New on WCET Frontiers
Policy
SAN Releases a New “How To” Handbook to Build an Institution’s State-to-State Authorization Plan
Published by: WCET | 9/18/2025
The State Authorization Network (SAN) is excited to share SAN’s newest comprehensive resource, the State-to-State Institutional Approval for Distance Education Handbook, developed in partnership with Shari Miller, Institutional Compliance MATTERS. This handbook is the third major SAN report designed to demystify complex compliance requirements when institutions offer interstate opportunities, whether through online courses or experiential […]
Practice
WCET’s Accessibility Project: Progress, but Not yet Perfection
Published by: WCET | 9/4/2025
WCET has always taken accessibility seriously. When we updated our website in 2021, we worked diligently to ensure that all content, including PDFs, adhered to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0, AA standards. We worked with WebAIM a few years after the website’s launch to ensure that our web-based content still complied with those standards. […]
Policy
What the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” Means for Digital Learning in Higher Education
Published by: WCET | 7/22/2025
There is no shortage of news items about Congress recently passing the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA). We know that the OBBBA was a massive budget bill that was passed using an expedited process, created by the Congressional Budget Act of 1974, called “reconciliation.” This process allows for the Senate to pass the legislation […]
Policy
December Federal Rulemaking Activity – New Final Regulations & Withdrawn Provisions
Published by: WCET | 1/7/2025
T’was the final weeks of December when most of higher education was not stirring – except for the U.S. Department of Education (Department). The Department was preparing gifts announcements finalizing the regulatory issues from the Winter 2024 rulemaking. In late December, the Department released two important announcements: These announcements separate the Winter 2024 issue areas […]
Policy
What Might Happen to the Department’s Pending Regulations and Guidance?
Published by: WCET | 11/14/2024
The direction for regulations and guidance for digital and distance education shifted greatly with the recent election. As you may recall, the U.S. Department of Education (the Department) was planning to release sweeping regulatory changes on distance education, accreditation, state authorization reciprocity, and mandatory fees for books and materials. They also planned changes to guidance […]
Policy
Meeting the Looming Web Accessibility Regulations: The Time to Start Was Yesterday
Published by: WCET | 11/7/2024
A recent NWHeat webinar highlighted that public institutions must mobilize immediately (if not sooner) to meet the coming U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) accessibility guidelines. Released in April 2024, the new regulation requires “state and local governments to make their websites and mobile applications accessible for people with disabilities.” These rules encompass all public colleges and universities. […]
Practice
Words From the Wise: Tips for Success from Experienced Distance Education Compliance Professionals
Published by: WCET | 9/12/2024
Distance Education or State Authorization Compliance refers to the set of rules, regulations, and standards that educational institutions must follow when offering remote (often online) learning opportunities to students. Ensuring institutional compliance is an arduous task, as rules, standards, and legal requirements are ever- evolving and can vary depending on the state or territory. Recently, […]
Policy
Last Chance to Shape 2024 Distance Education Federal Regulations – Join the Rulemaking Process Now!
Published by: WCET | 9/5/2024
There is one last chance for you to participate in the rulemaking process for the recently released distance education-related regulations to inform the U.S. Department of Education (Department) of any concerns prior to the Department issuing the final regulations. We maintain, as discussed in our July WCET Frontiers Post and our public comment, that the […]
Policy
Survey on New DOJ Regulation on Accessibility of Web Information and Services
Published by: WCET | 8/29/2024
On August 2, WCET published our post, Accessibility in the Spotlight: Department of Justice Regulations, on the Department of Justice (DOJ) final rule revising the regulation implementing Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The new regulation establishes requirements for making accessible the services, programs, and activities offered by state and local government […]
Policy
The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines – the ADA’s Requirements for Digital Content
Published by: WCET | 8/22/2024
This month, WCET is placing a spotlight on digital accessibility, with a particular focus on the newly updated requirements for public entities, including higher education institutions. We kicked off the month with an overview of the recent ADA updates, and today, we are thrilled to continue along this theme. A warm welcome and heartfelt thanks […]