accreditation

Most accreditors in the U.S. agree that the fundamental principles of quality they use to judge traditional education institutions apply to electronic distance education institutions as well.

For example, the integrity of an institution’s conduct in all its activities, honesty and accuracy, adequate financial resources to run programs and the like are applicable to both traditional and distance education institutions. But accreditors admit certain characteristics of distance education make it unique and present challenges for the institutions and accreditors alike.

In early 1999, Jones International University (JIU), founded in 1993 and headquartered in Colorado, became the first totally online university to achieve accreditation from one of the U.S.’s regional accreditors. JIU’s goal was to attain the same level of accreditation required of established, traditional universities, proving that it could be done, and establishing a high-level of quality for the then-new online education environment.

Find out more about JIU on the school’s official site.

Accreditation historically has been the way for students to determine whether the institution they attend maintains certain quality standards. In most countries, the central government accredits higher education institutions. In France, for example, the national government is the accrediting agency. In the United Kingdom, the national government essentially supervises accreditation. In Canada, the provinces are responsible.