“I never realised that this was so big and more than that, it was the embarrassment of having been scammed.Laws and regulations need to be in place internationally in order for the whole business to be put to an end.Even if one person, somewhere, can be stopped from making the same mistake, it would be worth it.”

This is a quote from a woman who contacted me wanting to know if she could do anything about a Axact bogus school who deceived her and scammed her out of thousands of dollars. My article was just published in Teach UAE Magazine and is called “Don’t be deceived by diploma mills” Please read and if you are a person who has been scammed or know of someone I would like to hear your story.

Other Notes: I am attending the European Distance and E-Learning Network (EDEN) 2015 conference in Barcelona this week. I will be on a panel on June 12th at 10AM discussing Expanded Learning Scenarios of Best Practices. This will be my first European education conference and look forward to meeting my E-Learning colleagues.

One of the issues I want to raise with my North American & European colleagues this week  is the diploma mill scandals which is getting worldwide attention. I am advocating that EDEN, USDLA, and similar organizations help take the lead in exposing these groups and make sure bogus education groups are not members or if so then expelled. let’s look at ways professional E-Learning organizations can get the word out to individuals and groups about diploma mills and where to find quality accredited programs.  Follow me on Twitter (deanhoke) for updates.

PS: Image courtesy of Teach UAE Magazine