Compliance Indicators

As of the 2025-2026 reporting cycle, DE Liaisons within each academic college/school provide feedback at two stages of reporting: (1) Sources of Data and (2) Findings & Implications. Program Coordinators receive an email notification when DE Liaisons submit feedback, at which point they are able to make necessary updates to the reporting form.

At the close of each DE Program Effectiveness reporting cycle, OIEE staff review all DE reports, provide final comments, and assign a Compliance Indicator based on the degree to which reporting requirements were met. Compliance Indicators are used by OIEE primarily to determine which programs might require additional support and guidance in future reporting cycles.

Compliance Indicator	Description of Criteria
Exemplary	The report goes beyond minimum requirements. This may include the following:  At least three sources of data are identified and thoroughly described (e.g., one learning outcome and two student experience).  Comparable traditional program(s)/offering(s) are identified.*  Includes consideration of the needs and circumstances unique to the program’s mode of delivery.  Findings are contextualized and appropriately compared and/or disaggregated (e.g., if multiple DE credentials are included in the same report). Clear and detailed explanation as to how the results will be used for DE program improvement.
Sufficient	All minimum requirements were met: Two sources of data are identified and described (i.e., one student learning and one student experience). Comparable traditional program(s)/offering(s) are identified.* The final report is generally clear and well-aligned. Some sections could be strengthened by including more detail or information. Findings are contextualized and appropriately compared and/or disaggregated (e.g., if multiple DE credentials are included in the same report). Explanation of how the results will be used for DE program improvement is included. Implementation may not be fully clear, but the intent is.
Needs Improvement	All minimum requirements are met, but one or more of the following is true: Both required sources of data are described/reported, but the descriptions are insufficient or unclear. Data lacks meaningful comparison. Explanation of how the results will be used is vague or lacks clear a connection to the reported findings and/or mode of delivery.
Noncompliant	Report was not submitted, or one or more required components of the report is missing (sources of data, findings, use of results, comparable programs/contextualization of data). The report does not demonstrate continuous improvement.

*If the program is not offered both via DE technology and face-to-face (FTF), a reasonable comparator might be a FTF program in the same department at the same degree level, or even in a different department within the same college. If a reasonably comparable FTF program cannot be identified, determine whether there are key courses offered in both modalities that could be compared via Student Course Evaluation results. If no such courses exist, or if there is not a reasonable comparator program, clearly explain the unique nature of the program in the report and include sources of data that explicitly speak to the student experience in a distance education program.