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APPLICATION FOR DISTANCE EDUCATION DELIVERY
Allow up to eight weeks for review and approval.
A new program, not currently offered and approved by ABHES, also requires the completion of the Application for New Program Approval, regardless of the method of delivery.
The Application for Distance Education Delivery must be submitted for:
1. The initial (first-time) addition of distance education to a currently accredited institution or an institution holding programmatic accreditation; and,
2. A significant change to or departure from the format, method, or third-party curriculum provider of distance education delivery previously approved by ABHES and utilized by the institution. (Note: A change in the Learning Management System need not be reported unless the change impacts the curriculum.)
Date of Application:Proposed Start Date*:
Institution: ABHES Identification Number:
Street Address:
City, State, Zip:Website:
Telephone: Facsimile:
Current On-site director: Email Address:
Contact for application: Email Address:
I certify that the information submitted is current and that the proposed distance education
delivery method has not been published in the catalog or advertisements, or offered to students.
Name: Title:
Signature: Date:
*Once approved,if the program does not commence distance enrollment within 90 days of the anticipated start date disclosed on the application, you are directed to notify ABHES of this in writing. Please be advised that any approved program that has not been in operation for a continuous 12-month period is considered discontinued and reapplication is necessary (see Chapter III. B., Subsection4.C.b. and Glossary definition, Discontinued Program, Accreditation Manual).
1.Approval to offer distance education is requested for the following program. (Submit a
separate application and fee for each program in which distance education will be initiated.)
Program Title* / In Class Clock Hours / Outside Class Clock Hours / Total Clock Hours / Length inWeeks / Academic
Credit Hours
(specify)
Quarter
Semester / Max. %
Distance
Education / Method of
Delivery** / Credential
Awarded
*Program title must match state approval submitted under tab 10
2.Will students have the option to take the above listed program(s) in a fully residential (on-ground) format once the distance education expansion is instituted, or will the program only be offered as a blended or full distance education program? **List all available methods in chart above.
**Please note,programs should be listed as residential if the student is able to take all coursework on campus, with any clinical experiences/externships in close proximity to the campus. Distance education programs should be listed asblended ifboth traditional on-campus and distance learning is incorporated within a course or program of study. If any portion of the distance program is delivered on the institution’s campus, the program would be defined as blended. A distance education program should be listed asfull if all coursework within a program is delivered via distance education. If a program has an on-ground laboratory, clinical or externship experience for its students at remote locations, the program is still considered a full distance education program.
3.List courses within the specific program to be offered via distance education delivery:
Course Name / Course Number / Credits/Hours / Type of Distance Ed. CourseGen. Ed., Core, Electives, Lab, Remote Externship/Clinical
4.Explain the reason or basis for the addition of distance as a method of delivery.
5.Provide the URL/web address, along with a temporary user ID and password to access and review the distance education delivery system.If any special instructions are needed for access, please list.(If a distance delivery method other than online is utilized, this may not be applicable.)
Objectives & Oversight
6.a.How will the institution document and monitor qualitative and quantitative measures of student progress in this distance education program to evaluate achievement of the required educational outcomes?
b.How will the institution incorporate the aboveon-going assessment into the Program Effectiveness Plan for this distance education program? Provide draft language that will` be added to the Program Effectiveness Plan (PEP). Submit under exhibit tab 1 and label as “PEP.”
Curricula & Programs
7.Describe the activities built into the proposed curriculum to promote and ensure regular and substantive interaction between faculty and students and among students enrolled in distance education courses. How will this be monitored and by whom?
8.How has the institution ensured that the academic rigor of the proposed distance education curricula(didactic, laboratory and clinical experiences) is: (a) comparable to that of a program offered on ground, and (b) appropriate to justify the clock hours/credit awarded? How will this be monitored and by whom?
9.Provide copies of syllabi for the proposed distance education course offerings, with method of delivery highlighted in yellow. Submit under exhibit tab2 and label as “Syllabi.”
