New on WCET Frontiers
Practice
House HEA Proposes Changes for Distance Ed, CBE, and State Authorization
Published by: WCET | 12/4/2017
In a new bill regarding higher education rules proposed in the House of Representatives: all federal state authorization rules are ended, competency-based education gets a boost with “regular and substantive interaction” being redefined and expanded accreditation oversight, accreditation reviews for […]
Practice
What is Distance Education? – Definitions and Delineations
Published by: WCET | 11/7/2017
Close your eyes (not for too long) and answer the question: “What is distance education?” Did you envision the same concept and experiences as I did? Even though more than one-quarter of all higher education students in the United States […]
Practice
On the OIG/WGU Finding, Part 1: When Interaction Is Not Interaction
Published by: WCET | 9/22/2017
Yesterday, the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Inspector General (OIG) issued a report concluding: “We concluded that Western Governors University did not comply with the institutional eligibility requirement that limits the percentage of regular students who may enroll in […]
Practice
Interpreting what is Required for “Regular and Substantive Interaction”
Published by: WCET | 9/30/2016
As greater numbers of students move into online and competency-based education programs, we have seen new interest in understanding the Department of Education’s regulations. In particular, faculty and administrators seek to understand how the Department interprets rules requiring courses to […]
Policy
Questions about EQUIP, Ed Department’s Expansion of Aid to New Providers
Published by: WCET | 8/17/2016
On Tuesday, The U.S. Department of Education announced (Department press release, Wall Street Journal story) the eight partnerships that were selected in the EQUIP (Educational QUality through Innovative Partnerships) experimental sites program. The Department sought collaborations between accredited institutions that […]
Why We Need to Stop Using ‘Self-Paced’ in CBE Descriptions
Published by: WCET | 8/10/2016
Myk Garn is a long-time friend of WCET. He currently champions “new learning models” for the University System of Georgia. Myk also serves on the Board of Directors for the Competency-Based Education Network (C-BEN). After recent discussions about attacks on […]
Department of Education State Authorization for Distance Ed Regulations-A First Look
Published by: WCET | 7/22/2016
This morning the U.S. Department of Education released its proposed new regulations (press release, proposed regulations) for the state authorization of distance education programs. Institutional personnel and the public are invited to submit comments by August 24. This post will […]
Policy
Is Your Distance Education Course Actually a Correspondence Course?
Published by: WCET | 4/20/2012
St. Mary-of-the-Woods College should refund $42 million in federal financial aid dollars that it disbursed to students over a five year period. That is the finding of the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of the Inspector General, which found that […]