Job Discussion Forums

[jabberjaw]

First, I'm considering applying for an online M.A. in TESOL/Applied Linguistics program. One opinion I've heard about them is that the teaching/learning dynamic generally doesn't exist in an online format. I think this might be true, but I'd like it if someone could prove me wrong. For those of you who have completed online M.A.'s I'm wondering what you have to say about this negative attitude towards them.

Second, I've been trying to figure out if an online M.A. or an intensive M.A. program would be sufficient for working at a community college in the US. I brought it up in some other threads and in one of them someone suggested that I start another thread to discuss it, so here is that other thread. The coversation we had in one of the other threads is posted below. Please feel free to add to it.

jabberjaw
Posted: Fri Mar 30, 2007 10:34 am Post subject: US Dept of Ed accredited

Gordon quoting jabberjaw:
Go to my website and check out the distance masters I have listed. NA is not the best place for distance degrees. In fact, Canada does not have a single university that offers a masters in applied linguistics/tesol that can be done entirely online. Australia is the place to go for more bang for your buck.

jabberjaw wrote: I have heard rumours of UK or Australian universities having M.A. TESOL programs that are globally accredited. What I'm wondering is if there is an Australian or British university that offers a distance learning M.A. in TESOl that is accredited by the US Department of Education. I'm guessing not but I would love if someone could prove me wrong.

Gordon
Joined: 28 Jan 2003
Posts: 5025
Location: Japan
Posted: Fri Mar 30, 2007 2:29 pm Post subject:

What you should do, is take the name or names of prospective unis and then go and ask an acredittingbody if this uni is recognized. You can ask prospective employers the same thing. I don't think the US Dept of Education is an accreditting agency. The US has 6 different accreditting bodies, not 1 like in Canada or Australia.

mlomker
Joined: 24 Mar 2005
Posts: 352
Posted: Sat Mar 31, 2007 1:12 am Post subject: Re: US Dept of Ed accredited

jabberjaw wrote:
that is accredited by the US Department of Education. I'm guessing not but I would love if someone could prove me wrong.


mlomker wrote: DOE recognizes accrediting bodies but doesn't do accreditation itself. The DOE actually recognizes an organization called DETC but they are below the regional accreditation that 'legitimate' universities in the US have. DETC schools are inexpensive but their degrees are worthless...they just aren't labeled as 'degree mills' by the DOE.

http://www.ope.ed.gov/accreditation/


jabberjaw
Joined: 09 Mar 2007
Posts: 17
Posted: Sun Apr 01, 2007 12:46 am Post subject: working at US & Canadian community colleges

Thanks for the link mlomker. I went to it and did a search for the University of New England (the one in Australia) and the University of Southern Queensland in Australia. Neither one showed up in the search. That kind of worries me as I would like to teach at a community college in the US. I'm wondering if a community college in the US would even really hire someone with an online M.A. in TESOL/Applied Linguistics. I'm also wondering what they would think of one that wasn't on the list that the US Dept of Education publishes which as the website mlomker referenced says is a list of nationally recognized accrediting agencies that the US Secretary of Education determines to be reliable authorities as to the quality of education or training provided by the institutions of higher education and the higher education programs they accredit. Do you know of any teachers who have gone the Australian or UK distance learning route and then gone on to teach at a community college in the US or Canada? I'd hate to do all that work of getting an online M.A. only to not get a job I really wanted.

ChuckECheese
Joined: 28 Jul 2006
Posts: 70
Posted: Sun Apr 01, 2007 5:09 am Post subject: Re: working at US & Canadian community colleges

jabberjaw wrote:
Thanks for the link mlomker. I went to it and did a search for the University of New England (the one in Australia) and the University of Southern Queensland in Australia. Neither one showed up in the search. That kind of worries me as I would like to teach at a community college in the US. I'm wondering if a community college in the US would even really hire someone with an online M.A. in TESOL/Applied Linguistics. I'm also wondering what they would think of one that wasn't on the list that the US Dept of Education publishes which as the website mlomker referenced says is a list of nationally recognized accrediting agencies that the US Secretary of Education determines to be reliable authorities as to the quality of education or training provided by the institutions of higher education and the higher education programs they accredit. Do you know of any teachers who have gone the Australian or UK distance learning route and then gone on to teach at a community college in the US or Canada? I'd hate to do all that work of getting an online M.A. only to not get a job I really wanted.


