MIDDLE STATES AND NYSED COOPERATE ON REVIEWS

The Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools and the New York State Education Department's Office of Higher Education have agreed to cooperate on the evaluation and approval of distance education programs offered by institutions in New York State to reduce the time and effort required of institutions.

In 1999 the New York State Education Department convened a statewide Task Force on Distance Higher Education with representation from the Middle States Association. The Task Force developed an Institutional Capability Review (ICR) process for distance education, under which an institution that meets rigorous requirements can be approved for a five-year period to introduce new distance education programs through a streamlined process that replaces the usual program proposal review. The State Education Department implemented the process in Spring 2000. As of March 2004 twenty-four New York institutions have had Capability Reviews.

In Spring 2001 the Commission on Higher Education of the Middle States Association adopted two documents on distance education, a "Statement of Commitment" and a set of "Best Practices", that are intended for use by institutions in planning or expanding their distance learning activities. The evaluative guidelines embodied in these documents are similar in content to the Principles and Operational Criteria for Good Practice on which New York's Capability Review process is based. Middle States is one of eight regional accrediting commissions to adopt the same set of documents, providing a common approach to quality assurance in distance education accreditation nationwide.

Middle States' review of an institution's distance learning is a two-step process: the initial review and approval for at least the first two distance learning programs; and the examination of all the institution's educational activities, including distance learning, during the decennial review.

New York's ICR process requires an institutional "Capability Statement" similar to a self-study, demonstrating how the institution meets 32 separate quality criteria in organizational commitment, learning design, learner support, outcomes and assessment, and program evaluation. A site visit and an evaluation of the institution's online information and services are part of each review.

Under the Middle States/New York agreement, a New York institution that has a successful ICR may use the documentation prepared for that purpose as the basis for its submission to Middle States. The two organizations will also share review schedules and information on institutional approvals.

For more information on the Middle States and New York Distance Education Reviews, contact Robin Dasher-Alston Associate Executive Director of Middle States at rdalston@msache.org or Kate Gulliver, Project Director of New York's Distance Higher Education Initiative at kgullive@mail.nysed.gov.