Chapter 22: Standards, Accreditation, Benchmarks, and Guidelines In Distance Education

This article reviews the standards, accreditation, benchmarks, and guidelines in distance education. Technology is changing everything around us at unprecedented speeds. We are currently in a new culture, aptly named the digital age. These massive technological advancements have brought about significant evolutions in the mode of instruction. One of benefits from this rapidly evolving approach to education is the increased access to distance education. The needs of modern society have placed new demands on distance education. It is now, more than ever, a necessity in the ever evolving world of education.

Distance education has also produced and promoted favorable learning environments for learners who have limitations of time and space (Ciavarelli, 2003). The same is true for individuals in living remote areas who do not have convenient access to institutions of higher education (Leh, 2002).