Lab/Clinical, if applicable
Complete if any portion of a laboratory or clinical/externship/internship experience is delivered in a distance education formatincluding, but not limited to, a remote on-ground experience,virtual online or other simulation.
10. Explain how the lab and the clinical/externship components of the program will be conducted for your distance education students.
a.) How will these sites be acquired? Explain the process of how the institution will validate the site supervisor’s (preceptor’s) qualifications, the available equipmentand facilities, to ensure educational objectives and competencies can be met for all students.
b.) How will the institution ensure that there are sufficient clinical/externship sites, based upon the projected enrollment in the application?
c.)Describe the clinical/externship activities in regard to student placement, supervision and evaluation.
d.) Who will be responsible for coordinating and supervising the clinical/externship for the institution or program? Describe this individual’s relevant qualifications. Include the individual’s resume under exhibit tab 3 and label as “Clinical Coord.”
Technology & Resources
11.How will the institution ensure that appropriate instructional and library resources are readily available and accessible to distance education students?Include a description of the instructional and library resources available to support the learning objectives for this program.
12.What process will be used to verify the hardware and software capability of a student’s computer to meet the technical requirements of the program? If an online testing mechanism is used to assess the capability of the computer to be used by the student, provide a screenshot under exhibit tab 4 and label as “Tech. Requirements.”
13. How will the institution verify the identity of a student who participates in the online coursework?
14. What process will be used to protect student privacy?
15.Verify that the selected online learning management platform has: (a) an infrastructure that ensures against short- and long-term data loss; (b)applicable scalability to accommodate expected enrollment and enrollment growth; and, (c) sufficient resources to deliver learning materials without noticeable service interruption. Please describe how the institution has verified each.
16. Provide enrollment projections and allocation of fiscal resources for the next three fiscal years based upon the proposed distance education offeringsin the table below and describe the basis for the projections.
Basis:
Year / Projected Enrollment / Projected CapitalInvestment / Projected Expenses / Projected Budget for the Expansion
Student Assessment
17. What are the admission requirements for a student enrolling in a distance education program? What are the expectations, admissions requirements or prerequisites for participating in distance education?
18. How will the institution assess, during the admissions process, whether students have the skills and competencies to succeed in distance education?
Administration & Management
19.Identify the individual trained and experienced in the development and delivery of distance education who is (i) employed by either the institution or its parent corporation, and (ii) participates in development of the instructional design of the distance delivery model being used by the institution/program. Describe this individual’s relevant academic and experiential qualifications, and provide a copy of the individual’s resume under exhibit tab 5 and label as “Admin. Development.”
20.Identify the individual responsible for the administering the delivery of distance education activities; and, describe this individual’s relevant academic and experiential qualifications. Provide a copy of this individual’s resume under exhibit tab 6 and label as “Admin. Delivery.”
21. Identify the individual trained and experienced in the current educational methodologies and techniques for the institution’s chosen delivery method who will participate in the evaluation/assessment of the effectiveness of faculty in the distance education environment. Describe this individual’s relevant academic and experiential qualifications, and provide a copy of this individual’sresume under exhibit tab 7 and label as “Admin. Faculty Evaluation.”
22. a. Identify the individual who serves as a member of an institution’s advisory board on behalf of the distance education delivery system; and, describe all pertinent academic and experiential qualifications of this advisory board member. Provide a copy of the distance education advisory board member’s resume, with his/her distance education experience highlighted in yellow. Submitresume under exhibit tab 8 and label as “Advisory Bd.Member.”
b.Submit minutes from the program advisory board meeting(s) -- involving the distance education advisory board member – that demonstrate the committee reviewed and commented on the proposed distance education delivery method, including the infrastructure and resources to support it. Highlight the name of the distance education advisory board member and his/her participation in yellow within the minutes. Submit underexhibit tab 9 “Advisory Bd. Min.” If a meeting has not taken place yet, please indicate when it is scheduled.
