Distance Education Accrediting Commission
The Distance Education Accrediting Commission (DEAC), formerly the National Home Study Council and then as the Distance Education and Training Council, is a private and non-profit national educational accreditation agency in the United States specializing in the accreditation of (51 percent or more)[1] distance education programs of study and institutions. The DEAC is recognized as a U.S. institutional accreditor by both the U.S. Department of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA).
History
The DEAC was established in 1926 as the National Home Study Council (NHSC), a trade association for correspondence schools.[2][3] Its formation was in response to a Carnegie Corporation study that found a lack of standards to ensure quality in correspondence schools and protect their students and the public from fraud.[2] Under its first director, John Noffsinger, the NHSC developed a list of minimum standards for proprietary schools.
The NHSC adopted the name Distance Education and Training Council (DETC) in 1994 and its current name in 2014.[2][4]
Also in 2014, Dr. Leah Matthews, Chief Executive Officer and Executive Director of DEAC, wrote an article that attributes distance education learning vs. traditional learning in part, to constant changes in the education landscape. “Distance education institutions are uniquely positioned to meet the changing demands for enhanced technologies and higher education program delivery. Some view this as a threat to the traditional higher education model as opposed to a strategic opportunity. More than ever before, technology-enhanced learning has the potential to transform higher education accessibility and raise the level of education attained globally.”[5]
Accreditation
In 1959 the NHSC was formally recognized by the U.S. Office of Education as an accreditor of higher education institutions. Currently the DEAC is recognized by Council for Higher Education Accreditation and the United States Department of Education as an accreditor of institutions of higher education. According to the DEAC, it is made up of over 100 distance education institutions located in 21 states and 7 countries. These institutions include non-profit institutions, trade associations, for-profit companies, colleges and universities, and military organizations.[6] The DEAC has strict[peacock prose] criteria for approving schools for accreditation, and the process includes examining the schools' educational, ethical, and business practices.[citation needed]
Comparison with regional accreditation
DEAC is a national accreditor category.[7] DEAC also uses independent subject specialists drawn primarily from regionally accredited institutions to review the courses/programs of applicants for accreditation or reaccreditation, as well as in evaluating any new programs. DEAC shares many of the same subject specialist evaluators working in regionally accredited higher education institutions used by the American Council on Education for its Credit Recommendation reviews."[8]
Each college or university cannot guarantee acceptance of transfer credits and the receiving college or university formulates its own transfer credit policies for admission. It is the receiving college or universities responsibility to provide reasonable and definitive transfer policies and to fairly judge the quality and quantity of the transfer students work.[9] The Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) offered an opinion in a November 2000 statement that, "Institutions and accreditors need to assure that transfer decisions are not made solely on the source of accreditation of a sending program or institution."[10] The Higher Education Transfer Alliance (HETA) online directory[11] was designed by DEAC to help students and the public find educational institutions with transfer practices consistent with criteria articulated by CHEA in its Statement to the Community: Transfer and Public Interest.[12] According to CHEA, institutions that are members of HETA have agreed that their "transfer decisions are not made solely on the basis of the accredited status of a sending institution and that the institution has agreed at least to consider transfer requests from other institutions."[11] The HETA directory provides links to member institutions so that students and others can review a specific institution's transfer policies and practice.
See also
- List of universities accredited by DEAC
- List of recognized accreditation associations of higher learning
- Educational accreditation
References
- ^ Distance Education Accrediting Commission. "CHEA-Recognized Scope of Accreditation." "CHEA: Directory of National Career-Related Accrediting Organizations". Archived from the original on 2016-12-24. Retrieved 2015-11-04.. April 2013.
- ^ a b c Michael G. Moore and William George Anderson (2003), Handbook of Distance Education, Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Mahwah, NJ. ISBN 978-0-8058-3924-1. p. 39
- ^ "The History of the Distance Education and Training Council: 1926-2001" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2018-11-13. Retrieved 2015-03-05.
- ^ The Distance Education and Training Council is now the Distance Education Accrediting Commission
- ^ KMI Media Group. “Military Advanced Education & Training : Q&A: Dr. Leah K. Matthews.” 15 Jul 2014. http://www.kmimediagroup.com/military-advanced-education/428-articles-mae/q-a-dr-leah-k-matthews
- ^ DEAC History, DEAC webpage
- ^ Distance Education Accrediting Commission. "FAQ for Students: Is DEAC accreditation equal to “regional” accreditation?" [1]. Accessdate 5/10/2016.
- ^ Distance Education Accrediting Commission. "FAQ for Institutions: Do "competitors" serve on visiting Examining Committees?" [2]. Accessdate 5/10/2016.
- ^ Distance Education Accrediting Commission. "FAQ for Students: Will the credits I receive from a DACE-accredited institution be accepted by a traditional college or university?" [3]. Accessdate 5/10/2016.
- ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-10-30. Retrieved 2014-01-07.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ a b CHEA website. 7/29/2014.HETA Directory Archived 2007-07-13 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ CHEA. "A Statement to the Community: Transfer and the Public Interest." November 2000.Statement to the Community: Transfer and Public Interest Archived 2012-10-30 at the Wayback Machine
External links
- Official website
- HETA Directory
- v
- t
- e
- Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics
- Accrediting Bureau of Health Education Schools
- Accreditation Commission for Acupuncture and Herbal Medicine
- Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing
- Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges
- Accrediting Council for Continuing Education and Training
- American Bar Association
- American Board of Funeral Service Education
- American Osteopathic Association
- American Podiatric Medical Association
- Association for Biblical Higher Education
- Association of Advanced Rabbinical and Talmudic Schools
- Association of Institutions of Jewish Studies
- Association of Theological Schools
- Commission on English Language Program Accreditation
- Commission on Massage Therapy Accreditation
- Council on Accreditation of Nurse Anesthesia Educational Programs
- Council on Chiropractic Education
- Council on Occupational Education
- Distance Education Accrediting Commission
- Higher Learning Commission
- Joint Review Committee on Education in Radiologic Technology
- Middle States Commission on Higher Education
- Middle States Commission on Secondary Schools
- Midwifery Education Accreditation Council
- Montessori Accreditation Council for Teacher Education
- National Accrediting Commission of Career Arts and Sciences
- National Association of Schools of Art and Design
- National Association of Schools of Dance
- National Association of Schools of Music
- National Association of Schools of Theatre
- New England Commission of Higher Education
- Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities
- Southern Association of Colleges and Schools
- Transnational Association of Christian Colleges and Schools
- WASC Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges
- WASC Senior College and University Commission