Defining "Distance Education" in Policy - Differences Among Federal, State, and Accreditation Agencies

Oct 15, 2026

Policy definitions of “distance education” often diverge across federal, state, institutional, and professional accreditation agencies, creating definitional ambiguity and inconsistent interpretations. This review focuses on how those definitional difficulties generate compliance challenges for higher education institutions, increase reporting and tracking burdens, and elevate risks for students. Using sampled policies rather than an exhaustive list, the paper highlights meaningful variations and their potential consequences, including aid-related outcomes and accreditor sanctions.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages28

Reading Time1 h 11 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Background and Purpose

Authors, Copyright, and Resource Information

A Background on Legal and Regulatory Compliance in Higher Education

A Review of Distance Education Definitions

The Differences and Challenges

What's Next?

Appendix 1-Table of Percentages

Appendix 2-Modes of Learning Spectrum

Contact and About

Defining "Distance Education"in Policy: Differences Among Federal, State, and Accreditation Agencies Author: Kathryn Kerensky, Director, Digital Learning Policy & Compliance, State Authorization Network, WCET Contributing Authors: Russ Poulin, Executive Director, WCET & Vice President for Technology-Enhanced Education, WICHE Van Davis, Chief Strategy Officer, WCET vs ..... STATE AUTHORIZATION NETWORK a division ofWCET wcet INTRODUCTION Online learning, hybrid learning, correspondence education, hyflex learning, blended learning, distance education. These terms and many more have been used by institutions, scholars, policymakers, accreditors, and more to describe the variety of course delivery options that are available today. These terms may often be used interchangeably or in ways that conflate their meaning. This creates a lack of clarity and understanding. The definitions of these terms have important policy implications as institutions must manage multiple and sometimes conflicting definitions and interpretations from regulators and accreditors. This paper reviews the definitions of just one of these terms, distance education, as it is the most commonly used in policy references. There are an increasing number of terms (e.g., hybrid, blended, hyflex) used to describe the use of digital instructional tools. The focus on the definitional difficulties in policies for this one term serves as an indicator of how difficult oversight and compliance can become when additional terms come into play. The purpose of this review is to highlight how, with so many sources of distance education definitions and related compliance requirements, compliance management is not only a substantial task but could potentially cause confusion to a number of stakeholders, and ultimately a risk to students. The review includes a sampling of policies and is not an exhaustive list, however the sample does include definitions from federal, state, institutional accreditation agencies, professional accrediting agencies, and other national sources. There are additional state and local cases beyond those included, but this paper highlights some of the more significant variations. The purpose of this review is to highlight the challenges and risks associated with navigating multiple sources of "distance education"definitions in policy. CONTENTS Introduction ... 1 Authors, Copyright, and Resource Information ... 2 A Background on Legal and Regulatory Compliance in Higher Education ... 5 A Review of Distance Education Definitions ... 7 The Differences and Challenges ... 15 What's Next? ... 20 Appendix 1-Table of Percentages ... 23 Appendix 2-Modes of Learning Spectrum ... 25 Contact and About ... 26 AUTHORS AND ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Author: Kathryn Kerensky Director, Digital Learning Policy & Compliance, State Authorization Network, WCET Contributing Authors: Russ Poulin Van Davis Executive Director, WCET Chief Strategy Officer Vice President for Technology-Enhanced WCET Education, WICHE COPYRIGHT AND ADDITIONAL RESOURCES For related resources, see [https://wcet.wiche.edu/practice/digital-learning-definitions/](https://wcet.wiche.edu/practice/digital-learning-definitions/) For inquiries or more information [contact](contact wcetinfo@wiche.edu)[ ](contact wcetinfo@wiche.edu)[wcetinfo@wiche.edu](contact wcetinfo@wiche.edu). This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. Why does this matter? What is the impact? Higher education is a highly regulated industry, with institutions from all sectors navigating legal and regulatory requirements from the state and federal level, in addition to standards and guidelines from institutional and programmatic accreditors, and internal institutional policies and procedures. Every agency may apply a different definition for the same concept of distance education, which presents complications

FAQs

Why do policymakers and institutions have trouble using the term “distance education” consistently?

Multiple agencies use different definitions or apply the same concept differently, which creates confusion and conflates meanings across policy and oversight contexts.

What is the purpose of this review paper?

To highlight the challenges and risks associated with navigating multiple sources of “distance education” definitions in policy, including how compliance management can become complex and potentially harmful to students.

What risks arise from noncompliance or misreporting distance education data?

Institutions may face consequences such as loss of access to student financial aid, repayment of aid, accreditor sanctions, and increased costs from tracking and reporting under different definitions.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by นรินทร์