By Joy McMasters
Daily Bruin Staff
Four years pass and two students earn their degrees. One earns
it through distance learning, the other through a traditional
college. Do both degrees mean the same thing?
The spread of distance learning has raised fears as to the
quality of these programs, causing accrediting institutions to
re-evaluate the way they do their job.
Schools must be accredited to be eligible for federal student
aid. In addition, the benefit of the “stamp of quality”
allows students to transfer credits and get tuition reimbursement
from employers, according Judith Eaton, president of the Council
for Higher Education Accreditation.
“Students need to know the status of an institution from
which they’re taking course work,” she said.
“They need to know whether credits will be transferable or
applicable to a degree ““ research that students should do
regardless.”
CHEA coordinates accreditation between schools and 56 types of
accreditors on a national level. Many of the groups review distance
learning environments using standards and practices very similar to
those used for on-campus schools.
The Western Association of Schools and Colleges ““ one of
six regional agencies which accredits about 150 four-year colleges
in California and Hawaii ““ has begun establishing policy
specific to distance learning programs. Colleges are accredited by
regional agencies Although there is no federal accrediting agency,
the regional associations have fairly similar standards.
“We look really closely at how the program was planned and
how the institution took into consideration their resources and the
impact on the on-campus program. In some ways, we scrutinize the
distance education programs to assure that quality is being
maintained and learning is happening,” said WASC Assistant
Director Katherine Hinds.
Once an institution is accredited, all its programs are
accredited, so starting a distance learning program includes
presenting plans for the program to WASC for prior approval to
ensure the quality of the institution isn’t compromised by
the new method of learning.
“WASC’s role is to review the institution’s
policies, plans and processes for initiating such a program,”
the WASC policy statement states. “The WASC review of
distance education programs will continue to emphasize the
importance of a strong internal review process within the
institution.”
As with on-campus programs, WASC checks to see if library and
faculty resources and student support services are adequate, and
ensures security in submitting tests and papers ““ which
become more complicated for distance learning, Hinds said.
On-campus institutions like the UCLA Extension often work with
companies like OnlineLearning.net to manage the technical aspects
of online distance learning.
“OnlineLearning.net partners with accredited institutions
and associations of higher learning to provide online
instructor-led courses to help adult learners around the world
access the best in educational resources,” said Bea Kinser,
marketing director for OnlineLearning.net.
“OnlineLearning.net provides the platform, customer
service, instructor training, and marketing services. The
institutions of higher learning provide the educational
content,” she continued.
Since it is not a school, OnlineLearning.net is not accredited
and does not need to be, but schools that offer courses through its
services are.
“Students prefer taking courses that are accredited. It
offers legitimacy and credibility.” Kinser said.
Many distance learning courses and programs are offered by
institutions which do not have campuses, and fewer of these are
accredited.
The Fielding Institute, a WASC-accredited graduate school based
in Santa Barbara, is one of a handful of regionally accredited
off-campus institutions.
Fielding first gained conditional accreditation in 1978 and full
regional accreditation from WASC in 1982.
“At that time we seemed non-traditional in that we
didn’t have a campus,” said Sylvia Williams, enrollment
manager for the Fielding Institute. “What people normally
thought of as colleges and universities were people coming into the
same room to learn.”
Like many distance learning programs and institutions, Fielding
serves working professionals pursuing graduate degrees, and has
about 1,250 students according to Williams.
Fielding’s clinical psychology program received
provisional accreditation in 1991 and full accreditation a few
years later.
“That’s considered rather fast tracked for a school
that young to receive accreditation,” Williams said.
The accreditation process usually takes six to nine years, Hinds
said, adding that it is also hard to lose accreditation after it
has been granted.
Though online courses are getting most of the attention,
distance learning has been around for years and includes courses
taught by means of devices ranging from video tapes to satellites
to snail mail.
“The great thing about technology-mediated learning is
that it appeals to adult learners, and the whole concept of
continuing education is growing,” Hinds said, “Now the
university is going out to the people.
“It is gaining legitimacy because people are seeing that
they can do it on their time without sacrificing their
life.”