Assuring Quality in Distance Learning is a report prepared for The Council for Higher Education Accreditation by The Institute for Higher Education Policy. Although it gives few details about its methodology, the report suggests that the "study drew upon information from a variety of sources: a review of the literature on distance learning, visits to distance learning sites and providers, and interviews with distance learning experts," and that the "report presents the most up-to-date information available, with the caveat that the context for distance learning is continually changing and evolving" (Assuring Quality Report). You can view the entire report online. Of interest for this presentation are several excerpts that can serve as prompts for further consideration of distance education evaluation issues.

Of note initially is the suggestion that distance education courses undergo a good deal of evaluation and that "[q]uality assurance strategies appear to be integrated into the design of most postsecondary education distance learning programs" (Assuring Quality Report). Of concern is the suggestion that for distance learning there is

a greater tendency for the assessment process to be led by the administration instead of the faculty, with greater use of outside consultants and assessment "experts" in lieu of internally-generated peer reviews. The quality assurance process therefore appears to be less process-driven, where there is a high value placed on consultation, consensus building and dialogue, and more oriented to "bottom-line" or market-oriented results. (Assuring Quality Report)

Accompanying this concern is the fear that in comparison to "conventional" courses there appears to a lack of faculty control in matters of curriculum:

The tendency to develop or use pre-packaged courses and the preponderance of part-time faculty are characteristics of many distance learning programs. (Assuring Quality Report)

In addition to outlining these and other concerns, the report offers a sketch of a policy agenda for accreditation and a list of issues demanding further research. The report suggests that we

consider the role of faculty and the degree of professional autonomy and academic freedom they have within the institution,

substantiate evidence of contact between faculty and students,

explore [w]ho designs the curriculum and course materials in distance learning programs, and

[f]ocus attention on the development of courseware and the availability of information. (Assuring Quality Report)

We can distill from the policy sketch and research agenda two important points:

Questions concerning control of curriculum design and faculty autonomy must be addressed.

The development of courseware and the role of faculty as technology experts and mediators must be considered.