Higher Education in the Digital Age
Science & Technology Policy and Higher Education
Policy Issues in California Higher Education
Regulation of E-Learning: New National and International Policy Perspectives
Background Readings
Complete Project Proposal:
Proposal: Regulation of E-Learning
26 October 2004 (Word document - 61 kB)
The proposal to the Ford Foundation for the funding of the Regulation Project; includes project background and rationale, as well as project overview and activities.
White Papers:
Regulation, E-Learning, and the Changing Structures of Higher Education
1 December 2005 (Word document - 65 kB)
Prepared by Richard Garrett, Gary Matkin, & Vijay Kumar
Regulation, E-Learning and Finance
27 January 2006 (Word document - 31 kB)
Prepared by Michael B. Goldstein
Student Access and Equity7 February 2006 (PowerPoint presentation - 32 kB)
Prepared by Bruce Chaloux
Consumer Protection in Cross-Border E-Learning Delivery
24 October 2005 (Word document - 40 kB)
Prepared by Sally Johnstone & Kurt Larsen
Related Readings:
United States:
Initial Responses to the Dow Lohnes 2005 Physical Presence Survey
December 2005 (PDF - 143 kB - 10 pages)
Summary of initial responses to the "Physical Presence Survey", prepared by Michael Goldstein and Dow Lohnes & Albertson. The survey examines varying state practices relative to the regulation, licensing, and accreditation of interstate and cross-border post-secondary institutions. Based on responses from 37 state agencies.
Report to Congress on the Distance Education Demonstration Programs
January 2001 (Word document - 168 kB - 45 pages)
The Distance Education Demonstration Program was authorized by Congress in the 1998 reauthorization of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (HEA) (1) to test the quality and viability of expanded distance education programs currently restricted under the HEA; 2) to provide for increased student access to higher education through distance education; and (3) to help determine the most effective means of delivering quality education via distance education, the specific statutory and regulatory requirements that should be altered to provide greater access to distance education, and the appropriate level of Title IV, student financial assistance for students enrolled in distance education programs. This is the first report to Congress concerning the results of the project.
Second Report to Congress on the Distance Education Demonstration Programs
July 2003 (Word document - 359 kB - 30 pages)
The second report to Congress on the results of the Distance Education Demonstration Program, which was authorized by Congress in the 1998 amendments to the Higher Education Act of 1965 (HEA).
Third Report to Congress on the Distance Education Demonstration Programs
April 2005 (Word document - 189 kB - 25 pages)
The third report to Congress on the results of the Distance Education Demonstration Program, which was authorized by Congress in the 1998 amendments to the Higher Education Act of 1965 (HEA).
International:
Guidelines for Quality Provision in Cross-border Higher Education (OECD)
5 December 2005 (PDF - 2.79 MB - 44 pages)
OECD and UNESCO
With the recent increase in cross-border higher education, systems of quality assurance, accreditation and recognition of qualifications face big challenges. The Guidelines for Quality Provision in Cross-border Higher Education provide an international framework to protect students and other stakeholders from low-quality provision and disreputable providers. They provide guidance to key stakeholders on how to share the responsibility of assuring quality provision of cross-border higher education between the sending country and the receiving country. The Guidelines were elaborated in close collaboration with UNESCO.
27 April 2005 (web page)
ACE, the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada (AUCC), the Council on Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA), and the International Association of Universities (IAU), circulated a draft of the statement, Sharing Quality Higher Education Across Borders, throughout the world for comment by higher education associations.
The ACE Board approved the final version on February 13, 2005. The statement, representing the views of higher education institutions worldwide, is based on the belief that market forces alone will not ensure that cross-border education contributes to the public good. It lays the groundwork for fair and transparent policy frameworks, underpinned by a set of guiding principles and a process of dialogue among stakeholders.
Who's Afraid of Cross-border Higher Education? A Developing World Perspective
1 April 2005 (web page)
Sir John Daniel, Asha Kanwar (Commonwealth of Learning) and Stamenka Uvali-Trumbi (UNESCO), International Network of Quality Assurance Agencies in Higher Education (INQAAHE). Presented at: Annual Conference 2005 Wellington, New Zealand Final Plenary Session: Quality Assurance in Transnational Issues.
