Connect

with your WCET colleagues and experts, both virtually and in-person.

There has been growing concern in Congress and the U.S. Department of Education over some distance education practices. Some examples over the last few months:

• WCET members have been updated on a concern that distance courses might be treated differently in terms of calculating 'last day of attendance' for financial aid purposes.
• The U.S. Department of Education issued a rebuke against the Higher Learning Commission over its interpretation of the credit hour at one institution that uses distance education extensively.
• The practices of several for-profit institutions were harshly criticized in a recent Senate hearing. Unfortunately, there were times when the bad practices of a few were used to discredit distance education, as a whole.
• Worries over financial aid fraud and academic integrity continue to plague distance education and were also raised in the Senate hearings.

WCET invites you to join us on August 24 for a free webcast program for an update on what legislation or regulations have been officially proposed, what is in the works, and what's the "buzz" that we are hearing about future actions. We will also make recommendations on actions you can take.

WCET is ramping up its commitment to advocacy to help shape sound policies at the federal and state levels. WCET was prominent in the recent federal discussions of student authentication and now we see the need for a strong voice on these emerging matters.

Panelists

Presenters will include:

• Ken Salomon, chairman of Dow Lohnes Government Strategies in Washington, D.C. and a long-time friend and policy advisor to WCET.
• Russell Poulin, WCET deputy director for Research and Analysis who has been tracking these issues on behalf of WCET members.
• Ellen Wagner, WCET executive director.
• A fourth panelist may join the discussion.

Registration is closed for the August 24th Webcast.