ONLINE UNIVERSITIES NMC officials: Where do we draw the line?

The Northern Marianas College Board of Regents’ recent move to begin drawing up licensure requirements for incoming postsecondary institutions has spawned yet another concern in the local education sector: what about online institutions offering college courses that have no physical base in the Northern Marianas?

College officials raised this point to BOR members last week, noting that the advent of new technology has started presenting various educational options for higher learning in the local scene.

Mainland universities that carry online courses have caught the attention of some local students and thus prompted NMC instructors to ask whether the Regents will also subject these virtual institutions to adhere to postsecondary application requirements as institutions that would cater to CNMI-based students.

“It’s hard to determine where we should draw the border,” said NMC Alumni Relations Director Tony Deleon Guerrero.

NMC Legal Counsel Jesse Borja has cited the inevitability of such rising issues with the emergence of online-based education and modernized technology.

Regent Vince Seman said BOR’s concern is more centered on ensuring that all postsecondary institutions operating in the Northern Marianas are capable and fully-accredited to offer college courses.

“I am less concerned about students getting online degrees from accredited institutions than I am with the situation of virtual institutions with questionable accreditation status marketing students here in the CNMI are getting a degree entirely online,” said Dr. Barbara Moir, NMC accreditation liaison officer.

But Dr. Moir admitted that online education is one among many commendable components of distance learning that the college should explore more.

A drawback to this innovative educational medium, however, is that it is more costly than onsite instruction and it totally flushes out classroom interaction.

Dr. Moir, NMC’s dean of Instruction, expressed support to the Regents’ moves to devote more discussions in the drafting of postsecondary application requirements that would screen out non-accredited colleges.

“This should be of concern to any student who wants to transfer credits. And this is certainly our concern with Eucon,” she said.

BOR last week tasked its programs committee to tap expert assistance in the development of policies that would set its postsecondary institution regulatory powers into motion.