Research On The Development Of Accreditation System Of Distance Higher Education In The Usa

Since 1990s, Web-based distance higher education has globally developed, whose quality has become one of the mostly concerned topics in the development process of higher education in all countries. Both developed and developing countries have set off an upsurge of quality assurance of distance higher education, attempting to establish an acceptable, reasonable and equitable quality accreditation system of distance higher education. The theoretical research and abundant experience have provided the cases worthing analysis and use for reference for other countries. The research in China on the accreditation system of distance higher education in the USA started in the late 1980s, booming in the late 1990s and has accumulated certain outcomes. But in general, the systematic research on the accreditation system of distance higher education in the USA is little, and that in historical perspective is much less. Therefore, the dissertation plans to review the accreditation system of distance higher education in the USA comprehensively, with two clues and three development stages in historical perspective, including the establishment, development, general frame and mechanism and its relationship with the accreditation system of traditional higher education. The dissertation focuses on the development and perfection process of different accreditation institutions and accreditation procedures, analyzing the features of accreditation system of distance higher education in the USA in different stages. It also demonstrates with case study the concrete operation procedures of currently accreditation system and adaptable reform measures taken by different accreditation institutions in addressing challenges in the new era. The dissertation finally summarizes the above development procedure and analyses the overall features and system functions of the American-style accreditation system of distance higher education throughout the process. Meanwhile, it points out the current problems of and criticism encountered to the accreditation system of distance higher education in the USA. Therefore, it drew nine conclusions on the basis of them:(1) quality assurance in provision qualification; (2) establish powerful leadership;(3) set up standard norm of national commerce with legal force;(4) the third party accreditate the assessment agency institution; (5) establish adequate quality accreditation system to assure the quality of distance higher education; (6) transform the idea of assessment in teaching in distance teaching;(7) sustaining interior and exterior quality supervision for the development of distance education;(8)reinforce the interior quality supervision of the distance education institution; (9) establish authoritative accreditation and supervision organization. In the time of establishing accreditation system of distance higher education and perfecting its quality assurance system in our country, we should learn from the feature of that in the USA, which is multi-layer and multi-style. The situation in China should be considered, and American style cannot be fully copied.