DISTANCE EDUCATION CHECKLIST 2011 Standards Program: ACOTE Standard ACOTE Clarifying Question Yes No Comments General Admission/ Policies/Publications Standard A.3.1. Admission of students to the occupational therapy / therapy assistant program must be made in accordance with the practices of the institution. There must be stated admission criteria that are clearly defined and published and reflective of the demands of the program. Do the stated admission criteria inform students of technology and other requirements for the distance education components of the program? Standard A.3.3. Policies pertaining to standards for admission, advanced placement, transfer of credit, credit for experiential learning (if applicable), and prerequisite educational or work experience requirements must be readily accessible to prospective students and the public. Are students informed about required competencies for the distance education component? Standard A.4.1. All program publications and advertising – including, but not limited to, academic calendars, announcements, catalogs, handbooks, and Web sites – must accurately reflect the program offered. Does advertising about the program clearly and accurately represent the distance/electronic component of the curriculum? Are students informed about the component of distance learning? Faculty Services Standard A.2.6. The program director and faculty must possess the academic qualifications and backgrounds (identified in documented descriptions of roles and responsibilities) that are necessary to meet program objectives and the mission of the institution. Do the faculty in the program offering distance education have experience with a distance/electronic learning format? Standard A.2.11. The faculty must have documented expertise in their area(s) of teaching responsibility and knowledge of the content delivery method (e.g., distance learning). Do faculty the distance/electronic learning format have the necessary expertise to ensure appropriate content delivery?
A process through which the program establishes that the student who registers in a distance education course or program is the same student who participates in and completes the program and receives academic credit, Technology and resources that are adequate to support a distance-learning environment, and A process to ensure that faculty are adequately trained and skilled to use distance education methodologies. who registers in a distance education course or program is the same student who participates in and completes the program and receives the academic credit? Standard A.2.26. Students must have ready access to a supply of current and relevant books, journals, periodicals, computers, software, and other reference materials needed for the practice areas and to meet the requirements of the curriculum. This may include, but is not limited to, libraries, online services, interlibrary loan, and resource centers. Are related materials readily available? Are they sufficient for use with distance/electronic learning format? Is the help desk readily available when course most likely accessed? Is training available for students? Curriculum and Instruction Standard A.6.7. The curriculum design must reflect the mission and philosophy of both the occupational therapy program and the institution and must provide the basis for program planning, implementation, and evaluation. The design must identify curricular threads and educational goals and describe the selection of the content, scope, and sequencing of coursework. Does the distance/ electronic learning format fit within the current curriculum design? Standard A.6.8. The program must have clearly documented assessment measures by which students are regularly evaluated on their acquisition of knowledge, skills, attitudes, and competencies required for graduation. Are students evaluated on their acquisition of knowledge, skills, attitudes, and competencies? Are the assignments available through electronic learning appropriate for the development of competencies? Standard A.6.9. The program must have written syllabi for each course that include course objectives and learning activities that, in total, reflect all course content required by the Standards. Are the syllabi clear and easy to understand with no opportunities for alternate interpretation of content?
Instructional methods (e.g., presentations, demonstrations, discussion) and materials used to accomplish course objectives must be documented. Programs must also demonstrate the consistency between course syllabi and the curriculum design. Are the learning objectives and competencies appropriate in rigor and breadth of courses? Evaluation and assessment Standard A.3.6. Evaluation content and methods must be consistent with the curriculum design, objectives, and competencies of the didactic, fieldwork, and experiential components of the program. Is evaluation/assessment of student performance consistent? Are technologies available for instructor/student interaction (e.g., e-mail, chat rooms, fax, threaded discussions, phone)? Does the distance education portion of the program result in outcomes of the same quality as other on-site courses? Standard A.3.7. Evaluation must be conducted on a regular basis to provide students and program officials with timely indications of the students’ progress and academic standing. Is there timely instructor response/feedback to student assignments and inquiry? Standard A.5.3. Programs must routinely secure and document sufficient qualitative and quantitative information to allow for meaningful analysis about the extent to which the program is meeting its stated goals and objectives. This must include, but need not be limited to Faculty effectiveness in their assigned teaching responsibilities. Students’ progression through the program. Fieldwork and experiential component performance evaluation. Student evaluation of fieldwork and the experiential component experience. Student satisfaction with the program. Graduates’ performance on the NBCOT certification exam. Graduates’ job placement and performance based on employer satisfaction. Graduates’ scholarly activity (e.g., presentations, Is there an appropriate means of evaluating faculty effectiveness in delivery of distance education components?
publications, grants obtained, state and national leadership positions, awards). Standard A.5.5. The results of ongoing evaluation must be appropriately reflected in the program’s strategic plan, curriculum, and other dimensions of the program. Are there examples of how evaluation results have been reflected in curriculum changes, strategic plan, etc.? Standard A.6.8. The program must have clearly documented assessment measures by which students are regularly evaluated on their acquisition of knowledge, skills, attitudes, and competencies required for graduation. How have the usual methods of measuring communication, comprehension, synthesis, etc. been adapted to assess electronically offered courses? Are technologies available for instructor/student and student/student interaction (e.g., e-mail, chat rooms, fax, threaded discussions, phone)? G:\ACCRED\FORMS-NEW (2011)\DISTANCE EDUCATION CHECKLIST\DISTANCE EDUCATION CHECKLIST-2011 STANDARDS.DOCX