Institutions - in many cases foreign - offering instant academic qualifications at the click of a button are on the increase and these 'qualifications' have little or no practical value in the marketplace.
This is according to Ina van der Merwe, CEO at Managed Integrity Evaluation, who points out that experts within the credentials verification market are of the view that consumers should treat these degree or qualification mills with the utmost caution.
Van der Merwe stresses that the online medium lends itself to learning because it allows for immediate, automatic and interactive access to information.
However, she explains, these advantages are also being manipulated by operators that follow a 'production line' scenario for the development and issuing of what appears to be bona fide qualifications.
She adds that these so-called degree or qualification mills award these qualifications based on very little or no meaningful work completed or curriculum followed.
According to Van der Merwe, it is possible to acquire an authentic-looking qualification almost instantaneously, and the Internet has made it increasingly difficult to differentiate between legitimate and non-legitimate operators.
“Degree mills have been in operation for decades and they continue to flourish in leaps and bounds, fuelled primarily by the Internet. Yes, you can get an authentic looking academic degree - all you need is a few thousand rands and a few days while you wait for your degree to be printed and shipped to you.
“The question is: how do you tell the difference between an MBA from Harvard University and an MBA from the University of Harvard?” Van der Merwe explains.
She also points out that the issue of legitimacy and integrity of academic qualifications continues to hog media attention because of the extent to which it affects employers and employees.
“The lives of people can be adversely affected. It is for this reason that we continue to drive home the message of what constitutes a professional, credible and legitimate operation and what does not.”
She also advises consumers to be on the lookout for institute names that are similar to those of legitimate and often prestigious schools, saying this is used to deceive unassuming prospective employers.
Also watch out for “extremely low coursework requirements in comparison to accredited institutions, with credentials awarded following very little to no studying as well as academic legitimacy based on claims of affiliation with respected organisations that are not involved in academic accreditation,” she says.
Van der Merwe also points out that the impact and influence of degree mills is such that unqualified or people who acquire and use fraudulent documents can and often do secure positions ahead of those who have worked hard to acquire a legitimate qualification.
“An honest learner can actually miss out on employment opportunities. He or she may have taken out study loans and have, despite many challenges, worked over years to obtain a genuine, recognised qualification.
“The reality is because of degree mills or similar institutions, these people can be overlooked by someone who perhaps holds a paper-based qualification,” she says.
It is Van der Merwe's hope that more people learn and understand about degree mills to avoid falling victim to unscrupulous service providers and invest resources in what are essentially meaningless qualifications.
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