Worrying about the validity of an online degree is something Svetlana Shkolyar is familiar with. “[I] worry that PhD admissions committees will question its legitimacy,” said Shkolyar, who is doing a master’s degree in space studies at the University of North Dakota (UND) online.
It’s an issue brought to the surface again Aug. 20, when the government of New Brunswick revoked Lansbridge University’s degree-granting status following several failed institutional reviews. Starting Dec. 31, the online university can no longer grant MBA and executive MBA degrees.
A statement on the university’s website said the closure came as a “complete surprise” and the quality of their academic programs “has never been an issue.”
New Brunswick’s minister responsible for post-secondary education, Donald Arsenault, said in a press release that the province has “an obligation to ensure that our online universities offer high-quality programs.”
“We have a number of other online universities operating in the province that offer quality programming, and, as such, we must ensure standards are upheld across the board,” Arsenault said.
Though Shkolyar admits some may question the validity of an online degree, she said it led to her current PhD career path as well as two internships with NASA. Overall, she said, her online university experience was positive.
Vicky Busch, executive director of Canadian Virtual University, a consortium of Canadian universities providing online and distance education, said while she cannot speak about Lansbridge, all public online and distance programs are required to meet the same standards as on-campus programs.
“I do not believe that any real distinction can be made between someone who has attained a master’s via distance learning or from being on campus,” said Rowen Poole, one of Shkolyar’s classmates at UND.
The difference, Poole said, is in how it meets students’ needs.
Brian Shiro said he agrees. Shiro, 32, is working on his master’s of science at UND and said he has no time for on-campus classes.
“I have to work full-time to support my family and needed the flexibility that only a distance program could provide,” Shiro said.
Rachel Bibb, 22, said she is taking online courses at the University of Maryland Baltimore County for the same reason.
“I work a full-time job in a busy hospital,” she said.“I don’t have much time to spend outside of work and the online course helped a lot with my schedule.”
“You have to be an independent learner and self-directed researcher beyond the course materials,” said Gordon Gattrelle, who is completing a space studies degree from UND. “There is a wealth of information on the Internet and you have to know where it is, how it applies and where else it leads you.”
Fortunately for Lansbridge students, it will not lead to wasted time.
Lansbridge students who were expecting to graduate in December 2010 will still get their degrees, according to the university website, but the university has to wait a year until they are eligible to apply to have their designation re-instated.