Did the Accreditation Process Work at AIU? � The Quick and the Ed

Did the Accreditation Process Work at AIU? � The Quick and the Ed

Did the Accreditation Process Work at AIU?

by Ben Miller

Unfortunately due to some strange Internet issue, I wasn’t able to watch the live or archived version oftoday’s House hearing on accreditation and program length and so I can’t comment specifically on what was said. But what strikes me while re-reading the various submitted statements is how it seems like there really are two distinct issues at play here.
The first is the issue of credit hour, program length, and their definitions. I’ll be the first to admit that’s a highly technical issue that requires walking a fine line so that you have a proper standard but also leave room for innovation. For example, a lot of the interesting remedial work done by schools in Tennessee can have credit hour complications because those projects allow students to complete individual modules, rather than whole semester-long courses. I agree that’s a fascinating issue going forward and one that I’m sure will be addressed.
But that’s not really the issue at heart with the scathing Inspector General’s report (PDF) about courses beinggiven too much credit at American InterContinental University. One can make an argument that the accreditation