New on WCET Frontiers
Policy
Major Changes to Distance Ed: Department of Education Rulemaking Final Session Update
Published by: WCET | 3/20/2024
Major changes loom on the horizon for postsecondary distance education programs in the United States, but we are now in a temporary limbo of uncertainty. The Department of Education’s Program Integrity and Institutional Quality negotiated rulemaking sessions ended on March 7. Despite tons of suggestions and hours of discussion, none of the distance and digital […]
Practice
Navigating Potholes in the Road on your Microcredential Journey
Published by: WCET | 6/15/2023
The WCET Steering Committee Microcredentialing workgroup is a small and passionate group of higher education leaders and practitioners. Led by Krysia Lazarewicz, Wiley University Services, and Suzanne Ehrlich, University of North Florida, the group has had discussions since December 2022 […]
Practice
2022 SANsational Award Winners Present Promising Compliance Solutions
Published by: WCET | 1/4/2023
Three postsecondary institutions each earned a 2022 SANsational Award for the creation of innovative processes and structures to manage state and federal regulatory compliance for out-of-state activities of the postsecondary institution. Since 2015, the State Authorization Network (SAN), a division […]
Policy
Regular and Substantive Interaction Update: Where Do We Go from Here?
Published by: WCET | 11/8/2022
What is “Regular and Substantive Interaction”? Congress created a distinction between the definitions of “distance education” and “correspondence education” for purposes of federal financial aid eligibility. The distinction is that distance education courses include “regular and substantive interaction” (or RSI) […]
Policy
Reasonable Cause and Voluntary Membership: The Key Objectives When Institutions Wish to Change a Primary Accreditor
Published by: WCET | 7/27/2022
Today, WCET’s policy team shares important updates about guidance from the Department regarding approval for accreditation changes. Due to an important federal regulatory change that became effective July 1, 2020, which expanded formerly “regional accreditors” beyond specific geographic areas for […]
Practice
Accreditation, Quality, and Changes in Digital Learning
Published by: WCET | 5/17/2022
The changing nature of digital learning and postsecondary education in the post-COVID era has brought new opportunities and challenges for the quality assurance provided by the accreditation process. In a preview of a plenary session to be held at the […]
Policy
Beyond Compliance: The Role of a Compliance Professional in Equity & Accessibility
Published by: WCET | 5/12/2022
Thank you to Kathryn Kerensky of WCET’s State Authorization Network for today’s blog, and thank you to Van Davis and Emilie Cook of Every Learner Everywhere for assistance and strategic direction. Enjoy! There is a role for everyone to play […]
Policy
Department of Ed Change May Result in More Institutions Needing Distance Education Approvals from Accrediting Agencies
Published by: WCET | 6/18/2021
We are just now figuring out that both accrediting agencies and institutions may have more work ahead of them in meeting federal requirements regarding oversight of distance learning programs. Image by kalhh from Pixabay Sometimes at first look, we don’t […]
Policy
A Timely Case Study on Federal Rulemaking
Published by: WCET | 6/1/2021
Regular readers of WCET Frontiers will recall that we avidly follow the U.S. Department of Education’s quest to develop regulations through the negotiated rulemaking process. Rulemaking is a complicated and intriguing process. Our colleagues, Jeannie Yockey-Fine with NC-SARA and Shari […]
Policy
Federal Distance/Digital Actions of the Outgoing Administration and Congress
Published by: WCET | 1/28/2021
Since the inauguration, we have been very focused on what Jed Bartlett would say is “what’s next?” WCET Frontiers will be publishing a great deal in the weeks to come about the priorities of the new Biden Administration. However, today […]