I’ve gotten a few e-mails today complaining about the use of the word “fake” in my latest Chronicle column:
Harvard has the opposite of a brand deficit. It has a brand surplus. The name is so strong that Harvard can run a side business selling fake Harvard credits and nobody bats an eye.
Here I’m referring to Harvard Summer School, an open admissions operation that Harvard runs over the summer where people can pay thousands of dollars to live in dorms once occupied by actual Harvard students. (The Web site says, for real, “JFK slept here … And so did Henry David Thoreau, Natalie Portman, and Al Gore.” This seems like kind of a dated and uncreative list.) I assume it’s a reasonably lucrative program since the university advertises in venues like The New York Times Education Life section. Students can also take some Harvard Summer School courses online. If you’re wondering if these courses really measures up to the famous Harvard brand, I would simply note that Harvard College itself doesn’t accept online credits from Harvard Summer School.
Now, in a very narrow sense I suppose one could argue that these aren’t “fake” Harvard credits in the same sense that they would be “fake” if I myself set up a Web site and started charging people $2,580 for courses claiming to confer “Harvard” credits. But, big picture, credits are only a means to an end—certifying that someone has learned enough to warrant a degree. The realness or fakeness of a given credit is therefore bound up in its utility for degree purposes. If someone graduates from Harvard, they say, “I have a degree from Harvard.” If they go to Harvard and drop out, they say something like “I attended Harvard.” Neither the degree holder nor the drop-out says “I earned credits from Harvard.” Graduate school, the job market—nobody cares how many credits you earned in college; they only care if you do or don’t have a degree. If the institution in question has selective admissions what they mostly care about is that you were smart enough to get accepted in the first place.
So if a university is selling credits as “Harvard” credits that cannot be used toward a degree at Harvard College, then it is selling fake Harvard credits. The fact that Harvard itself happens to be doing this doesn’t change that fact.
All of which highlights the need to move past institutionwide brands as the way of signalling quality in the higher education market, which is actually the point of the column.
23 Responses to Harvard’s Fake-Harvard-Credit Business
grward - June 9, 2010 at 7:07 am
You’ve made an excellent point, and I hope someone at Harvard gets some grief for doing such a thing. They deserve it. Perhaps the message would then filter out to other institutions, such as the one in which I find myself, that “branding” is a two-way street. It can confer benefits, of course, in this age of competitiveness, but it also demands another dimension of responsibility; one that may mean simply saying no to most (all?) of the more “unintelligent”proposals. Saying no to any proposals that would bring in lucre in this day and age requires moral leadership. Let’s see if that leadership will rise and speak out at Harvard.
jffoster - June 9, 2010 at 7:19 am
Hahvahd — overpriced, overrated, overly full of itself, and over on the East Coast.
iris411 - June 9, 2010 at 8:25 am
The fake Harvard credits may not get you into a graduate school, but it sure can help you to get more and better job offers. Not many employers outside the academics understand the difference between Harvard summer school and the real Harvard degree. All they care is that they see you’ve done something at Harvard, among hundreds or mabye thousands of applications, the Harvard brand just stands out. Hence, your money is well worth it (because you will get a better job, hence it’s a worthy investment) as long as you stay away from the academic jobs. In this sense, Harvard brand really sells.
11245928 - June 9, 2010 at 8:58 am
It is very likely that your own institution is doing the same thing. Many DEistance Ed programs offer credit that is not “residence” credit, and a few allow people to take credit that will count towards a degree program even if they are not admitted to such a program. After admission a few of these credits can transfer to the degree program. What’s the difference?
sgreerpitt - June 9, 2010 at 8:58 am
While I agree with the writer’s overall point, the claim “nobody cares how many credits you earned in college” is not strictly true, although among the types of jobs where the number of college credits matters, having those credits come from Harvard would be suplerflous. One example among many, in the part of eastern Kentucky where I live, one can get a job as a substitute teacher with x number of college credits — well less than an associates degree, all that matters is that they are from an accredited institution.
leedav - June 9, 2010 at 8:58 am
Veritas!
dank48 - June 9, 2010 at 9:05 am
In an Esquire article, “The Matter with Harvard,” years ago, Alfred Kazin said, “Anyone who doesn’t know that his education was inadequate is a goddamn fool.” In the time since, we seem to have ceased caring one way or the other about whether our education was worth anything as such. Instead, we’re concerned about its marketability. Higher education, with its endless harping on how much more a college grad will earn than blah blah blah, is complicit in this Las Vegasization of American society, where everything and everybody is for sale.For the past century and a half, it’s been pretty widely accepted that forcibly treating other human beings as property that can be bought and sold is evil. What’s it say about us that we’ve voluntarily done it to ourselves?
