Congressional budget bills are rarely ever exciting. In fact,
just writing that made us yawn. But one of their latest may have
just boldly ushered in a new era of higher education ““ though
we’re not sure it’s for the best.
The bill in question, the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005,
contains a clause that kills the so-called 50 percent rule, which
prevents a college that enrolls more than 50 percent of its
students at a distance or provides more than half its courses
through distance-learning from receiving federal financial aid.
Congress’ action means that universities which are mostly
or entirely based on the Internet will now have access to the same
federal aid other universities do. The 50 percent rule was instated
in 1992 to protect against education fraud and diploma mills that
offer bogus degrees.
The vast majority of Internet-based universities are for-profit
institutions owned by billion-dollar conglomerates that offer
degrees in everything from marketing to carpentry. While their
degrees rarely carry the prestige that degrees from established
campus-based colleges do, they are becoming increasingly popular in
the Internet age.
Some traditional colleges where online enrollment is threatening
to spill over the 50 percent mark were also asking for the rule to
be rescinded. For example, the School for Professional Studies at
Regis University, a small college in Denver, reported that in five
years it expects over half its students to enroll online.
We don’t have a problem with legitimate online classes or
colleges (though when Rochville University offers accredited
degrees online in just five days, we can’t help but wonder
what passes for “legitimate”). On the contrary, we
recognize that many online colleges offer great opportunities to
people ““ single mothers and military personnel, for instance
““ who might otherwise not have the time or ability to attend
daily classes.
Rather, we take issue with the fact that effectively what
Congress has done is to remove a rule that was put in place to
guard against education fraud without putting anything in its
place. Worse, they haven’t done anything to protect against
fraud in the first place.
Online colleges do have to be accredited, but it’s not an
airtight process; recently, the Masters Institute here in
California saw a surge in online enrollment when it began to
receive federal money in a Department of Education pilot program,
only to collapse in 2001 because of a fraud investigation.
And many higher-education leaders predict that fraud is what
will happen. Now that the 50 percent rule has been rescinded, they
say there will likely be a boom in online-only colleges, and with
that comes a potential corresponding rise in education fraud.
That’s perhaps not the best use of federal funds.
Moreover, an increase in Internet-based universities could also
create another diploma-mill epidemic, where schools ““ in the
rush of competition ““ are more concerned with passing out
degrees than providing an actual education. Is that really the
direction Congress wants this country’s education to go
in?
The Internet is undoubtedly where higher education is headed. As
more people acquire access to faster connections, universities will
be pushed to offer more content online.
And that’s fine. But that shift needs to be made
responsibly. Otherwise, education, rather than being enhanced by
the Internet, will become a casualty of it.