Don’t be deceived by diploma mills…

“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.”

Young beautiful business woman is thinking about education at business school. Drawn business icons over the concrete wall. Graduation hat.

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

 

Information and Communication Technology Research Conference 2015

ICTRF3I am pleased to announce the 9th UAE Forum on Information and Communication Technology Research 2015 (ICTRF2015) will be held on May 17 at the Dusit Thani Hotel in Abu Dhabi. It is under the Patronage of His Excellency Hussain Ibrahim Al Hammadi, Minister of Education, UAE.

It’s organized by Khalifa University (KU), and co-organized by the ETISALAT-BT Innovation Centre (EBTIC) and the United Arab Emirates Advanced Network for Research and Education (ANKABUT).  This conference is near and dear to my heart and I serve on the Steering and Organizing Committee.

The main theme of this year’s forum will be focused on “Towards a Smarter City” which includes sessions on: Smarter City, the goals and targets; Smarter City, the technology challenges and solutions; as well as Smarter City, sustainable impact on citizens lives and culture. The main topics in these sessions will be presented and discussed by prominent invited international speakers followed by a panel discussion. The free forum will be open to academics, researchers, and industry professionals from the fast growing ICT sectors in the UAE and the region.

Speakers include:

  • Mr. Roberto Saracco Director of EIT ICT Labs, Chair of the IEEE Future Direction Committee, Italy
  • Mr. Michael Dixon IBM General Manager, Smarter Cities, USA
  • Dr. Glenn Ricart President, US-Ignite, USA
  • Professor Mischa Dohler Head of the Centre for Telecommunications Research King’s College, University of London, UK
  • Dr. Ng See Kiong SERC Programme Director, Urban Systems Initiative, A*STAR, Singapore
  • Professor Dimitra Simeonidou University of Bristol, UK

The event will begin at 9AM and conclude at 4PM.  I would encourage you to attend so you may hear these outstanding speakers discuss the topic “Towards a Smarter City”. In order to register just click here. I will be attending so if you see me stop and say hello.

In addition, you are invited on May 18-19 The International Conference on Information and Communication Technology Research (ICTRC2015) will be held in conjunction with the forum in Abu Dhabi. It aims to be the forum for scientists, academics, engineers, and industry professionals throughout the World to present their latest research results, ideas, developments, and applications in all areas of Information and Communication Technology.

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