akamis - June 9, 2010 at 9:49 am
Harvard: the academic world’s oldest profession.
sgtpepper - June 9, 2010 at 10:08 am
Harvard says it does not accept ONLINE courses for Harvard credit. But Harvard Summer School courses taken residentially in Cambridge do count toward the degree. The article does not make this distinction prominent, apparently condemning all of Harvard’s Summer School. By Carey’s criteria, there is nothing fake about Harvard Summer School credits or courses when taken in the same place and the same way that “actual Harvard students” take courses. In the late ’80s, I taught summer courses at Harvard, and there was nothing fake about them. I was demanding, and the students who chose Harvard for summer school were (almost) all looking for an intense intellectual challenge. The students were a pleasure to teach because they wanted to learn. There was certainly no more credential-mongering by them than among Harvard’s academic year students.
softshellcrab - June 9, 2010 at 10:23 am
@ sgtpepperGood “catch” by sgtpepper. I noticed the distinction as I read the article, saying that Harvard won’t accept online Summer credits, but I could only wonder if that also applied to credits for residential bricks and mortar classes. I am glad that sgtpepper had the inside knowledge to supply the answer. I have to say, it makes me wonder about the whole article now, as the author Carey was really intellectually dishonest here when he slid that comment in without noting that the nonrecognition was limited to online classes only. One of those things that make you wonder “What else did the author hide or obfuscate?” I guess the whole topic is just “for fun” and not a heavy topic anyway, but the failure to fully explain the distinction is a major discrepency given the topic of the article.
rentedname - June 9, 2010 at 10:31 am
Beyond the issue of whether Harvard is wise to risk diluting its brand in this manner, there are other issues Carey raises that are of interest, and I thank him for that. Although I disagree with most of his conclusions on the issues, the issues themselves are worth discussion.1. How can colleges and universities make better use of their physical plants and instructional resources? Harvard’s answer: use them year-round. My take: Good idea, but why not go further, and take a page from the for-profits, which operate in a truly year-round fashion?2. Should we offer online courses? Harvard’s answer: yes, but possibly don’t let them transfer in (essentially a NIMBY attitude). Carey’s take? Ambiguous, but he sounds open to the idea of granting full credit for them. My take: Yes.3. Should prestigious universities try to tell education to a much wider audience, limited only by ability to pay cash on the barrellhead? Harvard’s take: Absolutely yes (at least for summer school). Carey’s take? Apparently not. My take: Yes.4. Is it relevant to consider who had previously studied at a university when deciding whether or not to attend? Harvard’s take: Absolutely yes. Carey’s take? Maybe, but only if the people studied there recently. My take: I agree with Carey, but I sympathize with the Ghosts of Harvard Past.5. What is the purpose of a college course credit? Harvard: A course credit means what we say it means, neither more nor less. Carey’s take: “The realness or fakeness of a given credit is therefore bound up in its utility for degree purposes.” My take: A course credit has meaning only in relation to the difficulty and content of the skills mastered by a student in a learning activity. Course credits serve as mileposts on the highway of talent development. And I think this issue–and the confusion surrounding it–is the most important issue raised by Carey. The purpose of instruction is not to obtain degrees. The purpose of instruction is to acquire knowledge and skills. One ought to mark such achievements via credits. Degrees are–or ought to be–merely filters that determine whether a specific pattern of course credits has been achieved, through any of a variety of means, whether via traditional ground (in-person) classes, or summer programs, or online programs, or perhaps even via evaluation of prior learning experiences in real life. drew.carson@yahoo.com
allanryan - June 9, 2010 at 10:55 am
Carey and others have a right to pee on Harvard if they like, but they don’t have a right to make stuff up. With very few exceptions, Harvard Summer School credits are accepted toward a Harvard degree, either from Harvard College students or from those pursuing a degree through the Extension School. And anyone — anyone — who is willing to do the work and complete 36 courses from the Summer School or the term-time Extension School with satisfactory grades will march in Harvard Yard and receive a bachelor’s degree from Harvard University. I teach at Harvard Summer School and I agree with sgtpepper that my courses are demanding and the students here work hard, whether they are Harvard College undergrads, undergrads from elsewhere, high school juniors and seniors, or adults working their tail off to earn a Harvard University degree. Harvard has its share of snobs, as does any college, but its promise of a degree to anyone who wants to come and work hard is real.
