Thank you for your detailed response; I’d like to offer you a bit more feedback on some of the issues you brought up. I’m sorry to hear that you feel we are not a reputable organization. We expend considerable time, energy and funds to keep the program current and to achieve external recognition from the Certification Council for Professional Dog Trainers (CCPDT), the International Accreditors for Continuing Education & Training (IACET), and the Distance Education Accrediting Commission (DEAC). If you have suggestions for other partnerships or accreditations, we’d love to hear your ideas.
You’ve raised a valid point regarding student participation in course discussions. Unfortunately, not all students put forth their best effort and this can be disappointing. Faculty do work to involve everyone and to provide follow up questions to further engage students. While the quizzes are formative in nature – encouraging multiple submissions to improve understanding – students can merely repeat the quizzes to improve their score without becoming more engaged - as you pointed out, although students are only cheating themselves. The final exams and any class projects are summative in nature and allow students to demonstrate mastery of the material.
I appreciate your frank feedback and we will use it to improve the quality of our students’ experience. If you are interested in pursuing credentials from other organizations, such as CCPDT, please be aware that we offer a free mini-course on CCPDT exam prep that is free to all students and graduates. Again, my thanks for your helpful feedback.