Feline Learning?
Did you hear the one about the cat that earned an MBA online?
No, it's not the latest watercooler joke, it's actually the basis behind a lawsuit filed in early December against Trinity Southern University, a front for a school run by two Texas brothers accused of selling fake degrees and prescription drugs using spam e-mail.
The "school," which offered no classes, allegedly awarded a master of business administration degree to a deputy attorney general's 6-year-old cat for $299.
You may think you have your pick of the litter with the increasing number of colleges and universities offering online degree and certificate programs, but stand forewarned. Not every school is reputable. The key when exploring elearning options is to understand accreditation and all of its intricacies.
"Schools will advertise that they're accredited, which is what everyone's looking for," says Steven Shapiro, vice president, marketing and communications, Jones International University (Englewood, Colo.). "But what does that mean?"
That's why I don't trust online, over mail programs
I think to fully live the higher learning life, you actually have to be in a school
