Pay attention to student achievement and learning outcomes.
In the Eaton article, Appendix A features guidelines for quality assurance in distance education, and Appendix B includes 12 important questions about external quality review that are worth examining.
Faculty must answer these questions: How will they evaluate quality in the distance education environment? How will the approach be the same as or different from that used for on-campus courses or programs? What are the current criteria that educational accrediting agencies will use to accredit or review the program? How do faculty address these criteria? What issues arise when states serve as the primary arbiters of policy and governance issues in U.S. education but the student population resides in one state and does not physically go to the campus in another state where the student is taking distance education courses?71
Readiness
This section examines both the institution’s readiness and the learner’s readiness for teaching and learning in a distance education model.