Distance Education programs engage in a systematic review of the effectiveness of the programs given their unique mode of delivery, as per Texas A&M University and SACSCOC guidelines. 

Distance Education (DE) programs are those in which the majority of instruction occurs when students and instructors are not in the same place and thus through distance education technology.

Evidence of DE program effectiveness is documented annually in HelioCampus (formerly AEFIS) in two phases: 

• Spring semester: Identify the sources of data that will be used to investigate DE program effectiveness during the upcoming academic year. 
• Fall semester: Report findings and implications from the review of the data from the previous academic year. 

What is DE Program Effectiveness?

DE program effectiveness is similar to Program Assessment, wherein program faculty explore the extent to which learning goals are achieved. It extends beyond learning outcomes assessment, however, and may also be measured by looking at metrics like graduation and retention rates, student course evaluations, and other aspects of the student experience.

A key factor in determining DE program effectiveness is how the DE program compares to a reasonably comparable Face-to-Face program on the identified metrics (i.e., sources of data used to evaluate effectiveness). 

See Section 5 of SACSCOC's Guidelines for the Evaluation of Distance Education (On-line Learning) for more information.