I received an email from a student asking me what he could do when people state that American Military University (AMU) or American Public University (APU) are “diploma mills” or unaccredited.  I thought I would post my response.

The “myths” that AMU or APU are diploma mills or unaccredited are invalid.  In most cases, the myths are more than likely disseminated by individuals who do not care for online colleges and universities.  Faculty and staff members of accredited institutions that operate partially online or totally online have heard the negative perceptions about online education for years and have worked hard to demonstrate the evidence that supports learning in online programs.  A May 2009 study published by the U.S. Department of Education entitled Evaluation of Evidence-Based Practices in Online Learning:  A Meta-Analysis and Review of Online Learning Studies stated that students learn better in online programs than in face-to-face programs .  The researchers examined over 1,000 published research papers involving online and face-to-face learners.

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I have to admit that I was curious how Powers of the Mind would play out based on the title.  I had read a brief review of the book in reference to general education courses, so I acquired it for that purpose.  The author, Donald N. Levine, is the former Dean of the University of Chicago.  His book provides the reader with an excellent history of the development of undergraduate curriculums in America.  Availing himself of the excellent archives at the University of Chicago, Levine states in his preface that his original intent was to write a rebuttal to Allan Bloom’s book, The Closing of the American Mind.  While Bloom’s book champions the University of Chicago’s “Great Books” curriculum, Levine believes that it misrepresents the evolution and accomplishments of the Chicago undergraduate curriculum.  While Levine’s book may be of little use to readers outside of academia, the thoroughness of Levine’s research and coverage of the historical changes in the “core curriculum” in colleges in the United States is a worth-while read for anyone charged with evaluating the general education curriculum.