Job Discussion Forums

[nomad soul]

Cmp45, you might recall this year-old thread, Online/distance degrees ok?: http://forums.eslcafe.com/job/viewtopic.php?t=87480&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0

[cmp45]

...and still not much has changed since then...but my question remains...how can one be totally sure some teacher's on-line degrees are being accepted while others are rejected...especially when the degree is legit by gobal standards...Ofcourse...one can inquire...but still... am suspicious...that this KSA 'rule' of on-line degrees is rather an arbitrary one.

[veiledsentiments]

Aren't nearly all rules "arbitrary" in Saudia?

VS

[johnslat]

Dear veiledsentiments,

The only one that ISN'T arbitrary is the rule that all rules are arbitrary.

Regards,
John

[7168Riyadh]

This has of course been discussed before. The prejudice against "online"--i.e. earned through distance learning--degrees originates in the US, where such degrees are systemically considered inferior to ones earned on campus. (This is not the case in Europe, where standards in higher education are more centrally determined, and "degree mills" less prevalent). I don't want to go into all the ins and outs about this, but in Saudi Arabia it is the Higher Education Committee which stipulates that "online" degrees are not valid qualifications for lecturing in the tertiary sector. How do Saudi universities determine whether your degree was earned online, or not? Well some who-needs-enemies-with-friends-like-you westerner on the faculty hiring committee tells them. We are talking about direct hire here. Your online degree may be perfectly acceptable for working at other types of schools, or if you go through a recruiter. And the policy may well have changed for all I, or anyone else knows. After all, the Saudi government is talking about setting up a dedicated e-university in the kingdom, LOL.