New NC-SARA Article on “Quality Distance Education” Featured in Change: The Magazine of Higher Learning
A new article from the National Council for State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements (NC-SARA) CEO and President Lori Williams and Director of Educational Programs and Communications Melanie Booth is featured in the January/ February 2021 issue of Change: The Magazine of Higher Learning. Change is a respected higher education journal and recognized source for postsecondary education trends and insights.
The article, one in the collection about Meeting the Moment: Innovation and Change in Times of Crisis and Need, provides an overview of the purpose and mission of NC-SARA and describes how State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements (SARA) help streamline regulatory bureaucracy and promote appropriate oversight of interstate distance education. The piece also details the consumer protections provided by SARA to help support students and assure quality.
An excerpt of the article reads:
SARA provides a framework to streamline and improve regulation of distance education, and serves as a constructive partner to states in enhancing quality and access to distance education opportunities. When states join, they agree to follow uniform criteria for approving their eligible institutions’ participation . . . SARA requires its more than 2,100 participating institutions across 52 member states, districts, and territories to meet reasonable quality and consumer protection standards in providing these educational opportunities across state lines. The agreement provides assurance between and among states that the institutions have several basic guardrails in place to protect students . . . Because institutional compliance with all of the SARA requirements is nonnegotiable, including strict adherence to SARA’s student complaint resolution processes, SARA’s policies help protect students and provide benefits to both states and institutions carrying out distance education in multiple states.
To download a copy of the article entitled, “Quality Distance Education for Students is Within Reach”, in the current edition of Change magazine, visit Quality Distance Education for Students is Within Reach: Change: The Magazine of Higher Learning: Vol 53, No 1 (tandfonline.com)