ChuckEChesse wrote: No legitimate colleges or university in the U.S. will hire anyone with online degree. They will accept applicant with few online courses but majority of your course work would have to have been done at the university.


Gordon
Joined: 28 Jan 2003
Posts: 5025
Location: Japan
Posted: Sun Apr 01, 2007 5:26 am Post subject: Re: working at US & Canadian community colleges

ChuckECheese, that is not true at all. I am not sure if you are getting distance education mixed up with an online diploma mill type school. Almost every major UK or Australian uni has a large distance education program. The US and Cdn schools do too, but to a much lesser degree. I know of many people who teach in Cdn colleges who possess distance degrees from the UK and Australia. The parchment does not have "distance" on it, it is equivalent to an on-campus degree and the workload is the same. Taiwan is the only country that does not accept distance degrees.

[spiral78]

I did a DISTANCE (NOT on-line) MA with University of Birmingham, England, which I believe is regarded as equivalent to an on-site one. The word 'distance' doesn't appear on my papers at all.

There are some advantages of distance programs - I was able to apply what I learned to my teaching situation, and to do extensive classroom research projects. Writing papers on these projects formed the basis of my coursework. My dissertation also wasn't done in a vacuum - I was able to base it on a hands-on project as well.

I've heard the approach described as a 'research-based' course of study, which is relatively highly regarded.

Disadvantages include not having other students around you to bounce ideas off of on a regular basis, although chat rooms help bridge the gap. Also, it's tempting to drag your feet when you don't have to enter a classroom as a student daily...everyone I know who did an off-site course took extra time, as work/life interfered.

I'm not looking for jobs in the States, so I haven't researched the legalities, but I think a distance MA from a reputable institution should be well-received most places.

However, I think you should contact a couple of universities or community colleges and ask them!!

[Sherri]

Hi
I also did the distance MA TESL/TEFL course at Birmingham and now I work at a community college in the US. When I submitted my credentials (diploma and transcripts) the only problem I had was not that it was a distance degree but that it was earned overseas. So I had to pay around $200 to have it evaluated to show that a UK MA was the same as a US MA. It is by the way and I got the job.

Many US universities have their own distance programs so it would be hypocritical of them not to accept distance degrees from elsewhere! And like spiral78 said, it doesn't say anywhere that my MA was earned by distance but anyone looking at my resume could see that I was not in the UK at the time I was working on my degree.

Good luck in your decision-making
Sherri

[jabberjaw]

Those were informative responses from both of you. Thank you for that. I'm not sure I quite understand the difference between an online M.A. and a distance learning M.A. Also, I'd particulary like to hear from more people who've completed distance learning M.A.'s in TESOL or Applied Linguistics or Education or Curriculum and Instruction or what have you. What I'm trying to figure out is if Sherri's situation is common.

[Sherri]

jabberjaw
I have no idea what an on-line MA is. When I say I did my degree by distance, it means that I got information on the course content (like listening to a lecture) in a booklet format. So it was like reading the lecture. Then there are discussion questions which you can choose to do by yourself, or by email with other people on the course or on the web CT discussion board. I was lucky because I was in Tokyo at the time, so people living in Tokyo all formed a study group and we met up about once a month or so. I submitted my essays using regular mail and I got my grades and feedback using regular mail. I got feedback on my essays in progress from my tutor by email.

I didn't really spend much time "on-line" to do the MA. One really great thing was using a proxy server, I could access the U of Bham's library, so anything that was digital, I could print out at home, half a world away. It was amazing. I was working (teaching) at the time and I could apply the topic areas directly to what I was teaching and use my classes as part of my research. My dissertation was based on the curriculum development that I was doing for my job. So it was very practical for me.

As for the evaluation of the degree, I think you will find that most US universities and colleges will ask for non-US earned credentials to be evaluated. I had to do this with my first 2 degrees (not distance) which I got in the UK. You can see this requirement in job ads usually in the place where they talk about submitting transcripts.

Hope this helps
Sherri

[Gordon]

Sherri's situation is very common. I got my masters in applied linguistics from the University of Southern Queensland in Australia while i worked in Japan. We regularly were in contact with the course prof almost daily and with the other students by web CT. I think in one course alone I had over 150 posts answering course questions and asking for and helping colleagues.
Every semester I had a package of course materials and assignments and then i bought a few books, but I needed to use a lot of other material for my research. I think I had more contact with my profs this way then during my on campus BA. The bonus to this is that I could apply right away what I learned in class and could conduct research and do studies on my students.

[mlomker]