Distance Education Standards and Certification Program

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1 Distance Education Standards and Certification Program INTRODUCTION The purpose of this document is to provide the reader with information about the ARELLO Distance Education Certification Program. There are three primary audiences that will find this document useful: a) governmental regulators b) course providers and c) students. Each of these groups is a substantial stakeholder in the field of distance education and ARELLO is excited about working with each of them. According to the International Data Corporation the online education industry is expected to grow at a rate of 80 percent annually for the next several years. As online education proliferates through colleges and universities, it is also beginning to make a substantial presence in regulated industries such as real estate. BACKGROUND In 1997, real estate regulators recognized the trend of rapid growth in distance education and had concerns about the delivery methods of courses being submitted for approval. Many courses were being submitted to regulators that did not contain valuable educational components. The absence of educational components such as interaction, assessment, and support tools were major concerns for regulators being asked to approve distance education courses credit. Real estate regulators took their concerns to the Association of Real Estate License Law Officials (ARELLO) and received approval to hire a qualified consultant and to support a task force in developing standards for the approval of distance education course delivery. ARELLO has succeeded in this endeavor with the significant input and guidance of Dr. Robert Meyer, a Fulbright Scholar in Distance Education. The Standards were completed in the fall of 1998, approved by ARELLO s Board of Directors, and made available for purchase. With the implementation of the Standards came the Distance Education Certification Program. After the creation of The Standards, a certification program was then created to apply The Standards and effectively evaluate the quality of individual courses delivered via distance education. Many regulatory agencies find it beneficial to require providers to have ARELLO review their course prior to application to the regulatory agency for approval. ARELLO Certification evidences validity in the design and delivery of these courses specific to distance education while the regulatory agency reviews the courses relative to its statutes and regulations. This collaborative effort allows the regulatory agency to benefit from expertise that may have been unavailable and/or unaffordable for that agency, individually. Certification provides an objective evaluation and is a valuable tool to assist regulators in protecting the public interest, ensuring sound educational experiences for students, and applying consistent legitimate criteria so that education developers/providers are not unfairly evaluated or restricted.

2 HOW TO BECOME CERTIFIED Providers must first distinguish themselves as being a primary or secondary provider. Primary providers are simply course developers who may or may not intend to distribute their course themselves or through secondary providers. Secondary providers would be companies that simply sell another company s predeveloped course. A simpler way to distinguish between a primary and secondary provider would be to ask one question: did you design, develop, and retain the rights to the course? If yes, the provider would be primary. If not, the provider is secondary. To become certified, the primary and/or secondary course provider must provide ARELLO with a thorough description and implementation plan for the course and meet standards set forth in the Distance Education Standards Manual. The course application itself is accomplished by completing the self-study in the ARELLO Certification Manual. Both manuals may be ordered at The Distance Education Standards Manual is a comprehensive guide in helping you design a quality distance education course that meets The ARELLO Standards. The ARELLO Certification Manual is the documentation necessary for the application for course certification. Please note that there is different documentation for primary and secondary providers. Due to the nature of the application, secondary providers do not have to fill out information that would normally be done by the primary provider. Once the provider has submitted the application self-study with the appropriate application fees, ARELLO s independent review team will enter into a cooperative effort with the provider to help insure that courses meet the ARELLO Standards. Often the ARELLO review team requests changes in course design to meet standards or has questions about the application. Once the course meets The Standards, it is approved and certified. The course provider will then receive a summary sheet and a certificate for each certified course. Summary sheets and certificates are often required by some jurisdictions to verify ARELLO Certification. The provider s course will also be listed on the ARELLO web site along with contact information for the course provider. This database of Certified providers may be searched multiple ways and has proven to be a great marketing tool to those providers who have certified courses. BENEFITS OF ARELLO CERTIFICATION FOR: Regulators Saves time and resources by ARELLO performing the time consuming course review for design and delivery. Insures programs are educationally sound in design and delivery. This is accomplished by measuring each course against the ARELLO Standards, which are based upon the latest academic and commercial educational research. ARELLO verifies claims of providers. For example, if a provider states a course is offered for 3 clock hours, ARELLO then verifies that independent time studies have been documented to support the claim. ARELLO also road-tests each course to ensure the clock hours are adequate. Qualified experts review the courses. ARELLO maintains one of the nation s leading experts in the field of distance education to lead the ARELLO review team in evaluating courses.

3 ARELLO holds providers accountable for administering courses as certified. ARELLO doesn t just create standards; it also enforces them. ARELLO promptly investigates reports of courses not being taught as certified. This helps ease the burden on regulators trying to enforce high educational standards in their jurisdiction. Course Providers Keeps industry standards high by keeping sub-standard courses out of the market. Courses required and/or recognized in multiple jurisdictions. ARELLO Certification removes barriers to getting courses approved in over 42 jurisdictions. Satisfies regulators concerns about potential problems in distance education. Gives courses national recognition and helps market courses on ARELLO.NET Eliminates costly mistakes by addressing common pitfalls in course design prior to development. Qualified experts review courses. Increased course delivery options such as correspondence, computer based, web and satellite delivery, have become more widely recognized by Regulators. Students Access to consistently high quality courses. ARELLO helps insure there is adequate instructional and technical support. Assurance courses can be properly navigated. Increased course delivery options such as correspondence, computer based, web and satellite delivery, have become more widely recognized by Regulators. Certain courses are accepted and/or recognized in multiple jurisdictions. Quick access to information about quality courses at ARELLO.NET. Since the inception of the certification program, ARELLO has fervently sought certification to be a winwin-win situation. All parties involved from the student to the regulator have much to gain by recognizing the value of ARELLO Certification.