oscarleslie - June 9, 2010 at 11:20 am
A little tough on Kevin here. Surely his point regarding residential summer school is that it has open enrolment, and therefore for them to count as “real” Harvard credits, the student would need to be admitted to the “real” Harvard. Fairly clear then then that Harvard is simply selling its branded credits in the same way it sells mugs and sweatshirts. None of which indicate membership of the elite club. Where was the obfuscation? Harvard isn’t alone; pretty much all the Ivy League do it. Its the American weakness for never being able to resist making an extra buck from a bit off spin off marketing. You wouldnt catch Oxford or Cambridge doing it.
intered - June 9, 2010 at 11:24 am
Harvard has a long history of unethical behavior. They educate an elite set of inputs and bask in the post-graduation achievements of these individuals whom, evidence suggests, would have achieved as much or more had Harvard not existed. Somehow, Harvard manages to see the accidents of history that set it in motion as a special calling that places its actions above conventional reproach. Among the excesses I have personally observed are: (a) I paid handsomely for the privilege of attending an online Harvard “class” with 2,500 other “students.” Had I been willing to pay an additional fee, I would have enjoyed the benefits of having a student proctor “grade” my work. Harvard would have been wagging its finger had a for-profit university taken money for claiming a shred of pedagogical evidence to support the idea of giving 2,500 students access to witness a lecture and calling it an online class. It was s shameless money grab and who knows if Harvard would have honored the “credits.” (b) In the 1980′s, in the first wave of the still stalled assessment movement, Harvard spent a hundred thousand dollars in a PR stunt to convince the world that they were leaders in assessment. The entire assessment activity consisted of 12 interviews in completely uncontrolled conditions with no efforts to construct a basis for logical comparison or inference. Harvard then pumped this up into 10,000 words and spent tens of thousands printing and mailing the report across the world. I guess if you’re Harvard, the canons of scientific reasoning do not apply to you. (c) In the 1990′s Harvard claimed to have invented the modern peer learning group (study groups, learning teams, etc.). They disseminated their insights widely (again, more money spent on PR than the underlying work). In fact, the same model was practiced by women’s study groups in the 1890′s. In modern times, study groups were refined a decade earlier by the University of Phoenix, and included robust process management algorithms, embedded process and outcome metrics, and faculty training modules. One could make the case that Harvard lifted UOP’s work but they would scoff at that. Harvard was effective in this PR campaign. I still see references crediting Harvard with the study group.P.S. Most of #11′s logic is vitiated by noting the fact that Harvard is refusing to recognize the validity of its own product by playing a shell game with its brand. Hypocrisy? Yes. Crooked? Yes. Con game? Yes. Uninspiring? Oh yes.
scott_wedman - June 9, 2010 at 11:37 am
Why are you picking on Harvard. The following schools, for example, also engage in the same practice:Oxford (thus showing that #13 was completely wrong when he said Oxford wouldn’t do this): http://summerschool.conted.ox.ac.uk/Yale: http://www.yale.edu/summer/USC: http://cesp.usc.edu/2010/summer/summer.shtmlRice: http://www.ruf.rice.edu/~edsumsch/And many others. Why do you care so much about Harvard?
scott_wedman - June 9, 2010 at 11:38 am
oscarleslie is factually incorrect. It’s not an American thing. It’s a university thing:1. Oxford: http://summerschool.conted.ox.ac.uk/2. Cambridge: http://www.ice.cam.ac.uk/courses/summer-schoolsAnyone up for a “feast of learning” at Cambridge?
7738373863 - June 9, 2010 at 12:02 pm
Bear in mind that Harvard also runs an adult and continuing education program called the Harvard Extension School, which operates under the same administrative oversight as the Summer School–in fact, some Summer School courses may be transferred to the Extension School for credit. The Extension School, which is also virtually an open-enrollment operation on the undergraduate level (proof of a high school diploma or equivalent required), also offers graduate degrees requiring proof of an undergraduate degree. Both the bachelor’s and master’s degrees are unequivocally Harvard degrees. Moreover, a number of the instructors in the Extension, if not the Summer School, are tenured members, or at least full-time members (e.g., lecturers), of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences of Harvard College, which is what most people intend when they refer to “Harvard.”The point here is to distinguish between what is an academically sound and honorable core mission shared by the Extension School and the Summer School, and the kind of recreational education experience that lures highly motivated advanced high school students, curious college students, and adult learners to destinations such as Harvard or Cornell, my own alma mater, not for the purpose of earning credits toward a degree, but for the purpose of trying on the ambience. High school students who want the feel of college life and some credits as well are better served enrolling in a supervised college experience program such as Summer Discovery.In sum, I think that Kevin Carey’s report has generated far more heat–mostly his own, self-righteous ire–than light.
