User talk:Jreichard

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[edit] Oxford graduate school

Do you have any connection to the "graduate school"? I ask because of this[1], the fact that you have removed things that are unfavorable to the school, and that it is your sole interest. Arbusto 03:14, 10 March 2006 (UTC)

Yes, I am currently a student. I have first-hand experience with the school. My entire experience at OGS has been favorable. They are not, in fact, an overtly religious institution and do not impose any religious beliefs on students. No one has ever imposed any religious beliefs on me.

However, here are the academic requirements that were imposed on me (and all DPhil students):

1. After I met the academic admission requirements, I was required to attend a one week Core Session on campus. The sessions were 12+ hours long each day. At the end of the first week, students have interviews with the Academic Dean to determine if they were suitable for admission. I was then required to complete extensive assignments for 6 courses over a period of 120 days. If I was found competent to proceed with the academic program based on my performance on the assignments and by consensus of the faculty from Core I, I was invited back to Core II. Many students are not invited back to Core II. After completing Core II and completing a matriculation portfolio and interview with the Chief Academic Officer and Academic Dean, you are then finally officially matriculated.
2. I was then required to attend a total of six week-long Core sessions on campus and complete the assignments for the courses.
3. I was required to compile a "Developmental Reading Log" documenting my reading by citations from course related bibliographies of approximately 250 works per Core session.
4. I was required to travel to Oxford, England to attend a Core Session held at Kellogg College of the University of Oxford (UK) where invited facutly from various colleges of the University of Oxford lectured (OGS has required these trips for 27 years). I was required to complete assignments for a course taught at Kellogg College by a United States Federal Judge. I was also inducted as a reader into the Bodleian Library and conducted research.
5. I was required to attend a weeklong Core Session at the Library of Congress in Washington, DC where research was also conducted.
6. I was required to complete a teaching practicum.

I have now achieved candidate status for the DPhil. I am now working on my dissertation. This has been over a period of more than two years. I anticipate at least another two year before I am able to complete and defend my dissertation research. The workload is incredible and the academics are thoroughly challenging. Because it is a small school, the faculty are especially helpful, they genuinely care about the practice of social research, and genuinely desire to see the students develop quality research skills. I have had a marvelous experience at the school.

My sole interest is not to simply "remove anything unfavorable", but to ensure factual accuracy of the information presented and to permit individuals to formulate their own opinions. As I have said, my experience has been tremendous.

Again, I reiterate, this school is not a fundamentalist Christian group playing "education". These are real educators with a real program that has benefited me greatly.--Jreichard 03:58, 10 March 2006 (UTC)

This school is still new, which is hard for private school to be, but you must be fair in the representation of accreditation. While its size does not mean it is bad nor that if accepts "life experience," these are accurate representations of the school. Thus, they should remain in the article and unless you have a supporting source that proves it has accreditation it must be tagged according to what we know; that is does not have accreditation yet. Thank you for your honesty and good luck with your studies. Arbusto 04:08, 10 March 2006 (UTC)

Thank you very much, Arbustoo. I agree with you wholeheartedly, we should not state that the school is accredited; rather, we should state that it is a candidate for accredtiation with TRACS. Also, I think it would be more reasonable to remove the word "dubious" from the Admissions requirements and let prospective students judge the validity of the school for themselves. Thank you again.--Jreichard 04:14, 10 March 2006 (UTC)

May I also mention, Arbustoo, I am not at all embarassed by the size of the school. Its small student body is part of what makes it a quality educational experience.--Jreichard 04:18, 10 March 2006 (UTC)

I still disagree. A school without accreditation (which is what a candidate is) is still unaccredited. If you can prove that OGS is accredited then do so. Dubious means "uncertain" and that seems to be what the admission policy is since if you do not have a BA they take "life experience," "published" works and "maturity" into consideration as an equivlent. Arbusto 04:23, 10 March 2006 (UTC)

Furthermore, see the Bob Jones University article. That is a well-known school seeking accreditation. It too is listed as unaccredited. Arbusto 04:35, 10 March 2006 (UTC)

I am not opposed to the school being in the "unaccredited" category, as long as we indicate that it is a candidate for TRACS accreditation. It is not prudent for us to squabble over this issue. To be honest, I most likely would not be attending if they were not at least candidates for accreditation. Perhaps it would be more fair to state that admission policies are described on the website or in the academic catalog, as "dubious" is unnecessarily pejorative. In fact, I do not think an adjective is necessary at all; let's just state the requirements as the school presents them or link to them directly. This stipulation only pertains to the MLitt and not the DPhil. The complete admission requirements for the MLitt can be found on Page 34 of the Academic Catalog. They are more comprehensive than how they are being presented in the entry. I do not personally hold a favorable opinion of "Life Experience" either, but from what I know of the Academic Affairs Council, they would not be very liberal in their considerations. I will say that I have sat in classes with other students who have earned doctorates in various fields from secular universities and they were given no exemptions in the program. Let me know your thoughts. Thanks again.--Jreichard 04:41, 10 March 2006 (UTC)

Please see the article talk page. I removed the "unaccredited" tags and replaced them with accredited per the 2003 date on the school's webpage. This should close the matters. Arbusto 04:51, 10 March 2006 (UTC)

I would actually prefer stating, "is currently a candidate for accreditation", as that is more clear and fair. I will make the change. May we drop the term "dubious"? Thank you.--Jreichard 04:56, 10 March 2006 (UTC)

Done. Arbusto 04:59, 10 March 2006 (UTC)

Just so you know edits wars over unaccredited schools happen very often. See the edit war at Breyer State University for example. Arbusto 05:03, 10 March 2006 (UTC)

Thank you very much, Arbustoo. I would just like to reinforce that this school should not be lumped into the incredulous mass of fundamentalist Christian diploma mills/schools. I too am very suspicious of such groups. I appreciate you taking the time to ensure that this article was presented in a balanced manner, and your willingness to debate the topic rationally. Keep up the good work.--Jreichard 05:06, 10 March 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Vision International University

I'm just curious, how many students attend Vision (distance and in-class learning)? CaliEd 20:53, 10 August 2006 (UTC)

It depends on the institution. The Vision International Education Network consists of four independently governed institutions. For VIU in California, we have about 300 active students. Through the non-credit, non-degree granting Extension Institute, in partnership with the International School of Ministry, we have about 10,000 worldwide. Again I emphasize, these students are NOT studying for degree purposes. It is all independent, self-directed learning. However, these students may earn credit by following the protocol of the evidence-based vocational education system via our Australian counterpart, Vision International College, to earn the VETAB accredited awards of the Australian College.