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Distance Education Resources

This is not an exhaustive list by any means, yet NCPSA would like our members to have a beginning point to find online resources related to distance education.

Navigating the World of IT & Distance Learning

How to Recognize, Establish & Evaluate a Quality Distance Learning Program with Trina Angelone, Chair, Commission on Instructional Technology and Distance Learning.

Guest Presenters: Victoria Pylvainen, Dr. Bryan Setser, Roger Clark, Dr. David Reed, Dr. Stephen Haessler, and Dr. Bryan Setser.

  • Day One: November 29th, 2022

Session 1: Introduction to the topics to be covered in all sessions and how they relate to understanding and defining how to evaluate online schools and programs – this will include standards, technologies, curriculum, and policies. In the area of staffing – looking at the value of a dedicated management team, what experience they need to have, focusing on skill sets, mindset of a business leader with an academic background – must understand enrollment, recruitment, academics, and technology in addition to understanding how to create a culture for educators and students in the virtual space.

Session 2: Standards for teaching, standards for content, instructional design and standards for online programs, a focus on the iNacol/NSQ standards and the cross-walking or mapping of those to other globally recognized standards using the GlobalED frameworks adopted by NCPSA.

Session 3: Assessing the selection of technology and tools to support the development of an ecosystem for use with online and blended programs. Considerations – legacy systems and new systems must speak with each other for any premium user experience. Looking at the selection of an LMS, Content platforms, user dashboards & navigation systems, tools specifically to enhance support and learning, virtual classroom tools, analytics and so much more.

Session 4: Evaluating Technology Support, Internet, Cybersecurity, Internal/External Customer Service & Protocols.

Link to: Sessions 1-4 Video

  • Day Two: November 30th, 2022

Session 5: Observations and considerations – “Back end of the house versus the front end of the house,” student support systems, student services, on-boarding, counseling and guidance, recordkeeping, following the learner journey, marketing, recruiting, moving the student from application through exit as a system.

Session 6: Staffing models, scheduling, supporting educational programming, hybrid learning, self-contained associated models, school site virtual models, supporting learning centers and residential or other hub models.

Session 7: Evaluating assessment in online programs, benchmarking, standardized testing, integrating ecosystem tools and resources, project-based learning and assessment.

Session 8: Governance, policies, Blended learning, endorsements and online models, budget, accreditation for online schools and programs, and continuous improvement, progress monitoring, the planning for online or hybrid programs.

Link to: Sessions 4-8 Video

Zoom Webinar: Commission on Information Technology & Digital Learning Standards

  • Session 1 – Meet The Standards

A review of industry definitions, standards and protocols already available as a basis for all organizations to build their specific standards on.

a) We will examine the difference between standards for online programs, online courses, and online teaching.
b) Initial review of a framework for evaluation of quality implementation of standards.

Link to: Session 1

  • Session 2 – Meet The Experts

Panel of five NCPSA leaders will share the standards they have already developed, rationale around this work, and answer questions you may have from your own work in this area.

Bring your existing standards or drafts for review/input if you need and help working/rewriting, etc. The goal is to use this session to dig deeply, so you leave with good working drafts.

Link to: Session 2

  • Session 3 – Implementing The Standards

After a process of collating, culling, and validating all standards from collective member organizations to identify a set of standards, the Commission will present to the NCPSA Council for acceptance at the May meeting –

Updated NCPSA standards for accrediting organizations with:
a) Associated set of standards as resources for the organizations to use with member schools
b) A framework for reviewing and evaluating organizations are meeting the standards

Link to: Session 3

Microsoft training seminar on resources, tools, and online education

Copyright Issues

Digital Citizenship

Distance Education Tutorials

English Language Proficiency Testing 

Evaluation of Online Courses/Programs

Honesty Online

Online Curriculum

NCPSA Associations accredit schools, not programs or curriculum. The Best Practices document (2d) is designed to guide associations’ delivery of quality distance education through their schools.

2d. Although important elements of a program may be supplied by consortia partners or outsourced to other organizations, including contractors who may or may not be accredited, the responsibility for performance remains with the school awarding the degree or certificate. It is the school in which the student is enrolled, not its suppliers or partners, that have a contract with the student. Therefore, the criteria for selecting consortia partners and contractors, and the means to monitor and evaluate their work, are important aspects of the program plan. In considering consortia agreements, attention is given to issues such as assuring that enhancing service to students is a primary consideration and that incentives do not compromise the integrity of the school or its educational program. Consideration is also given to the effect of administrative arrangements and cost-sharing on a school’s decision-making regarding curriculum.

Online students

Open Educational Resources (OER) Commons

Raising a Responsible Digital Citizen

Tools to help parents monitor their children’s online activities and conversational tips about online privacy.
10 tips for raising a responsible digital citizen: https://www.isp.com/blog/raising-a-responsible-digital-citizen/

Student Resources for Online Learning

The Online Student’s Guide

The Validity of Online Learning