Quality and an International Higher Education Space
Summer 2005 (web page)
Judith S. Eaton
The Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) held its fourth International Commission meeting in January 2005. Individuals from a dozen countries addressed several questions about the regional and international quality assurance and accreditation initiatives.
Internationalisation and Trade in Higher Education: Opportunities and Challenges
21 September 2004 (web page)
This book brings together up-to-date statistics, case studies and policy reports on the major trends and developments in cross-border post-secondary education in North America, Europe, and the Asia Pacific region.
Quality and Recognition in Higher Education: The Cross-border Challenge
4 August 2004 (web page)
With rapid growth in cross-border education and developments such as e-learning, for-profit providers, and remote campuses challenging accreditation frameworks, this book examines the situation in Canada, the United States, Europe, Australia, and Japan with a view towards working with UNESCO on a set of guidelines on quality provision in cross-border higher education.
Why Higher Education Is Not a Global Commodity
11 May 2001 (web page)
Philip G. Altbach, The Chronicle of Higher Education
American Accreditors Go Abroad
23 September 2005 (web page)
Burton Bollag, The Chronicle of Higher Education
20 January 2006 (web page)
Gordon Davies, The Chronicle of Higher Education
From the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA):
International Quality Review and Distance Learning: Lessons from Five Countries
December 2004 (PDF)
This report on quality review of distance learning in five countries was produced for the Council for Higher Education Accreditation’s International Commission in order to better understand the nature of existing regulatory arrangements in the context of growth in electronically supported learning and in the import and export of higher education worldwide. Country case studies have been developed for Jordan, Kenya, Malaysia, Australia, and the U.K. Prepared by Robin Middlehurst and Steve Woodfield, Centre for Policy and Change in Tertiary Education, University of Surrey.
October 2003 (PDF)
This monograph addresses key issues in the current discussion between accreditation and the federal government as this relates to accountability and higher education. At stake is a centuries-old tradition of institutional autonomy and self-regulation. The reauthorization of the Higher Education Act (HEA) now being discussed in Congress is driving this issue to the top of the academic agenda.
Specialized Accreditation and Assuring Quality in Distance Learning
CHEA Monograph Series 2002, Number 2 (PDF)
This report describes the work to date of programmatic accreditors in the area of distance learning. It explores the extent to which these accrediting organizations review distance learning as well as the standards, policies, and procedures they use.
Accreditation and Assuring Quality in Distance Learning
CHEA Monograph Series 2002, Number 1 (PDF)
This report describes the scope and impact of distance learning on higher education today. It identifies the primary challenges that distance learning poses for institutional accreditation and describes the thoughtful and comprehensive response to date of the accrediting community to assure quality in distance learning.
Distance Learning: Academic and Political Challenges for Higher Education Accreditation
CHEA Monograph Series 2001 (PDF)
The focus of this monograph is how distance learning challenges some fundamentals of the academic work and the politics of American higher education thereby challenging some related features of quality assurance and self-regulation that are at the heart of national, regional, and specialized accreditation.
Core Academic Values, Quality, and Regional Accreditation: The Challenge of Distance Learning
CHEA Monograph Series 2000 (web page)
A small set of core academic values is central to the history and tradition of higher education. Distance learning, however unintentionally, challenges these values, forcing reconsideration of their origins and the choices they represent. This paper focuses on regional accreditation as one of the oldest and most frequently used forms of institutional quality assurance in the United States.
Distance Learning in Higher Education (CHEA Update Number 3)
April 2000 (web page)
Produced by The Institute for Higher Education Policy as part of its ongoing work with the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA). This third issue continues to present the latest developments in this field.
Distance Learning in Higher Education (CHEA Update Number 2)
June 1999 (web page)
Produced by The Institute for Higher Education Policy as part of its ongoing work with the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA). This second issue presents some of the latest developments in this field.
Assuring Quality in Distance Learning: A Preliminary Review
April 1998 (web page)
A report prepared for the Council for Higher Education Accreditation by The Institute for Higher Education Policy, Washington, DC
September 2001 (PDF)
This fact sheet includes information on who offers electronically delivered distance learning, how distance learning is reviewed for quality, and how accrediting organizations are held accountable for review of quality of distance learning.
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