New on WCET Frontiers
U.S. Distance Education Adoption by the Numbers: an IPEDS Reality Check
Published by: WCET | 3/5/2014
This is the first of a series of posts providing insight on data regarding enrollments in distance education that was released by the U.S. Department of Education earlier this year. Terri Straut crunched the data for WCET. Terri has a […]
Proposed Safeguards Against Financial Aid Fraud: Some Needed, Some Go Too Far
Published by: WCET | 2/26/2014
February 26, 2014 New regulations and reporting requirements to help battle federal financial aid fraud for institutions that offer distance education are coming. No doubt, additional protections are needed tools to combat financial aid fraud. The distance education community needs […]
Untangling Two State Authorization Rules: “On-Ground” and “Distance Education”
Published by: WCET | 2/14/2014
In talking with institutional personnel, I’ve noted some confusion about different aspects of the state authorization regulations. There are still many who believe that the federal deadline to be in compliance for those offering distance education in each state is […]
Ratings and Rankings Game, Part 1: Postsecondary Institutional Ratings System
Published by: WCET | 2/12/2014
February 12, 2014 Hooray! College football in the United States is finally doing away with the Bowl Championship System (BCS) to anoint a national champion. Meanwhile, a mania remains for ratings and ranking systems of collegiate performance in academics, financial […]
Federal State Authorization Regulation: It’s Baaaack!! (Almost)
Published by: WCET | 11/22/2013
November 22, 2013 The Department of Education took the next steps in reinstating the federal regulation requiring institutions to demonstrate that they have the proper authorization to serve distance students in other states. Earlier this week the Department announced in […]
State Authorization: Updates on SARA, the Military, and the USDOE Regulation
Published by: WCET | 9/13/2013
In the last several weeks there have been several developments regarding state authorization of distance education courses and programs. Here is a summary of those activities.State Authorization Reciprocity Agreement The four regional higher education compacts (Midwestern Higher Education Compact, New […]
SARA Update: All Dressed Up and Raring to Go
Published by: WCET | 7/17/2013
In recent weeks I have received several inquiries about that status of SARA – the State Authorization Reciprocity Agreement. Since the national meeting in April, there has been activity, but it has been slower than hoped. To be clear, I […]
Fraud & State Authorization Focus of WCET’s Testimony at ED’s Rulemaking Hearing
Published by: WCET | 6/10/2013
In May, WCET sought your input regarding the U.S. Department of Education’s announcement of a new round of negotiated rulemaking. Such “rulemaking” is the first step in the Department possibly creating new regulations or refining old ones. Most notable to […]
Ed Department Delays State Authorization Deadline – What Does that Mean?
Published by: WCET | 5/20/2013
On Tuesday, May 21, the U.S. Department of Education is officially releasing a new ‘Dear Colleague’ letter on state authorization. I thought it might be helpful to put this new announcement into context. But first, let me start with a […]
Seeking Your Input on Fraud, State Authorization, and Other Regulatory Issues
Published by: WCET | 5/2/2013
In mid-April of this year, the U.S. Department of Education announced an “intention to establish a negotiated rulemaking committee to prepare proposed regulations for the Federal Student Aid programs…” Through this process, the Department is visiting or revisiting several issues […]