System Design and Development

Capella is accreditated and requires just as much or more work than your typical brick and mortar college.  I have attended both traditional and online colleges.  I like online colleges because it's convenient for me; especially being military.  The truth is most people do not want to dedicate the time required to complete an online degree.  Online learning requires alot of work and dedication.  We all have choices...if you don't like online, please go to a traditional college; but don't knock other people's choices.

To Michael Yates - you know not of what you speak. Take some classes at Capella. Whether you or anyone else likes it, Michael, even brick and morter schools are going online. Technology is responsible for this. My classes at Capella are extremely challenging, and the school is regionally accredited. So before you eat your own cheeseburger, think about the kind of cheese you want to put on it.

Capella has charged my husband for a class they signed him up for that he had no idea of at the time. He did not know it until a credit agency started hounding him for the money. He has asked to take the class if he has to pay for it. Simple. That is all he ask. He gets silence or answering machines from the school or someone will say they are looking into it and never calls him back. Does someone know the key person to reach to get this thing settled? In the meantime, he is being harrassed by the credit agency that talks to him awful.  Please, someone out there, tell us what to do!!!

Capella is a glorified degree mill. Perfect for that person who wants to boast about their doctorate while putting cheese on your Whopper.

I have attended Capella for nearly two years (and I have just changed my specilization which means I will be there another year).  I am working on my Masters and overall Capella is not bad.  

Pros.  They are upfront about your financial obligations.  Their counselors seem knowlagable about the different degrees and specializations.  The material is appropreate to the program.  I have never purchased a book to findout that I had the wrong book, and Capella has never made a mistake when they told me what text I needed for class (I am sure that it does happen from time to time, the world is an inperfect place).  I always have known what was expected of me in nearly every class (I can think of 2 times when this was not the case).  The learner support team has always been helpful and timely getting back to me on any problem.  When I had an issue with a grade I received in a class I was allowed to protest the grade no questions asked.  I have never been discriminated against (others claim that there is discrimination at Capella but I have not seen this happen in my experiance).  

Cons: Capella did not rule in my favor regarding the grade I protested (the teacher didn't know what he was doing and only lasted one semester before he left (was fired - whatever really happended).  The course path and details about the finished deliverable for a number of classes has been foggy at best.  I have gone up to the last week not really knowing what my deliverable was going to look like or even what is was suppose to be (in a couple cases only).  Doing everything via the internet is tough no matter what school you go to.  You can't walk into class and say to your instructor (I didn't understand this or that can you show me) because this is not a traditional class setting.  I have had a hard time dealing with this reality, but I guess it all depends on your aptitude (you yourself might learn better long distance, I learn better hands on with special attention from the teacher when I need help).  You have to realize that a long distance course is just that - long distance.  If you plan for this reality things will go better for you in the long run.  

There have been rumors of kick backs and the like, from schools who talk their students into enrolling with Capella, but as far as I know all this is speculation.  I will tell you this, I had signed up with two other schools and was looking at a third at the time I signed with Capella.  I signed with Capella because they were the most honest of the four schools I was considering at the time.  The other institutions lied to me about finances and their expectations of me.

***Correction*** 
The person who's lawsuit was dismissed goes by 'Anon' in this forum and NOT 'Joe'. My bad.

Lawsuit against Capella DISMISSED

The person who goes by 'Joe' and 'Anon' in this forum is the same man who's lawsuit against Capella was dismissed on 11/19/2007.

According to Capella's site:

All charges brought against Capella University by a former learner were dismissed on Monday, November 19, 2007, in United States District Court for the Central District of California. The court found that Capella did not violate the Americans with Disabilities Act and provided adequate accommodations to Jeffry La Marca. Capella has consistently denied Mr. La Marca’s allegations.


In fact, the court found that:

1. LaMarca is not disabled under the ADA.

2. Even if LaMarca was disabled under the ADA, Capella granted reasonable accommodations.

3. Capella did not engage in retaliation by locking out LaMarca from Capella's courserooms due to LaMarca's abusive behavior.
In fact, the judge found that: "Plaintiff's comments were abusive, harassing, and inappropriate for any public environment, let alone the functional equivalent of a classroom..."
Dec 17 2007

According to the national news media, Capella University University's Financial Aid Director, Tim Lehmann, has just been placed on leave for accepting kickbacks from a student loan company.

Joe doesn't seem to care if Capella hires charlatans such as Diane Stottlemyer. A simple Google search reveals that she not only bought and used fake degrees from a known diploma mill but that Capella University knew about her and still kept her on. A real university would never tolerate such unethical behavior. In fact, others have been fired from positions because they bought fake degrees from the same school she did.

"Capella University is nothing more than an online money-making scam"

 - I disagree. "Capella University is accredited by The Higher Learning Commission and is a member of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools (NCA), www.ncahlc.org" (http://www.capella.edu/about_capella/accreditation.aspx). The University holds professional accredition. "the American Counseling Association's Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP) has accredited Capella's mental health counseling and marital, couple and family counseling/therapy specializations in the School of Human Services"
(http://www.capella.edu/about_capella/accreditation.aspx).

 - "Capella hires and retains “instructors” who have literally bought their graduate “degrees” from diploma mills. That’s right, Capella University knowingly subjects their students (which they call “learners”) to unethical “instructors” who have purchased fake degrees". Faculty members who teach at Capella are graduates of regionally accredited universities. The faculty member in question has a regionally accredited masters degree, and qualifies for the position. There are Regionally Accredited brick and mortar universities across the US that are staffed with graduate level faculty holding unaccredited degrees. This is of concern.

 - "Students with disabilities are also subjected to gross incompetence as evidenced by not only lawsuits that are pending against the University for their failure to accommidate such students but also by the fact that their disabilities services director apparently has never taught. Not only that, but she seemingly has no background, whatsoever, in disabilities services prior to working at Capella" The former student suing the university for disability accomidation has extensive experience in education technology. This person currently works as a technology administrator and has done very well at Capella. Capella University has fully refunded this persons tuition and accomidated the student before the lawsuit. However, this student has refused to cash the check. It is my understanding that this student has purchased real estate and it is in desperate need to pay off the debt. I believe that the lawyers are hoping to pressure capella by spreading negative info about the university. Hence the above post.