allanryan - June 9, 2010 at 12:15 pm
“Surely his point regarding residential summer school is that it has open enrolment, and therefore for them to count as “real” Harvard credits, the student would need to be admitted to the “real” Harvard.”Oscarleslie, this is incorrect. If by the “real Harvard” you mean Harvard College, read my submission: anyone can earn a degree through the open-admission Harvard Extension School/Summer School. Personally, I consider that to be just as real as any other part of Harvard, and there are thousands of graduates with Harvard University bachelor and master’s degrees who agree with me.
dasmith - June 9, 2010 at 12:58 pm
As other readers have pointed out, this article is inaccurate. Harvard College offers degree credit for courses taken at its Summer School. High School students who take courses at the Summer School and then enroll in the College can even have retroactive credit granted to them. Another way of looking at the Summer School is that Harvard’s open enrollment policy and the financial aid it grants to applicants helps the university in its mission of educating people (though Carey seems to think that education is all about adding up the number of credits one can earn). Unfortunately Carey, in his sloppy and badly written blog, prefers to take the most cynical interpretation and run with it.
scott_wedman - June 9, 2010 at 1:29 pm
What does Carey have against Harvard compared to all of the other institutions that do this? For example, according to his bio, Mr. Carey went to Binghamton as an undergraduate. Binghamton has a summer program for non-traditional university students (high school, extension, etc.) as well. You can read about it here: http://www2.binghamton.edu/continuing-education/credit-programs/summer-session/admission.htmlWhat's so bad about Harvard?
princeton67 - June 9, 2010 at 2:42 pm
Mr. Carey is woefully ignorant of one real educational world: that of high school teachers. Harvard Summer School Credits are the sine qua non for two reasons:(1) if your state department of education accepts them for continuing education credits or add-on certification(2) if your local board of education is impressed when you apply for a department chair or administrative position.”So if a university is selling credits as “Harvard” credits that cannot be used toward a degree at Harvard College, then it is selling fake Harvard credits.” Very few high school teachers who enroll in the HSS (especially through the internet) have any interest, or time, or $$, to actually attend Harvard. They already have a B.A. and certification: all they want is upgrading on the salary or position scale.
intered - June 9, 2010 at 6:00 pm
Mr. Carey can no doubt speak for himself but I believe his organizing construct might be a concern with the essential (contingent not empirical) incommensurability among determinates of grades and credits, and the hypocrisy that higher education’s leaders unknowingly heap upon this fact. No one possessing even basic knowledge of measurement science would claim that there is anything scientifically sound to mean by a credit beyond the institutional underwriting. The denotation loses meaning rapidly as we stroll across the campus, and precipitously as we move to another campus. Yet, we behave as if it were a brute fact, independent of local conventional meaning. Among other things, the implication of this generalized fact is that Harvard and the other schools practicing this double/triple standard have little more than the hot air of arrogance upon which to base their differential policies.I am basing this claim on the incommensurability of the proficiencies that determine the grade, assuming theoretically perfect assessment. The picture would be much messier were I to address the validity of the underlying assessment processes. The professoriate’s grading practices are so antiquated and invalid (inconsistent, unreliable, unfaithful to stated constructs, etc.) that a litigious-minded student could have a heyday in court. Thank goodness, no one has caught on to this . . . yet. Meanwhile, Harvard (and, yes, others) bases its distinctions as to creditworthiness on independent variables that are scarcely more valid (useful) than the color of one’s shoes. Perhaps the reason Mr. Carey focuses on Harvard is that their self-proclaimed superiority leads us to expect something better than flawed, guild-permeated logic from them. At one time, I held such expectations myself.Robert W. TuckerSeparately: Pop quiz for #4, #15, #16, #17, #20 & #21. What is the name of the logical fallacy of attacking someone for not identifying one error in reasoning in the course of having identified another?
lindamcphee - June 10, 2010 at 4:47 am
I taught in the Harvard Summer School in the late 1980s, and there was nothing fake about it, from the student point of view. The work was demanding and students spent considerable effort. About the online courses, I have no knowledge.