Resolutions Related to Higher Education

B-68. Distance Education

The National Education Association believes that quality distance education can create or extend learning opportunities but is not an alternative to traditional education that allows for regular face-to-face interaction among students, peers, and instructors.

The Association opposes arrangements whereby elementary, secondary, and undergraduate students receive all or most of their education through distance education and rarely, if ever, convene in an actual classroom. The Association recognizes that exceptions may be warranted in particular cases.

The Association also believes that students must be able to participate in distance education on an equitable basis without regard to social or economic status.

The Association further believes that the following principles represent a framework to ensure quality distance education:

1. Distance education courses should be managed to assure effective student and school participation, provide for regular interaction between students and their instructors and online classmates, and offer opportunities for offline activities.
2. Teachers who provide distance education at the elementary/secondary school level should be licensed in the subject matter taught and be skilled in learning theories, technologies, and teaching pedagogies appropriate for an online environment. Ongoing professional development is essential to assure that teachers maintain the skills appropriate for an online environment.
3. Students who take distance education courses should receive the preparation and support necessary to enable them to function effectively in an online environment, which at a minimum should include—
   1. Appropriate equipment, technical support, libraries, and laboratories
   2. Appropriate services for elementary/secondary students, including onsite education employees to monitor student performance and act as a liaison to the distance education instructor
   3. Accurate course descriptions and clear expectations prior to enrollment
   4. Reasonable student to instructor ratios that allow for individualized interaction with instructors
   5. Opportunities for appropriate student-to-student interaction
   6. Courses that are as rigorous as similar courses delivered by more traditional means
   7. Courses that meet accreditation standards.
4. Support systems should provide resources to instructors, students, and parents that are comparable to those that would accompany face-to-face courses, as well as any additional support necessary for the online environment.
5. Multiple mechanisms, including appropriate technological safeguards, should be used on a regular basis to validate and authenticate student work. (1997, 2004)

NOTE: Figures in parentheses represent the years when the resolution was first adopted and last amended or reviewed.