Online Education Has Come a Long Way—So Why Do the Myths Persist?

Policy

Published by: WCET | 4/30/2026

For 15 years, the State Authorization Network has supported higher education institutions navigating the complexities of interstate compliance for distance education. SAN currently serves more than 975 institutions and organizations nationwide. What began as a response to emerging federal regulations in late 2010 has grown into a national community of practice, connecting professionals, shaping institutional approaches, and advancing shared understanding across an evolving regulatory landscape. This anniversary offers an opportunity to […]

Policy

Published by: WCET | 4/21/2026

It was a big week for federal higher education policy. Last week began with the launch of negotiated rulemaking for the Accreditation, Innovation, and Modernization (AIM) Committee, signaling a bold plan for reform on accreditation. It closed with two significant regulatory actions: the release of the U.S. Department of Justice’s (DoJ) interim final rule on digital accessibility and the U.S. Department of Education’s (ED) proposed rules addressing accountability.   […]

Policy

Published by: WCET | 4/16/2026

Authored in collaboration with Cheryl Dowd, Senior Director, SAN & WCET Policy Innovations, Erika Swain, Assistant Director of Academic Compliance and Authorization, University of Colorado Boulder; and Mitchell Tiedman and Ella Reichard, University of Colorado Boulder, Colorado Law Clinic. The compliance challenges and negative outcomes that can arise around interstate distance education are well-documented: barriers […]

Practice

Published by: WCET | 4/9/2026

Over 1.85 million credentials are offered in the U.S. That number, from Credential Engine’s Counting Credentials 2025 report, is striking on its own. But the more important story is what those credentials tell us about how the credential marketplace is changing, and why getting the data infrastructure right has never mattered more.  Credential Engine’s research in the Counting Credentials report, […]

Practice

Published by: WCET | 4/8/2026

Institutional leaders are quickly realizing that “quality” isn’t an end-goal; instead, it’s an ongoing journey toward continued improvement. This idea, coupled with WCET’s commitment to supporting institutions as they face increasing pressure to innovate, is behind the launch of the new WCET Online Learning Quality Rubric Toolkit. The WCET Online Learning Quality Rubric Toolkit has […]

Practice

Published by: WCET | 4/2/2026

I came out of a graduate program that focused on research over teaching. I received one day of pedagogical training, which (because, as a historian, I was tapped to teach freshman composition) was half a day more than my peers. During my first few years of teaching, I floundered and struggled to find ways to […]

Practice

Published by: WCET | 3/26/2026

Recently, I was participating in a nationwide AI workgroup where someone suggested that the very phrase academic integrity is problematic. The argument was that it implies students lack integrity or are cheating when they use AI. In that same conversation, there was an undercurrent that anyone focused on integrity concerns might be a Luddite, someone […]

Policy

Published by: WCET | 3/19/2026

If a nursing program’s curriculum satisfies a state’s educational requirements for an individual to qualify for licensure in that profession, it may seem reasonable to assume the institution can enroll students located in that state or place them in required clinical experiences there. After all, if the program prepares students to become licensed in that […]

Policy

Published by: WCET | 3/17/2026

Federal and state policymakers are increasingly signaling that the future of workforce development, postsecondary education, and industry alignment is dependent on integrating systems and strategies. Recent policy actions, including the expansion of Workforce Pell, increased flexibility in Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) implementation, federal investments through the Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education […]