Online Universities Barred from Recruiting on Military Bases

For a full article follow this link: http://consumerist.com/2015/10/09/university-of-phoenix-barred-from-military-bases-using-new-tuition-assistance-funds/

For a summary keep reading below.

Many in America, and particularly in traditional higher education settings, have been skeptical of the quality of education at online universities, and question the very low completion rate of enrolled students.  For Military and Veterans, the problems run much deeper.  Veterans and Active Duty Military who may not be qualified for college-level work, especially with the discipline and academic skills needed for online coursework, have been recruited by a whole range of online institutions primarily to make easy money on veterans who will either fail or never complete their degrees.  This became a national scandal when the federal government began looking into the percentages of profits that are derived from VA and DOD education benefits, which can be as much as 90% for some online institutions.  This could potentially be a violation of laws that limit the percentage of a university's operating costs derived from the federal government.

For veteran’s advocates, the questionable quality of education coupled with the poor performance in completing degrees and near total lack of student support services drives us to advice against online education for most veterans, unless there is a physical limitation to accessing a traditional brick and mortar campus.  The GI Bill is intended to be a vehicle for veterans to earn a degree and gain access to better employment options, and is not intended to be a vehicle for online institutions to stay in business with questionable ability to deliver education and skills that their students seek to be more competent in the American workplace.

The move by the Department of Defense to block online universities from accessing military bases to recruit active duty members to their online schools represents a significant step in not only protecting the federal budget dollars intended to deliver education to military members, but also protects unknowing military members from being taken advantage of by a predatory system. 

There is a place for online education, as MOOCs, blended learning, and some distance learning have shown - however an entire degree taken online?  While the primary purpose of the academy is to deliver education, it is not the only purpose of the academy: there is necessary socialization and adaptation to professional norms that takes place to condition many students to be ready for the workforce as entry level participants.

The Veterans Knowledge Community applauds this action, and any action that has the protection and best interests of our military members and veterans in mind.