Some focus on faculty qualifications. Regis University has tough faculty requirements and a mentoring process to help newcomers adjust to teaching online. The Colorado Electronic Community College invests heavily in faculty development training. Other colleges emphasize time spent learning when they evaluate quality. Online courses offered by the University of Phoenix require the same number of courses, sequence, and length of courses as those offered at the Phoenix campuses.
Some campuses emphasize student goals and achievement as a way to stay on top of quality concerns.
The competency tests of the Western Governors University are among the most advanced along these lines. The Policy Institute found that this tool is not widely used, although it is widely discussed. While the policies behind the practices of online distance education are still being debated, no one is arguing that the distance education boom is a flash in the pan. The Daily Camera. All rights reserved.