Accreditation for online educational programs works a little differently than traditional accreditation for on-site courses and programs. However, the need for accreditation is the same. Learners, as well as other educational institutions and commercial vendors, must know that your institution’s programs provide high-quality instruction that has been evaluated by an impartial, outside agency that works regularly with online education. Because so many courses are offered by so many different businesses and institutions, it is often difficult for potential students to determine which courses are the best for them to take. Several academic and commercial vendors may offer seemingly similar course content. Particularly learners who need or want recognized credit for their online coursework need to feel confident that the courses they take have been held accountable to some agency other than the institution offering courses. Accreditation is one way to give students this confidence.

Of course, accreditation is important to faculty and administrators, too. Being affiliated with accredited programs makes good professional sense. If you want people to take your online courses seriously, accreditation is an important step in developing credibility.

Regional accrediting agencies evaluate and approve traditional on-site academic institutions and their programs. In the United States, nongovernmental agencies monitor and review distance learning institutions based in one of six geographic regions. The agency within that region oversees a particular institution.

The six agencies in the U.S. are the Middle States Association, the Northwest Association of Schools and Colleges, the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools, the New England Association of Schools and Colleges, the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, and the Western Association of Schools and Colleges. The standards across the regions are uniform; degrees and courses from one accredited school in one region can be transferred to another accredited institution in another region. Regionally accredited schools may accept courses from accredited distance learning programs, or they may not recognize this accreditation. Distance learning courses and programs are usually evaluated separately from onsite institutions’ programs.

These standards are made available online or in print. For example, The Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools provides an extensive PDF document to help educators prepare for accreditation reviews. This overview will be updated with the results of a new accreditation survey. The Commission started reviewing requirements in 2001, with the results of Restructuring Expectations: Accreditation 2006 becoming the product of this review (Higher Learning Commission, 2001). Administrators should keep an eye on new developments in accreditation and updates from their institution’s accrediting body.

Accreditation offers quality assurance regarding the curriculum and course design. Areas that may be assessed during accreditation include curriculum, instructional methods, course and program evaluation processes, the availability of library resources and other learning materials, and institutional services, such as student services. Facilities and financial soundness are also considered.

Te program’s or institution’s quality might also be evaluated by the number and types of activities that help socialize learners. Experiences that benefit learners’ lives by helping students work well with others should be reviewed, and the institution should actively plan ways for bringing learners together for meaningful social/learning experiences. howing how learners interact with each other, faculty, and administrators may be especially important for online programs, because the lack of face-to-face interaction is often a criticism levied against online education.

The accreditation process also can illustrate the institution’s credibility. There are five areas for a successful program to be able to recruit and retain high-quality faculty (and presumably learners as well). These areas—program, faculty, process (i.e., there are established, fair policies followed by the institution), platform, and leadership credibility— must be carefully developed. These seem to be effective checkpoints for accreditation, too.

Online education falls under distance learning, which is accredited in the United States by the Distance Education and Training Council (DETC). The DETC is nationally recognized as the accreditation agency for institutions that sponsor home-study programs; the Council does not just accredit online educational programs, but any type of home study.

An institution’s online programs can be evaluated if the institution is recognized as a “real” academic institution and has operated online programs for at least two years. The DETC does not check programs and invite institutions to apply for accreditation; it is up to the school to apply by sending an Application for Accreditation to the DETC. Schools are not automatically accredited; they must meet the DETC’s published standards. Even if a school is accredited, it must comply with DETC regulations and file annual reports, for example. A school is then reviewed every five years to see if it will keep its accreditation.

According to information provided at the DETC Web site, this online accreditation process is unique in the U.S. The basis of accreditation is the instructional method, not the educational level of the subject matter. Unlike regional accrediting agencies that do evaluate subject matter, educational level of courses, and instructional methods, the DETC is the only body that accredits online programs and courses, whether they are degree, non-degree, vocational, or avocational. If it is online education, the DETC accreditation is the one to seek.

Educational sites provide a great deal of information about the latest in accreditation of online programs. A good place to read about the latest in distance education is The Chronicle of Higher Education, in print and online; you can also search for information about accreditation. The Virtual University’s Gazette provides basic information about accreditation. Although the site is primarily geared toward students, the FAQ list cites information about accreditation and why it is important for online educational institutions.

Of course, you should check the DETC’s Web site for explanations of accreditation and the process of receiving it. These and other useful Web sites, as well as print information from regional accrediting bodies and the DETC, can help you determine how best to prepare for accreditation and why it benefits your institution and your students to have accredited online programs.

Once accreditation has taken place, information about the accrediting body and exactly what has received accreditation should be posted prominently on the program’s or university’s Web site. Potential and current faculty and students are interested in accreditation and want to belong to an accredited educational body. Prospective students look for a measure of quality when they decide to which institutions they want to apply. Displaying accreditation information at the course and program Web sites is a good way of showing that online education at this institution is highly regarded.

The University of Phoenix Online, for example, provides a link to information about its accreditation and lists its affiliation as a member of the North Central Association. American Intercontinental University lists the address and phone number of the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. This university also notes on its About AIU Online pages that its degrees at all levels—associate, bachelor, and master—have been accredited. Designing similar links to accrediting bodies and highlighting accreditation status are good ways to promote your programs.