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Collaborative agreements in sharing electronically delivered online courses are a tremendous benefit to many schools. It allows schools to begin offering online courses without the need to develop their own technical

structure, and it enables schools to provide a few courses for a few students without significant financial drain. The Association for Biblical Higher Education (ABHE) does not wish to discourage this at all. However, the association does want to provide some guidelines that should be helpful when a school enters into an agreement with a

provider of online courses/programs. In this document, school will refer to the institution that places their students in a provider’s courses or programs; provider will refer to the institution or company that provides the courses or programs.

The issue of importance relates to meeting all the appropriate accreditation requirements (Comprehensive/

Programmatic Standards and Policies). All institutions offering online courses, including those that outsource through some form of collaborative agreement, are ultimately responsible for the education and for meeting accreditation standards related to the online courses. The following items should be considered:

1. Has the provider formally adopted, and do they comply with, the Best Practices for Electronically Offered Degree and Certificate Programs?

2. Has the provider formally adopted, and do they comply with, an accepted standard for quality online courses? (An example would be the Quality Matters: Quality Assurance in Online Learning standard.) 3. Does the provider comply with the ABHE “Policy on Alternative Academic Patterns?”

Consider, for example, these statements from the AHBE Manual (revised 2007):

• The qualifications of alternative academic pattern faculty must be commensurate with those of on-campus faculty.

Note: Schools must be able to document that those who teach the online classes their students are in have appropriate academic credentials. Schools using a provider of online courses should have access to transcripts of all persons who teach their students.

• Faculty involved in the development and implementation of offerings using alternative academic patterns are provided appropriate support and training to ensure their effectiveness.

Note: Schools should be able to document the type, quality, and extent of the training and support given to all online instructors at providing institutions/companies. It is an advantage to have someone from the school go through the provider’s training for firsthand experience. Copies of provider faculty surveys may also be helpful in demonstrating compliance with the policy requirements.

• Alternative academic pattern courses must be systematically evaluated to determine if course

objectives are being met. Records that deal with academic and other matters must be maintained and safeguarded by the parent institution.

ABHE Commission on Accreditation 2014 Manual 158 Note: Schools should request assessment reports from the provider of online courses demonstrating how courses are being evaluated and how improvement is being made based on the assessment. Data from provider’s courses must be included in the overall assessment of the school. Schools may wish to request a copy of the provider’s assessment plan as a resource document.

• Adequate student support services, such as admissions, financial aid, academic and personal counseling, registration, and oversight must be provided for in alternative academic patterns. The security of personal information is protected.

Note: Schools should be able to document both their own services to students and the services offered by the providers. This is especially important as it relates to technical support and support after normal business hours and on weekends. Student satisfaction surveys collected by the school or the provider are critical documentation.

• Personnel providing services to students employing alternative academic patterns are provided appropriate support and training to ensure their effectiveness in meeting student needs.

Note: Schools should be able to document how the personnel providing service to online students are trained and supported regarding their involvement with students. This should include both the school and provider.

• Qualified faculty and adequate instructional and technical support, facilities, supplies, library, and other resources that support the classes taken must be provided in alternative academic patterns.

Note: Schools must provide, or have provided, support, technology services, and library/research resources that are adequate to accomplish appropriate research at a level comparable to students in traditional programs. Schools should gather information regarding how the resources are being used.

Library resources should include access to a college library with electronic access to available books and a process for receiving and returning books. It should also include access to digital books, journal articles (full-text), and other tools that can be used.

• Institutions will utilize the Best Practices in Electronically Offered Academic Degree and Certificate Programs developed by the Western Cooperative for Educational Telecommunications (WCET).

Note: Schools, along with the provider, should be familiar with the Best Practices document and operate according to it.

4. Can the school substantiate that the Comprehensive Standards/Programmatic Standards as they relate to the Best Practices document are being met both by the school and the provider?

5. Has the provider formally adopted the ABHE Tenets of Faith?

6. If the provider is an education institution, is it accredited by a recognized accrediting association (CHEA and USDE approved)? If appropriate, is the provider approved by the State Department of Education? Has its online program been evaluated and approved?

ABHE Commission on Accreditation 2014 Manual 159 Note: If the provider is an education institution, the school should request a copy of their most recent self-study, team reports, responses to the reports, and the letter granting or reaffirming accreditation. If follow-up reports are required, the school should request copies of these and all subsequent action of the accrediting association. These items should become part of the school’s documentation and resource collection and should be included in the self-study and site team evaluation as related to the online program. Documentation should include any actions from the State Department of Education.

7. Schools should maintain copies of the course syllabi for every class their students take from a provider where the class is directly transcripted by the school. The syllabi should include instructor information, course description, textbooks, learning objectives, policies, evaluation requirements, and schedule.

8. When a school is preparing for a site visit, the school should consult with the Site Team Chair concerning what records from the provider the Team will want to review. For instance, the school might provide the Team Chair with a list of all classes that were outsourced and then ask which faculty files the team would like to review. The school must make certain all the appropriate documentation is available.

Note: Schools going through a site visit may wish to have a representative from the provider available to answer specific questions related to the provided classes.

9. Schools considering using a provider for electronically delivered classes should research carefully the various options and request recommendations. Schools must be careful that the costs related to outsourcing classes does not negatively impact the school. Financial integrity in dealing with a provider and students is imperative.

10. When using a provider for electronically delivered courses, the school and the provider should carefully examine what is required by the comprehensive/programmatic standards and policies to ensure that they are being met for all classes.

Note: Schools may wish to have a representative from the provider available to answer specific questions related to all the items listed above during the self-study process.

Adopted: March 2007

ABHE Commission on Accreditation 2014 Manual 160