4 WHO SUPPORTS ARELLO DISTANCE EDUCATION CERTIFICATION? Even though the Certification Program could still be considered in its infancy, currently, twenty jurisdictions require ARELLO Certification. Approximately three more are expected to require ARELLO Certification within the next year or so. Twenty-two other jurisdictions offer some tangible benefit to providers for having ARELLO Certified courses and recognize. Certified courses as representing quality in design and delivery of distance education courses. ARELLO now has certified over 470 courses throughout the nation. Real Estate Regulators have been enjoying the ability to recognize distance education courses with integrity and to recommend them to their licensees. Licensees have been generous in their praise of the Certification and are grateful of the measures taken to make the various delivery methods viable, safer options. A recent testimonial from Teresa Hoffman, Deputy Director for Education & Licensing, Nebraska Real Estate Commission reads: The ARELLO/IDECC Program has resolved the dilemma of how to discern between distance education programs with integrity and those without it. Certification provides an objective evaluation and is a valuable tool to assist regulators in protecting the public interest, ensuring sound educational experiences for licensees and candidates for license, and applying consistent legitimate criteria so that education developers/providers are not unfairly evaluated or restricted. By amending Nebraska s Rules and Regulations to require that all education delivered in a distance education format must be ARELLO- Certified prior to review by our Commission we have insured with confidence and certainty that these responsibilities can be fulfilled. Other supporters of the ARELLO Standards and Certification Program include some of nation s largest real estate distance education providers, including CompuTaught and Real Estate Education Company. Hear what Dr. Donald Bodley, Professor of Real Estate Studies at Eastern Kentucky University, said about the ARELLO Certification Program: "The ARELLO Certification process is a strong test of the academic integrity of the design of on-line course delivery. Encouraging objective evaluation of course content coupled with student involvement and interaction, the process is both demanding and revealing. Working through the application process helped me to bridge the gap between twenty plus years of classroom teaching and moving to instruction via the on-line virtual classroom. I know of no other resource or experience that pinpoints so clearly the steps needed to make the computer based teaching method satisfying to the student while maintaining academic validity. Working through the ARELLO Certification guidelines has not only been instructive in creating an interactive relationship with the student in the virtual classroom; but has also revealed interactive weaknesses in my traditional classroom. The Certification process has been personally enriching and academically rewarding." State REALTOR associations have recognized that ARELLO Certification represents quality in a distance education course. Certain REALTOR associations have recommended ARELLO Certified courses to their members as a way of protecting them from poor courses that are not functional, do not meet learning objectives, or fail the student in some way. ARELLO has documented testimonials from a variety of providers. These are published at and support the assertion that this Certification is attainable and valuable.

5 FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT ARELLO CERTIFICATION Over the course of the last three years, ARELLO has committed itself to the refinement of the standards and certification program. Through this process ARELLO has learned of several frequently asked questions. These questions and answers are as follows: (Please note a comprehensive list of answers to frequently asked questions can be found at 1. How Difficult Is The Certification Process? The Certification Program is based upon the accreditation model. This model is designed to thoroughly yet flexibly examine and evaluate each course submitted for Certification. We have found that those who consider the process difficult are usually those providers with the least amount of experience in instructional design. Without a doubt, the research and concepts that drive successful distance education can be extremely dynamic. Those without the proper background may find the Certification Program more complex than other more experienced course providers. 2. How Much Does Certification Cost?" ARELLO Certification costs only a fraction of what other certification organizations charge. For example, to have a single course certified by the American Council on Education, it would cost close to $6000 to complete the certification process. The Appraiser Qualifications Board charges $900 for the first course and $800 for each additional course reviewed. ARELLO Certification is good for a period of three years. Therefore, if the cost of ARELLO Certification is passed on to students, as it commonly is, the additional cost per student for each course is nominal. ARELLO Certification fees directly reflect the costs of the program, ARELLO charges primary providers $825 for the first course and $625 for each additional course of the same delivery method. Secondary providers pay only $275 for their first course and $225 for each one thereafter. When considering the benefits of ARELLO Certification and the fees of other certifying institutions, the ARELLO fees are minimal. 3. How Long Does The Process Of Certification Take? There are several variables that effect how fast a course is certified. On average, ARELLO has courses certified within 60 days. However, it hardly ever takes ARELLO 60 days to do its review. The majority of time spent in the review process is spent waiting for the course providers to answer questions or modify courses to meet standards. In the past, it has not been uncommon for a course to be submitted, within two weeks ARELLO requests modifications or clarification, then the provider takes three weeks to a month to respond. This drives the time for Certification to an average time of less than sixty days. In some cases, courses can be certified in less than thirty days if the are well designed and submit a complete and thorough application. ARELLO Leadership has pledged full support for this Program. Allocation of staff and resources to maintain the Program s efficiency and integrity are a priority as evidenced by the addition of a program coordinator, Joe McClary, in June 2000, to help streamline and improve the process of application. SUMMARY As the use of technology increases, so does the complexity of developing quality distance education courses. The ARELLO Certification Program has been proven to offer a valuable service for regulators reviewing courses, students who are looking for a quality educational experience and course providers who want to maintain high standards within their industry. For more information about the ARELLO

6 Certification Program, visit our web site at or phone 334/