by Ray Schroeder
This month we offer a sampling of our blogged items reflecting Sally Johnstone and WCET’s leadership in a wide range of areas of online learning and accreditation.

Update on Regional Accreditation Issues for E-learning — Sally M. Johnstone, WCET — In 2000 the Council of Regional Accrediting Commissions (C-RAC) contracted with WCET to create a set of Principles of Good Practice for Distance Learning to which all of them could ascribe. It was a helpful document and is still being used, but five years have passed since its publication. Much has changed in the intervening years. In light of the pending Reauthorization of HEA and the changes in activities since the C-RAC addressed distance or e-learning, I interviewed the heads of the regional associations to see what they are currently seeing and doing in the realm of e-learning. What follows is the result of these December 2004 conversations.

It's Time to Stand Up for Online Instructors — Sally M. Johnstone, Syllabus — At most colleges and universities distance learning programs began as small experimental activities involving a few faculty members and, frequently, a special campus organization to administer the courses. As these programs became popular with students, administrators had to figure out a way to accommodate the growing enrollments. All too often this was done by hiring qualified individuals who could teach an extra section of the course when enrollments reached whatever was determined to be the maximum class size. These might be called adjunct or part-time faculty members, graduate teaching assistants, tutors, or any number of different titles. However, their numbers have soared and the ways they are compensated and supported by most of campuses do not fit current realities.

Distance Learning Consortia: An Assessment — Sally M. Johnstone, Syllabus — The Department of Education study reveals that almost 90 percent of public colleges and

universities offered electronic distance learning in the 2000–2001 academic year, when the study was conducted. About 60 percent of these distance learning-offering institutions were participating in a consortium for distance learning. Of these, 75 percent were participating in state- or system-level consortia. The study on virtual schools, conducted by Rhonda Epper and Myk Garn, looks behind these numbers to uncover why those statewide consortia were formed and what they are doing. The authors discovered 61 different statewide or system-wide consortia assisting their constituent colleges and universities in distance learning.

What happens when kids from laptop high schools show up on your campus? — Sally M. Johnstone, Syllabus — In Henrico County, Va., an area that includes Richmond and its suburbs, all the kids graduating from high school next year will have spent four years in laptop schools. How does all this relate to distance learning? Rather profoundly. As the schools embrace full access to online resources, they are importing services and resources. They are also giving kids access to online Advance Placement (AP) courses that are produced and distributed by colleges and corporations. These school districts could never afford to support as many AP students as is possible electronically.

You can always see the latest items, and find many more articles posted seven days a week at the Online Learning Update blog. Until next time, I’ll see you online! ~ray

Identifying Best Practices in Online Student Services In “Beyond the Administrative Core: Creating Web-Based Student Services for Online Learners,” a three-year project funded by the U.S. Department of Education, WCET worked with Kansas State University (KS), Kapi’olani Community College (HI), Regis University (CO), and SCT to develop a set of guidelines to help other institutions put their student services online. To view the guidelines, visit http://www.wcet.info/projects/laap
/guidelines/print.asp.