Unit 2 assignment completed!!!

The second unit of the course had a lot more weight that the substantial unit 1. As well as dealing with some of the issues facing school administrators, we were prompted to look at the issue of R.E. in liberal societies that often promote the rights of the individual NOT to do something over the rights of others. (In this case, it was the rights of people to NOT to hear views on subjects such as homosexuality, over the rights of other who wish their views to be heard).

The content demonstrated implications for all branches of education, and not just for R.E. My research took me to a look at the Northern Ireland state schools, as well as into the secular and religious schools of the US and Canada.

It was a substantial project, and in addition to the 5 course readings (over 100 pages of text), I did additional research that led to me doubling the reading required. In 2 weeks! My assignment weighed in just a little over the recommended word count of 1000-2000 words, and try as I might, I just could not keep it down!

The next unit is still locked to me, and I have only just downloaded the course readings. This time there are 6 articles, totaling 74 pages of reading. Once again, the topics appear to be diverse. One paper discusses the forced religious indoctrination of Native Americans; another is from a History Journal and deals with the experiences in Ethiopia. There is a paper dealing with Christian support groups outside of education, and two that deal with the legalities of 2 seemingly innocent topics – graduation speeches and school uniforms, and a final paper on homeschooling.

It appears, at first glance, that this unit will be delving further into the debate about parental choice, though I will have a better idea when the instruction for the course is open to me (28 hours or so from now).

I will once again have an assignment to complete within 2 weeks, but this time things are complicated by the looming deadline for a group exercise in which an assignment should be submitted that outlines a theoretical outline for Religious Education in State Schools. My plan will be to complete the course readings for Unit 3 this week, and also complete the group assignment, giving me a free week to complete the research for the Unit 3 assignment. Thankfully, the research from the previous units means that most of the research for the group assignment is complete, so it should not be too difficult.

I recognise that I need to refine my methodology before the course starts properly, or I will quickly be overwhelmed by the workload. Right now it is 7:30pm and I have to do some work preparing for the classes I will teach tomorrow, and I need to find some quality time for my wife. At the same time, my mind is racing with ideas for the group assignment, and the readings for the next unit look somewhat intriguing!

KEISIE and ICAATS

If you exercise due diligence (and do a quick Google search), you will quickly discover that there is some controversy about the validity of ICAATS accreditation. Unfortunately, many people are involved are arguing from a position of opinion rather than fact. There are some people who are vehemently against any education system that does not follow the western model, and they are under the mistaken belief that ALL western education models are identical.

The people who do argue from a position of fact are those from India. Unfortunately, they appear to be connected to ICAATS in some manner. The most vocal defenders of ICAATS accreditation are those working for a university that is accredited by ICAATS.

Until very recently, I was not connected to ICAATS and I had no real interest in defending their position. I am not working towards an ICAATS accredited M.Ed, and whilst that could put my compromise my beliefs this is not the case. I will now try to outline my position.

Who are ICAATS?

ICAATS are The International Council For Accrediting Alternate And Theological Studies. They are an accrediting agency set up to accredit theological courses since 1954, and do so as an NGO. They received recognition from the Indian government in 2003 and now hold a license to accredit courses.

ICAATS are an NGO. In India, most degree courses are completed in Government approved institutions, and accreditation comes from the ministry of education. These institutions only teach and practice the national religion, Hinduism. 80% of the population is Hindi.

In order to preserve the rights of minority religions, the Government established a system whereby “All minorities, whether based on religion or language, shall have the right to establish and administer educational institutions of their choice.” This is written into the Indian constitution, and was signed into law in 1950, just 3 years after they gained independence. It was never necessary to seek accreditation, yet ICAATS was set up to offer a system of checks to ensure some level of academic integrity. Many religious institutions in India are self-accredited and their degrees are considered valid within India.

An amusing thing to note is that the Indian system of accreditation for institutes of higher education, and that of allowing religious schools to self-accredit (or seek the accreditation of an NGO) is reflected almost identically in the US education model, yet the US model followed a decade later. US Education was unaccredited until the late 1960’s. Nowadays, US educational institutes can seek accreditation from national or local organisations. As there is strict separation of state and religion, religious institutions in the US are either self accredited, or accredited by an NGO.

What is accreditation?

