U.S. News to Collect Online Education Data

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The timing of the surveys is particularly poor. Arriving July 29 and due date in late August for SIX surveys, five of which require significant faculty input? For most semester institutions, you've managed to neatly cover summer break and the busiest days of the academic year - the start of fall semester. The previous SINGLE online survey was on a similar time schedule, but was far more centralized and manageable. Did you go over the implications of this schedule with your AIR advisory committee? It's an amazing and almost arrogant demand at this time of the year.

WE78 of IA 11:20AM July 29, 2011

I am a faculty member at the California Polytechnic State University San Luis Obispo. Checking our ratings, I note that we are #6 in the category of Western Regional Public Universities. We do not appear at all, however, in the rankings for Great School Great Value. Why is that? It seems odd, since our tuition is far less than most. How is that we are #6 overall and unrated as a good value? Thanks.

William Ahlgren of CA 7:22PM July 02, 2011

Being in the active military, it is very difficult for myself and others in similar affiliations to go to college full-time or even part-time at night in a traditional B&M school. So, attending a traditional or non-traditional 'online' degree program is better suited. However, it would be nice to see some sort of ranking structure, so I could make sure I was weigh ALL options when I ultimately make my choice. Even when one attends an 'online' program through a traditional school, lets say, University of Alabama, you still don't how well the program you are attending holds up, you can only assume its at the same level, especially if its happens to be listed under a College of Distance or Professional Studies, vice a College of Business or Education. A lot of times, that is where most traditional colleges place online or distance learning. There is usually no rankings for these newer colleges or programs either, let alone ranking for a whole university (non-traditional) dedicated to 'online' degree programs like Walden, Capella or University of Phoenix.
I look forward to see how this shakes out. Would love to be involved somehow if I could too.
NVYGUNZ (M.Ed. Northeastern University)

NVYGUNZ of RI 3:17PM July 01, 2011