Accredited Distance Learning

There are a number of valid reasons why you might decide to earn a degree through an online distance learning program. Perhaps you’ve got a full-time job that you can’t afford to leave while earning the necessary credits toward a degree, but you’re motivated, disciplined, and can manage to take online classes and do well. Maybe the school that offers the best program for you is way too far for commuting but does offer online classes where you can work at your own pace. You might be a parent and can’t afford babysitters or don’t want to spend hours a week away from your children. In these situations, as well as in others, distance learning can be the perfect solution.

Accredited distance learning isn’t the right answer for everyone. To be successful, you will need to create a study schedule and keep to it. You’ll need the support of friends and family, who will have to understand that while you may be home, you won’t always be available. Most importantly, being a successful distance learner requires you to put in a lot of hard work while flying solo.

It’s a mistake to think that distance learning courses are easier or require less time because you don’t meet in a brick and mortar building. You’ll spend as much time or even more using the materials the professor supplies in order to learn what you need to know. If you realize that you work better in face-to-face environments alongside classmates or if you enjoy team projects and want to be able to ask questions of an instructor who is physically present, then distance learning may not be for you.

The first thing you need to consider about a distance learning program is whether the school or program is, in fact, accredited. There’s no point in applying to a program and completing class after class if the certificate, diploma, or degree you will earn after all that work isn’t worth much to an employer. Accredited distance learning programs, like their on-site counterparts, are offered by colleges and universities that have been approved by one of several independent, nationally recognized accrediting agencies. It is important to note that schools are not required to be accredited—undergoing this rigorous examination is voluntary. Good institutions of higher learning know that their reputations are everything, and they are generally more than willing to undergo the periodic evaluation process required to maintain accreditation.

While there are a range of agencies that offer a variety of types of accreditation, you’ll want to investigate schools with regional accreditations since this is not only the most common type of accreditation, it is also the only kind that will be accepted by other programs should you decide at some point to transfer or to pursue an advanced degree. There are six regional accreditation agencies that divide the United States into regions.
The six agencies that offer regional accreditation include:

• New England Association of Schools and Colleges, which is responsible for schools located in Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont
• Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools, which accredits colleges and universities in Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico
• Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, which evaluates colleges and universities in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia
• North Central Association of Colleges and Schools, which is responsible for accrediting schools in the broad Midwest, including Arkansas, Arizona, Colorado, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, North Dakota, Nebraska, Ohio, Oklahoma, New Mexico, South Dakota, Wisconsin, West Virginia, and Wyoming
• Northwest Association of Schools and Colleges, who review schools in the northwestern United States, including Alaska, Idaho, Utah, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, and Washington
• Western Association of Schools and Colleges, which works with schools in the states of California and Hawaii as well as the territories of Guam, Samoa, and other Pacific territories
  

A third group that accredits schools with distance learning programs is the Distance Education and Training Council (DETC). It currently accredits more than one hundred schools in seven countries and is recognized by both the Department of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation. However, the DETC does not accredit schools regionally as others do. In the best of all worlds, finding a program that has been accredited regionally, as well as through the DETC, would be ideal.

Although it is important to determine whether the program you are considering has been granted accreditation by a reputable agency, there is such an array of information on many schools’ websites that finding that information may be difficult. The easiest way to find this information is with a visit to the U.S. Department of Education or the Council for Higher

Education Accreditation websites where you can review their accreditation by institution pages.

Although accredited distance learning programs have been granting certifications, diplomas, and degrees only in recent decades, they are becoming increasingly acceptable in the employment arena. In fact, businesses of all types have begun to take a special interest in graduates of such programs because these individuals have already demonstrated their ability to work independently, as well as their determination to succeed. Companies are well aware which distance learning programs are considered among the best, and are also familiar with which ones have the reputation of being little more than diploma mills. Such schools rarely seek accreditation in the first place, and even if they earn it initially, they are unable to stand under the ongoing close scrutiny accrediting organizations bring to bear.

A final word to the wise: individuals looking into distance learning programs should be cautious about schools that are, in fact, accredited, but by an organization that is not considered reputable. Because accreditation is voluntary, a council, group, or organization may establish itself as qualified to evaluate and bestow accreditation without having the professional backing to support it.

Distance Learning Center | TestPrepReview.com