Accreditation is a third party verification of academic integrity. In the US, it is required to secure funding for students. In the UK, it is never required as the government grants a license to issue degrees to Universities and colleges whose quality they are satisfied with.

In the UK, the government license is required in order to secure funding for your college or university. In the US, national, state, or religious NGO accreditation is required. Essentially, accreditation is only sought so that that institutes can get funding. This funding is only available for domestic (or in the case of the US, state resident) students and so international students do not benefit from accreditation in any way. The UK Universities are not formally recognised in the US, and the UK will not formally recognise US education. That being said, both countries will recognise that the degrees granted by both countries are of a high quality and a US degree will be recognised by UK universities and UK employers, despite its unaccredited status in the UK. The opposite holds true in the US.

The Indian system is a mix of the UK and US system (though it came before the US system), yet people are unwilling to consider it genuine because, dare I say it, the standards are Indian! The Indian education system is first rate. Indian people are, for the most part, bi-lingual, and they are taking jobs every day from the UK and the US in a number of important sectors. These are not people who are receiving a substandard education!

Should an International School seek accreditation?

My honest opinion here? I do not think that an international school such as KEISIE requires accreditation. They are approved by the Korean government to grant degrees and so they are able to qualify their existence with that simple fact.

I know from speaking with Dr. Bottiger, and from my research into one-day opening a language school of my own, that the Korean Ministry of Education impose a very stringent series of checks to ensure the academic credentials of any licensed educational institution. When I provided feedback for the TEFL course that I conducted through KEI, I was told that the government actually verified the system of testing that was in place to ensure that standards for a simple TEFL certification were high, and this is despite there being any standard in place.

To date, KEISIE is the only licensed virtual school in Korea. The MOE actually invented a new series of balances (and by all accounts a new tax code) for them. They are government approved, and so they do not really need any other accreditation.

That said, most of their students will be from outside of Korea and I applaud their willingness to seek external accreditation. US accreditation gives comfort to people who are unable to take a global view of education. As most US accreditation agencies require some history before they grant accreditation, KEISIE will have to be in operation for a few years before they can realise this goal. Like many US schools, they will have to operate as an unaccredited institute before they can be considered valid.

Is an unaccredited degree a fake degree?

NO! Absolutely not! Many unaccredited colleges within the US are of a high standard. In California, people from selected unaccredited institutes are eligible to take the bar exam and practice law! This does not indicate a lack of validity when a degree is unaccredited. (Whilst relatively few people pass the bar exam when they come from an unaccredited institution, this is more a reflection on the quality of applicant who are likely to be unable to study at an accredited college. Most people studying will be from a poor economic background and so opt for the lower fees of an unaccredited college, and likely to be working as well as studying).

A fake degree, such as those you read about in the newspapers, is one that is a forgery or one where you “earn” your degree by signing a cheque. A degree that is earned through study and hard work is NOT a fake degree. As long as you are honest about where you earned the degree, your degree is not considered fake.

I personally believe that a program of educational study is as valid as you, the student, make it. If you receive good quality instruction and are willing to work towards your goals, you will come out of the program with a greater knowledge of your given subject. How much greater the knowledge is depends on the work you invest. Essentially, you are paying for an education, and that education should be your measure of satisfaction, NOT the accredited status.

With KEISIE, I will receive my M.Ed and I will be happy about both the education I received, and the price I paid. After discussions with friends who are studying distance MA’s, MBA’s and M.Ed’s, I know that I am doing as much work as they are, and that I am receiving an education as valid as they are. In the end, that is all anybody should care about.

Oh to be a student again!

We all have fond memories of our days as an undergraduate, or at least we should. Academic life was one of the best times of my life. I was playing lead guitar in a rock band, out “socialising” 4 or 5 nights a week, and at the end of it all I got a degree that has served me well. Don’t kid yourselves though, it isn’t the same the second time around!

The band has been replaced by a family, and the fun has been replaced by work. Most people simply can’t manage to take time away from all of that in order to further their education. I certainly could not manage to further my studies if it were not for the marvel that is distance education and given my current geographical location, the internet is really the thing making all of this possible.

