.org) continues to evolve, most recently with expanded search capabilities accompanying publication of new member institution data. Future updates will provide adult learners with access to student satisfaction ratings, progress rate, and additional school- and program-specific data.
"Our presence on College Choices for Adults enables potential students to make more informed decisions about their higher education experience," said University of the Rockies President Charlita Shelton.
The Transparency by Design initiative, which resulted in the College Choices for Adults website, was born out of the President's Forum, a consortium of both traditional and non-traditional institutions sharing information about successful operation in an online environment. WCET (formerly the Western Cooperative for Educational Telecommunications), a division of the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE), was chosen to provide quality assurance on the standards of data reporting jointly developed by the charter institutions of the Transparency by Design initiative.
"The name says it all," comments Russ Poulin, Project Director of Transparency by Design and Associate Director of WCET. "College Choices for Adults is about helping prospective students to understand their options. We are very excited that our new partners have committed to empowering adult learners with information, and we look forward to growing an even larger transparency-focused coalition."
Transparency by Design is funded by a grant from Lumina Foundation for Education and by annual dues from each of the member institutions. Members of the initiative are: American InterContinental University Online, American Public University System, Ashford University, Capella University, Charter Oak State College, Colorado Technical University, Excelsior College, Franklin University, Kaplan University, Nazarene Bible College, Regis University, Rio Salado College, Southwestern College Professional Studies, Union Institute and University, University of the Rockies and Western Governors University. New data from member institutions is regularly added to the College Choices for Adults website. ...