Faculty
23.Identify the faculty teaching by distance education delivery and describe the academic and experiential qualifications of each in the chart below. If distance education faculty members have not been hired, please list the requirements to fill the positions and a timeline for hiring.
Faculty Member / Course(s) Taught Course Title & Number / Degree and/orCredential
& Year Earned / Description of Work Experience & Dates
OR if General Ed. Instructor for Degree
Program,List Related Subject Matter Course Titles & Credits
24. What is the maximum student-faculty ratio for online courses to ensure that regular and substantive interaction is supported?
25. What is the maximum student-faculty ratio for online courses to ensure that regular and substantive interaction is supported?
26.How will the institution ensure that the teaching loads for distance education instructors are appropriate and ensure the achievement of required educational outcomes?
27. How will faculty be trained in use of distance education technologies and who is responsible for this training?
Approvals & Agreements
28. Provide documentation from the state(s) (or applicable regulatory agencies) demonstrating approval for the proposed distance education program(s). If a state (or applicable regulatory agency) does not require approval, evidence from the agency to that effect must be submitted.
Please note: If the program(s) listed in #1 will be offered in additional states, submit the AttestationofState Authorization form located at with this application.
Programmatic applicants must also provide documentation of institutional accreditor’s distance education approval. Submit all approval documentation under exhibit tab 10 labeled as “Approvals.”
29. Describe any third-party contractual relationships or arrangements in regard to the delivery of distance education. Provide copies of any such agreements and submit under exhibit tab 11 and label as “3rd Party Agreements.”
Student Services
30.Describe the student orientation curriculum specific to distance education activities and how the information is provided to students enrolled in distance education.
31.Describe the technical support designed to assist students in successfully completing the program requirements, including planned hours of operation.
32. How does the institution ensure that it provides the same student services, such as counseling, academic advising, guidance, employment assistance and financial aid, as applicable, for students enrolled in distance education?
Disclosures
Provide copies of all draft documents to include information below;submit under exhibit tab 12 as “Disclosures.” Highlight portions noted below in yellow on the documents.
33.Identify means by which the delivery methods will be properly disclosed and explained in institutional publications (i.e., websites, catalogs, advertising and syllabi).
34.Will there be are any specialized or additional fees associated with distance education? If so, what are the projected charges and where will these be disclosed?
35. What technology resources are required for successful program or course completion and where will the requirements be published for students?
36. How and where will the expectations, admissions requirements or prerequisites for participating in distance education be disclosed to the students?If the institution will offer distance education outside the state in which it is physically located, the disclosure must include a list of states in which the institution is authorized to deliver distance education.
37. How and where will the institution disclose any material circumstance that may adversely impact an applicant’s ability to complete a program or gain employment in the applicant’s field of study?
Directions for Submission to ABHES:
Submit one (1) copy of the application and exhibits on a compact disk (CD) or flash drivewith electronic bookmarks labeled according to the exhibit tab instructions contained in the application,with theApplication Fee to ABHES. (See appendix in the Accreditation Manual for fee schedule. Application fee is non-refundable.) No hard copy is necessary.
This may require those documents not currently accessible on the computer to be professionally scanned as a “JPG, TIF, or Microsoft-Compatible” file on the CD or flash drive to ensure that all documents are legible and organized for ease of an electronic review. If the documents are scanned in per page and consist of more than two pages, please combine them into one document.
A separate file should be made and appropriately labeled for the narrative and each exhibit tab of the application. The total number of files on the CD or flash drive is dependent on the narrative plus the number of exhibits tabs saved. Each file should be named according to its content (e.g., exhibit tab 1 – “PEP,” exhibit tab 2 –“Syllabi,” etc.).
EXHIBIT TABS:
1. PEP7. Admin. Faculty Evaluation
2. Syllabi8. Advisory Bd. Member
3. Clinical Coordinator9. Advisory Bd. Minutes
4. Tech. Requirements10. Approvals
5. Admin. Development11. 3rd Party Agreements
6. Admin. Delivery12. Disclosures