Quality Assurance in Distance Education
Policy Options and Status of the States
Regional organizations can facilitate the sharing
of quality instructional programming.
Although courses and programs have been offered through distance learning technologies for some time, institutions/systems of higher education, state governments, higher education coordinating and governing boards, regional and professional/ specialized accrediting agencies, and regional higher education organizations are just beginning to address the issue of quality assurance. Established policies and practices provide helpful lessons to others who are developing appropriate policies.
As colleges and universities move to make programs available beyond their campuses, they are being influenced both by external and internal forces to rethink the role of technology and to develop policies that address issues such as instructional design, faculty-student interaction, and student support services. A common set of standards, such as those put forward by the Western Cooperative or ACE, will help institutions identify areas that are crucial to policy development and offer basic guidelines for developing quality distance education programming.
The primary state interest is protecting the education consumer. State governments can do this by requiring educational providers to publicly disclose their accreditation status, providing consumers with criteria for evaluating the quality of a program, and, where possible, acting as an ombudsman when the consumer's trust has been violated.
Traditionally, however, the state role in quality assurance in higher education has been one of regulation and licensing. Almost every state has some type of procedure for review and licensure of out-of-state institutions that seek to offer courses in their state:
Fourteen of
the 15 WICHE states require either registration or licensure of all or
most out-of-state programs. In seven of these states (Alaska, Colorado,
Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Utah, and Wyoming) accredited institutions
from out-of-state are exempt from licensure.
Hawaii is the
only state without a registration or licensure requirement for out-of-state
postsecondary institutions. Hawaii requires only that non-accredited institutions
disclose their accreditation status in all catalogs and promotional materials.
Reference to
electronically delivered programs is included in registration/ licensure
policies in six states (California, Colorado, Idaho, Oregon, South Dakota,
and Washington).
Stricter licensing requirements usually are among the first options states consider when looking for ways to protect the education consumer. There are several reasons, however, why this may not be the best policy option. First, in the era of global electronic com- munication, enforcement of licensure requirements is difficult, if not impossible. Since there is no way to predict the location of a student studying over the Internet, it is nearly impossible to stop unscrupulous providers or those with poor quality programs from offering programs. Second, strict state licensing/ registration requirements may dissuade quality institutions from delivering programs through distance technologies. The University of North Dakota, for example, was discouraged by strict state regulations from offering its unique, multi-disciplinary space studies program in Washington. Other reputable, public institutions decided not to offer academic programs through distance technologies in Idaho and California because of strict regulations in those states. Finally, it is unclear whether applying state licensing requirements to programs from providers that do not have a physical presence in the state can be considered a "restraint of trade" under the Commerce Clause of the U.S. Constitution.
Reciprocal agreements among states, whereby a receiving state can rely on a home state's review to ensure quality, will become more feasible as more states adopt quality standards. Such agreements would, in turn, benefit program providers by ensuring that they would no longer have to meet the disparate requirements of 50 states' regulations.
The Oregon State System for Higher Education (OSSHE) includes criteria
for evaluating distance learning programs in its current program review
process. The OSSHE Distance Education Policy Framework, published in 1995,
sets out specific criteria for maintaining the "integrity" of
programs offered to distant sites.
The New Mexico Commission on Higher Education is considering tying quality
expectations for distance learning to formula funding. The commission
has a policy under review that would require institutions receiving formula
funds for extended learning programs to meet the criteria for quality
laid out in the Western Cooperative's Principles
of Good Practice.
Washington is incorporating the Principles
of Good Practice into its Guidelines for Program Planning, Approval,
and Review for Four-Year Public Institutions. Several other states in
the WICHE region have endorsed or are considering endorsing the Western
Cooperative's Principles of Good Practice: Arizona, Colorado,
Montana, South Dakota, and Utah.
In 12 of the 15 WICHE states accreditation is the principal criterion for granting approval to an out-of-state institution interested in offering an education program within the state. Accreditation also is the standard most frequently used by students and businesses to evaluate the quality of a program of study.
As of March 1995, the boards of three regional accrediting bodies, the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Institutions, the junior college division of the Western Association of Schools and Colleges, and the Southern Association of Schools and Colleges, had endorsed the Western Cooperative's Principles. All of the regional accrediting agencies are expected to incorporate the Principles into their reviews of distance education programs by the end of the year. Moreover, the American Assembly of Collegiate Schools of Business and the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education are formulating guidelines to help their evaluation teams review distance learning programs and student support services.
Regional organizations can facilitate the sharing of quality instructional programming.
Through research and information sharing, regional organizations can identify and promote quality education programs; assist states in identifying and eliminating barriers to the sharing of quality education programs; provide consumer information on how to identify quality programs; and help states avoid costly program duplication.
One of the initiatives being pursued by the Southern Regional Education
Board's newly formed Educational Technology Cooperative is development
of an inventory of existing distance learning programs.
WICHE's Western Cooperative for Educational Telecommunications is developing
a consumer information brochure for electronic learning. The brochure,
which will be distributed through state higher education governing and
coordinating boards, will empower students by helping them to ask the
right questions of a potential institution.
The Western Cooperative is working with the Western Governors' Association
on its virtual university initiative. One goal of this initiative is to
enhance the marketplace for instructional materials. This includes: (1)
collecting examples of "best practices" in distance learning
and developing prototype technology standards to be used in soliciting
instructional materials; (2) developing specifications for providing support
services to students studying at a distance; and (3) constructing a virtual
catalogue that includes electronically delivered courses and programs
which meet standards of good practice in technology-based education.
A second goal of the virtual university initiative is to shift the focus of quality assessment away from the academic program and toward assessment of the learner. The quality of an academic program will be judged by outcomes (the demonstrated competency of its graduates) rather than resources (faculty credentials, library facilities, etc.). Public disclosure of a program's success at producing competent graduates will help students identify quality programs.
of Good Practice