英语问答类阅读理解求答案

英语问答类阅读理解求答案
OEDb (Online Education Database) released their second annual Online College Rankings earlier today.OEDb’s Online College Rankings 2008 ranks 41 national undergraduate colleges and universities that offer most or all of their degree programs online.OEDb recognizes these colleges and universities as the leading degree-granting online colleges.
Upper Iowa University topped this year’s rankings,followed by LeTourneau University and Liberty University.The remaining schools in the top ten include:Nova Southeastern University,California University of Pennsylvania,Grand Canyon University,Regent University,Champlain College,Westwood College,and Tiffin University,respectively.Other notable rankings include ITT Technical Institute at 16th,Kaplan University at 17th,and the University of Phoenix at 25th.
Each school’s ranking is based on data derived from up to eight different metrics:acceptance rate,financial aid,graduation rate,peer Web citations,retention rate,scholarly citations,student-faculty ratio,and years accredited.The overall rankings list each college by its average ranking for each metric for which data was available.
Online education has grown exponentially over the last ten years due to its flexible,portable,and cost-effective nature.However,online colleges and universities still suffer from ambiguity in educational quality which limits the prestige and reputation of an online degree.
OEDb attempts to make online education more transparent with these objectives rankings that compare the most popular accredited online colleges.OEDb spokesperson Ashley Merusi said,“OEDb’s second annual Online College Rankings saves students valuable time by ranking the top online colleges in an objective,un-biased manner.Those online colleges ranked in the top ten should be especially commended for their commitment to providing a quality education and experience for students.”
1.When did OEDb release their first Online College Rankings?
2.Which university ranked third?
3.What are the ranking based on?
4.Why does OEDb release the annual rankings?