• Reports
• Quality Standards and Guidelines
• Databases and Portals
• Publications

DISCLAIMER:This page contains hypertext links or pointers to information created and maintained by other public and private organizations. These links and pointers are provided for the user's convenience. The U.S. Department of Education does not control or guarantee the accuracy, relevance, timeliness,or completeness of this outside information. Further, the inclusion of links or pointers to particular items in hypertext is not intended to reflect their importance, nor is it intended to endorse any views expressed, or products or services offered, on these outside sites, or the organizations sponsoring the sites.

- Reports -

Distance Education Demonstration Program - Third Report to Congress, April 2005
MS Word (356K) | PDF (235K)

Distance Education Demonstration Program - Second Report to Congress, July 2003
MS Word (190K) | PDF (256K)

Report to Congress on the Distance Education Demonstration Program, January 2001
MS Word (193K) | PDF (146K)

Distance Education at Degree-Granting Postsecondary Institutions: 2000-2001, a report prepared by the U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, July 2003.
http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2003017

Distance Education at Postsecondary Institutions: 1997-98, a report prepared by the U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Dec. 17, 1999.
http://nces.ed.gov/pubs2000/2000013.pdf (Adobe PDF Reader required)

Distance Education in Higher Education Institutions, a report prepared by the U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, October 1997.
http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=98062

The "No Significant Difference Phenomenon" reflects a bibliographical database of research comparing traditional classroom-based and distance education approaches to instruction. This site builds on the 1999 book compiled by Thomas Russell. It also includes research that does demonstrate significant differences.
http://www.nosignificantdifference.org/

Report of the Web-Based Education Commission, The Power of the Internet for Learning: Moving from Promise to Practice, December 2000.
http://www.ed.gov/offices/AC/WBEC/FinalReport/index.html

What's the Difference? A Review of Contemporary Research on the Effectiveness of Distance Learning in Higher Education is a report prepared by the Institute for Higher Education Policy for the American Federation of Teachers and the National Education Association, April 1999.
http://www.ihep.com/Pubs/PDF/Difference.pdf (Adobe PDF Reader required)

- Quality Standards and Guidelines -

Distance Education Guidelines for Good Practice, American Federation of Teachers, May 2000.
http://www.aft.org/higher_ed/downloadable/distance.pdf (Adobe PDF Reader required)

Statement of Commitment by the Regional Accrediting Commissions for the Evaluation of Electronically Offered Degree and Certificate Programs and Best Practices for Electronically Offered Degree and Certificate Programs
http://www.wcet.info/Article1.htm

Principles of Good Practice for Electronically Offered Academic Degree and Certificate Programs, Western Cooperative for Educational Telecommunications.
http://www.wcet.info/projects/balancing/principles.asp

Quality On the Line: Benchmarks for Success in Internet-Based Distance Education, a report prepared by the Institute for Higher Education Policy commissioned by the National Education Association and Blackboard, Inc., that examines case studies of six colleges and universities that provide Internet-based degree programs. The final outcome is a list of 24 benchmarks deemed essential to ensure quality in Internet-based distance education.
http://www.ihep.com/Pubs/PDF/Quality.pdf (Adobe PDF Reader required)

Core Academic Values, Quality and Regional Accreditation: The Challenge of Distance Learning, CHEA Monograph Series 2000. Written by Judith Eaton of the Council on Higher Education Accreditation.
http://www.chea.org/Research/core-values.cfm

Distance Learning: Academic and Political Challenges for Higher Education, CHEA Monograph Series 2001, number 1. Written by Judith Eaton of the Council on Higher Education Accreditation.
http://www.chea.org/Research/distance-learning/chea_dis_learning.pdf (Adobe PDF Reader required)

Accreditation in the United States. The Department of Education recognizes accrediting agencies that the Secretary determines to be reliable authorities as to the quality of education or training provided by the institutions of higher education and the higher education programs they accredit. An overview of accreditation and a list of recognized agencies is available on the Department of Education web site.
http://www.ed.gov/admins/finaid/accred/index.html

- Databases and Portals -

Peterson's: The Distance Learning Channel contains a searchable database of distance learning courses, programs and technical degrees and certificates.
http://www.lifelonglearning.com/

MindEdge is a resource for personal development, distance learning, continuing education, on-campus and corporate training courses. The database is searchable by school, by category, by type of offering and by key word.
http://www.mindedge.com

Sloan ALN Consortium Catalog is a compilation of online degree and certification programs offered by Sloan Consortium member institutions. The database is searchable by discipline, by type of degree or certification, or by educational institution.
http://www.sloan-c.org/programs/index.asp

Southern Regional Electronic Campus (SREC) provides a searchable database of graduate and undergraduate distance education courses and programs offered by member institutions.
http://www.electroniccampus.org

MERLOT - Multimedia Educational Resource for Learning and Online Education. A free and open resource of "educational objects" - multimedia resources that faculty can adapt for use in their instruction.
http://www.merlot.org/Home.po

Statewide Virtual Networks. The Instructional Telecommunications Council has compiled a list of statewide virtual networks with links to each networks' web site. Individual web site contain information on distance education courses, degree programs and member institutions.
http://www.itcnetwork.org/NationalAlliance.htm

- Publications -

ALN Magazine is an electronic magazine that contains case studies and other practical information on ALN (asynchronous learning network) projects.
http://www.aln.org/publications/magazine/index.asp

Chronicle of Higher Education has a Web site with special sections on information technology and distance education.
http://chronicle.com

The Distance Learner's Guide (Western Cooperative for Educational Telecommunications) is designed to help student understand how to be informed consumers of electronically mediated learning. The publisher, Prentice Hall, has set up a companion web site.
http://cw.prenhall.com/dlguide/

EduCause Review (formerly Educom Review) is a practitioner's journal (available in print and online) for college and university managers and users of information resources.
http://www.educause.edu/er/

EduCause Quarterly (formerly CAUSE/EFFECT) is a bimonthly magazine (available in print and online) that explores developments in information technology and education. Also covered are related issues in management, planning, law, and policy.
http://www.educause.edu/eq/

Journal of Asynchronous Learning Networks (JALN) is a scholarly reviewed online journal of research articles that describe original work in ALN, including experimental results.
http://www.aln.org/publications/jaln/index.asp

Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication is a quarterly journal published electronically by the Indiana University School of Library & Information Science and School of Informatics.
http://jcmc.indiana.edu/

Journal of Interactive Media in Education (JIME) is an electronic journal published by the Knowledge Media Institute of the Open University, United Kingdom.
http://www-jime.open.ac.uk/

Online Journal of Distance Learning Administration is a quarterly peer-reviewed journal on distance education management from the State University of West Georgia.
http://www.westga.edu/~distance/jmain11.html

The Technology Source is a bimonthly electronic magazine for faculty and educational leaders focusing on how to use technological tools to enhance teaching, learning, and effective administration.
http://www.horizon.unc.edu/TS/