IOND University
Encyclopedia
IOND University is an unaccredited
supplier of distance education
based in Japan
and registered as a domestic nonprofit corporation in Hawaii
. It is considered to be a diploma mill
operation by experts in Japan.
The university dates its beginnings to April 12, 1999. Its name is an acronym for International Organization for Nontraditional Distance Learning.
IOND's programs include studies in Japanese traditional culture
for students who are United States citizens. Other areas of study offered include liberal arts
, hypnosis
, international relations (including defense, religion, and political economy
), art, music, management, sciences, engineering, English, Japanese sword, Budō
, unknown phenomena research (including UFOlogy, ESP, and paranormal phenomena), environmental sciences, and marine sciences. Bachelor's, Master's and Ph.D. degrees are offered.
The university states that its "first motto" is "We care about what you know, not where you learned it." This motto refers to the university's practice of awarding academic credit for life experience. According to IOND's website, "We assess and evaluate the student's personal experience and convert it into university credits... The professor scientifically assesses and evaluates the student's personal experience and achievements. The professor then provides the technical and methodological learning direction so as to change the student's personal experience into knowledge. We issue degrees to students according to their level of achievement of their learning paradigm."
IOND's website states that the institution has academic partnerships with Mindanao State University
and "Univaersidad De Manila" (possibly referring to Universidad de Manila
) in the Philippines
and with the University of Lodz
in Poland
, but the Oregon State Office of Degree Authorization
(ODA) states that there is "no evidence of legal authority to issue degrees valid in Philippines" and that the University of Lodz denies being affiliated with IOND. The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board states that IOND has claimed to be approved by the Philippines, but "that appears to consist of a claim of affiliation with some Philippine universities, which does not constitute approval to operate."
The State of Hawaii filed an official complaint against IOND University charging violation of state consumer protection
laws. Trial
was conducted in October 2008 and the judge issued an oral summary decision on October 17, 2008.
Educational accreditation
Educational accreditation is a type of quality assurance process under which services and operations of educational institutions or programs are evaluated by an external body to determine if applicable standards are met...
supplier of distance education
Distance education
Distance education or distance learning is a field of education that focuses on teaching methods and technology with the aim of delivering teaching, often on an individual basis, to students who are not physically present in a traditional educational setting such as a classroom...
based in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
and registered as a domestic nonprofit corporation in Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
. It is considered to be a diploma mill
Diploma mill
A diploma mill is an organization that awards academic degrees and diplomas with substandard or no academic study and without recognition by official educational accrediting bodies. The purchaser can then claim to hold an academic degree, and the organization is motivated by making a profit...
operation by experts in Japan.
The university dates its beginnings to April 12, 1999. Its name is an acronym for International Organization for Nontraditional Distance Learning.
IOND's programs include studies in Japanese traditional culture
Culture of Japan
The culture of Japan has evolved greatly over the millennia, from the country's prehistoric Jōmon period to its contemporary hybrid culture, which combines influences from Asia, Europe and North America...
for students who are United States citizens. Other areas of study offered include liberal arts
Liberal arts
The term liberal arts refers to those subjects which in classical antiquity were considered essential for a free citizen to study. Grammar, Rhetoric and Logic were the core liberal arts. In medieval times these subjects were extended to include mathematics, geometry, music and astronomy...
, hypnosis
Hypnosis
Hypnosis is "a trance state characterized by extreme suggestibility, relaxation and heightened imagination."It is a mental state or imaginative role-enactment . It is usually induced by a procedure known as a hypnotic induction, which is commonly composed of a long series of preliminary...
, international relations (including defense, religion, and political economy
Political economy
Political economy originally was the term for studying production, buying, and selling, and their relations with law, custom, and government, as well as with the distribution of national income and wealth, including through the budget process. Political economy originated in moral philosophy...
), art, music, management, sciences, engineering, English, Japanese sword, Budō
Budo
is a Japanese term describing martial arts. In English, it is used almost exclusively in reference to Japanese martial arts.-Etymology:Budō is a compound of the root bu , meaning war or martial; and dō , meaning path or way. Specifically, dō is derived from the Buddhist Sanskrit mārga...
, unknown phenomena research (including UFOlogy, ESP, and paranormal phenomena), environmental sciences, and marine sciences. Bachelor's, Master's and Ph.D. degrees are offered.
The university states that its "first motto" is "We care about what you know, not where you learned it." This motto refers to the university's practice of awarding academic credit for life experience. According to IOND's website, "We assess and evaluate the student's personal experience and convert it into university credits... The professor scientifically assesses and evaluates the student's personal experience and achievements. The professor then provides the technical and methodological learning direction so as to change the student's personal experience into knowledge. We issue degrees to students according to their level of achievement of their learning paradigm."
IOND's website states that the institution has academic partnerships with Mindanao State University
Mindanao State University
Mindanao State University is a public coeducational institution of higher education located in the Islamic City of Marawi, Philippines...
and "Univaersidad De Manila" (possibly referring to Universidad de Manila
Universidad de Manila
The Universidad de Manila is a public university in Manila, Philippines...
) in the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
and with the University of Lodz
University of Lódz
The University of Łódź was founded May 24, 1945 in Łódź, as a continuation of educational institutions functioning in Łódź in the interwar period - the Teacher Training Institute , the Higher School of Social and Economic Sciences and a division of the Free Polish University .Currently it has more...
in Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
, but the Oregon State Office of Degree Authorization
Oregon State Office of Degree Authorization
The Oregon State Office of Degree Authorization is a unit of the Oregon Student Assistance Commission with responsibilities related to maintaining high standards in private higher education institutions in Oregon...
(ODA) states that there is "no evidence of legal authority to issue degrees valid in Philippines" and that the University of Lodz denies being affiliated with IOND. The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board states that IOND has claimed to be approved by the Philippines, but "that appears to consist of a claim of affiliation with some Philippine universities, which does not constitute approval to operate."
The State of Hawaii filed an official complaint against IOND University charging violation of state consumer protection
Consumer protection
Consumer protection laws designed to ensure fair trade competition and the free flow of truthful information in the marketplace. The laws are designed to prevent businesses that engage in fraud or specified unfair practices from gaining an advantage over competitors and may provide additional...
laws. Trial
Trial
A trial is, in the most general sense, a test, usually a test to see whether something does or does not meet a given standard.It may refer to:*Trial , the presentation of information in a formal setting, usually a court...
was conducted in October 2008 and the judge issued an oral summary decision on October 17, 2008.