Are the European Doctorates...

Validity of opinions?

My question is how much the experts in content areas know about distance education. Also, it appears that those who received their education through the traditional route seem to prefer it. There is an innate resistance to change and a tight job market takes the turf fights along lines of no importance many times. IMHO, DE opens the possiblities of communication and cooperative interaction with world-class scholars in your specialty. I prefer the challenge and freedom of a DE degree to a classroom credential any day.

Coming from a research-oriented scientific background, I am somewhat amused at doctoral level courses. You learn what you need to know on your own and put it into practice at a high level of functioning. IMHO, doctoral work demands a complete mastery of the present state of the art and the intelligent initiative to push it to a higher level. My mentors encouraged me to go from baccalaureate to doctorate as fast as possible without the formality of intermediate stages or even a masters degree.

 

Supporting skills

Larry, to become an expert, one must develop many supporting skills and proficiencies. For DE (i.e. non-classroom), one acquires these on his own without the plodding pace of a class. If you're familiar with Oxford graduate education, one goes to the departments or individuals for study or advice in acquiring these needed skills. It puts much more responibility on the mature learner than the American system of spoon-feeding everything. Personally, I like the concepts of European and DE that places the responsibility for learning on the learner. IMHO, the learning becomes more meaninful and relevant--it's not swallow and regurgitate for test. What do you think?

 

European v. American

There are differences in philosophy and practice, I think, between American and European higher education. The European thinking places a stronger emphasis on the rigor and seriousness of undergraduate education. Thus, students begin graduate work at a higher level of cognitive functioning and acquired knowledge. IMHO, they are more disciplined and more mature learners who are self-directed. Taught courses are not the only avenue to acquiring knowledge by these accomplished students. Furthermore, their taught courses are quite different from the American classroom credit. The European thinking is more of show me what you can do rather than how many credits you have passed in this area.

Passing credits, IMHO, may have little to do with what the students knows or can do. Competency is not achieved with a grade or a piece of paper. There are some of my former nursing students who took and passed my biochemistry that I would not want to meet in the ER. :laugh: