Distance education permeates the field of professional and continuing education to such an extent that quality assurance (QA) is a topic no distance educator or administrator should avoid. Quality assurance is an issue not just for continuing education but also for higher education generally. Given the disruptive impact of distance education and…

In 2010, Capella University became the first online university--and the first for-profit institution--to receive the CHEA (Council for Higher Education Accreditation) Award for Outstanding Institutional Practice in Student Learning Outcomes. In 2009, Capella University also received the Platinum-level Learning Impact Award/Best Outcomes-based…

Many college and university summer session deans and directors face significant challenges in providing quality summer courses. At research institutions, for example, the number of regular tenured and tenure-track faculty who want to focus on research, scholarship, and other activities during summer, affects the composition of the summer session…

Higher education institutions are confronted with increasing demand for electronic access to educational opportunities, improved academic quality and accountability, and new academic programs that address societal workforce and economic development needs. Collaboration allows institutions to combine resources to respond efficiently and effectively…

Discusses competition and profit in higher education and the effect of the profit motive on educational quality. Describes the impact of the lucrative executive education field, extension education, the Internet, and the hidden curriculum of advertising and corporate dollars in universities. (SK)

Reports the results of a survey that identified 2,500 certificate programs at more than 400 universities. Discusses findings related to quality, nomenclature, governance, management, curriculum, faculty, students, and finance. (SK)

Asserts that many faculty resist distance education, especially for undergraduates; they regard face-to-face as necessary but ignore its quality; they consider good teaching to be faculty centered; their property rights claims seek to preserve their professional role rather than the syllabus itself. (SK)

Attempts to attain academic respectability for continuing higher education hinged on two arguments. The campus equivalence approach asserted that extension programs had equivalent rigor to campus programs. The adult learning approach argued that different qualities of adult students necessitated different criteria and goals reflecting adult…

Noting that the body of literature is limited, the author reviews research on correspondence study enrollments, instructors, and theories; independent learning; characteristics of quality in instruction; student-teacher interaction and feedback; and the learner's perspective of distance education. (SK)