Dear Commons Community,

I was recently ask to write a short article on regulating higher education paying particularly attention to the issues related to online programs.  It was published this morning by evoluTTTion, an online journal dedicated to providing a forum for “the lifelong learning community to provoke ideas, re-imagine education, inspire collaboration and create action to lead the transformative change in higher education.”

In this article, I specifically look at the roles and responsibilities of federal, state, local, and professional regulating and accreditation bodies.  My main thrust is:

“…no organizations welcome oversight and regulation but, given the importance of the higher education sector for the success of our society and way of life, they are necessary. No single agency has the wherewithal or expertise to do this alone. Federal, state and local governmental agencies can provide the leadership, but they have to be careful of political influences and well-financed lobbying campaigns that distort sound practice for other purposes and financial gain. The colleges and universities themselves, through peer accreditation as well as their own internal reviews, need to continually evaluate the quality of their programs to provide a balance to government oversight. Ultimately, by working together, all can maintain American higher education as a model for the rest of the world.”

Take a look!

Tony