But, I digress. I managed to complete my first assignment this week. With the wife and child finally home, I managed to throw myself into the readings and figure out my own position. I tested the waters on the student forum on the KEISIE class site, and was instantly given some reassuring feedback by my Professor, Dr. Bottiger. I expected as much. Whilst he is a man who clearly holds his Christian beliefs in high esteem, he is an educator first and foremost. Unlike many Christian educators, he is an Educator taking a critical look at Christian Education, rather than a Christian looking at Education.

The first topic led me (as I noted previously) into doing further research into the Catholic model, and my position was formulated using that as a basis. I found my further research was hindered by my geographical location, in that I do not have access to a public library, and bookshops take a long time to deliver here. The KEISIE site claims that this course can be done 100% online though, so I had to test that theory. Whilst I do hold a number of texts I can refer to in the field of Education, I am forced to rely on other sources for the Religious courses.

Using the course readings as a springboard, I made much use of Google scholar and was able to track down additional works. Thankfully, many of the authorities in Religious Education tend to make their findings available for free, and so standard Google searches also provided some useful material.

I worked hard in ensuring that my position was strengthened by solid research which was fully referenced. I am happy to note that my first assignment was submitted and I was more than satisfied with the results.

The next unit was unlocked at midnight, and I immediately downloaded the reading for it. The unit is called “Philosophical Concerns of Religion and Education”, and the reading this time around are much longer. I have only had time to read one of the texts, and this is concerned with an issue that plagues all industries these days, and whilst there are a handful of references to Religion and Education, this article could have easily been read as part of my BA (Hons)Business Administration degree. From skimming the texts, it seems that another piece is related to discrimination and legal proceedings in Canada. I am sure that these pieces (and the subsequent discussions and assignments) will benefit anybody looking to take up a role in Educational Leadership, and is not only beneficial to religious educators.

((Now that I have a little more time on my hands, I will make a number of posts in the coming weeks about how I arrived at my decision to study with KEISIE, and will comment on some of the issues that other people researching the school will undoubtedly stumble upon)).

What a week!

Ongoing sagas with the newborn have caused me to neglect my studies for the past week. Whilst I have had some time to read the pieces, I have not done much else. Registering a birth via the embassy, hospital visits, and the final days at my old job have taken much of my time, and preparations for the new job have taken up what is left.

Having read the articles, I have to confess to being pleasantly surprised. The reading have been about Religious Education, yet have not been particularly heavy on the religious content. Much of the readings have been about ensuring that faith based institutions can remain relevant in the modern age. The readings have left me impressed by the approach that the Catholic Church have adopted over the past 50(ish) years, and I think I will try and do some further research into the changes that they have implemented.

Essentially this unit is, at least in my interpretation, an argument about modern educational practices (those of evidence, open discourse, and unabated criticism) working against the interests of faith based institutions in their current format. We as students are being exposed to evidence that argues both sides of the fence from a Christian perspective, and we are to decide how faith and education can work together. Does faith need to surrender some authority to academia, or should faith be considered infallible and not yield an inch?

I know which position I will be taking. I guess the KEISIE people will have to show their hand quicker than anticipated! Does their affiliation with a theological school skew their academic credibility, or will they do as I expect and view my argument on its merits? I guess I will post more on this next week!

The Beginning

My daughter was born 3 days ago, and I have just got back from the hospital to check the first unit of the first course in the KEISIE M.Ed RE Program.

The course is one that goes by the title of “Philosophy of Religious Education”, and the first unit is called “The Foundation of Education from a Religious Perspective”.

The KEISIE site uses ATutor software to deliver its content. I am familiar with this software, having used it when I studied with KEI for my TEFL certificate. As I expected, I logged in to find the instructions I would have to become familiar with.

I was presented with 5 readings, all posing questions regarding various issues in RE. We students are then challenged to prepare small pieces forming an opinion about the readings (all articles from academic journals), and those pieces are to be the basis of student discussions.

Within 2 weeks, I am to have prepared a paper of up to 2000 words to present my position on the subject.

The pieces appear to be quiet varied in the Christian churches represented, as well as the tone and issues at hand. I have just 2 weeks to do any further research that may be required, and work on my position. I have the newborn to content with and the added stress of starting a new job in just 6 days. To be fair, I have only had time to skim the content so it all seems a little overwhelming at the moment. I will hopefully make more sense of it once I have rested.