Petition for Comprehensive Distance Education Approval
Institution’s name and address:
Name, title, email address, and phone number of person completing petition:
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INSTRUCTIONS
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Respond to each question using 12 point, black, single-spaced, Times New Roman font.
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Do not alter or delete any questions or instructions in preparing the petition, since doing so (even if accidental) could
result in the petition being returned or denied.
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Save completed petition as a PDF file and name it as follows: [School Name] Petition. In the event a school is submitting
multiple petitions, please include a petition number in the file name (i.e., [School Name] Petition 2).
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Combine any appendices into one bookmarked PDF and name file as follows: [School Name] Appendices.
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Email petition PDF and appendices PDF as attachments to the Director, Accreditation Services.
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This kind of petition requires a $250 fee. Make check payable to ATS Commission on Accrediting (not to ATS).
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Enclose the $250 check with one print copy of the completed petition and of any appendices and mail to
DIRECTOR, ACCREDITATION SERVICES | ATS COMMISSION ON ACCREDITING | 10 SUMMIT PARK DRIVE | PITTSBURGH, PA 15275-1110 Failure to
include the required $250 fee with the paper submission of this petition will result in this petition not being processed,
which may delay its consideration by the Board of Commissioners.
Petitions are due either November 1 (for action at the Board of Commissioners’ winter meeting) or April 1 (for action at the
summer meeting), though some petitions can be submitted at any time for expedited action. (For details, see “Petitions” on
the Accrediting section of the ATS website.
Article VI.D.1 of the Commission Policies and Procedures states: “When as many as six of the courses
offered in any approved degree may be taken through distance education, it will be considered
comprehensive distance education, and the institution must petition the Board of Commissioners for
approval, according to guidelines adopted by the Board of Commissioners.” This petition template
provides those guidelines based on the Educational Standard. Section ES.4.1 of Standard ES defines
distance education as a mode of education in which students and instructors are not in the same
location. The most common form of distance education is online delivery, whether synchronous or
asynchronous. Comprehensive distance education approval indicates the institution has the resources
and capacity to offer a variety of distance education courses. It is the approval of a delivery method,
which can then be applied to any degree program without further approval—provided all applicable
degree program requirements are met, including any residency requirements, though schools may
petition for exceptions.
Please note that the Board requires an institution to apply for comprehensive distance education
approval as soon as it offers six different courses through distance education, whether those courses
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apply to one degree program or multiple degree programs and regardless of when those courses are
offered (in the same semester or over different semesters). Courses offered in a hybrid format are
considered distance education only if the majority of instruction is not delivered face to face (see
ES.4.2.19).
Schools should respond succinctly but sufficiently to all areas listed below, resulting in a petition of 10
pages, plus required appendices.
In evaluating petitions, each one will be considered in light of that particular school’s larger context,
including, but not limited to, these factors:
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Planning and evaluation capacity: Has this school demonstrated a capacity to evaluate itself well
and use those results to plan effectively and strategically?
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Institutional vitality: Does this school have sufficient human, financial, physical, and technological
resources?
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Accreditation status: Does this school’s current or recent accreditation status demonstrate ongoing
concerns reflected in numerous reports, focused visits, and/or notations?
1. Scope: How extensive are the comprehensive distance education offerings being proposed?
Describe how many total courses are projected, to which degree program(s) they will apply, how they will be delivered, and
whether they will be offered completely online or hybrid. If hybrid, note what proportion of each course will be at a distance (i.e.,
not face-to-face in same location).
Number of courses projected:
Applicable to which degrees:
Delivery method (e.g., online through Moodle):
Offered completely online or hybrid:
2. Purpose: How does the proposed comprehensive distance education advance the institution’s
mission and help achieve the goals/outcomes of the degree program(s) to which credits will apply?
Describe the results of any feasibility study or market analysis that led to this petition, including whether this initiative is
intended primarily to reach current students or new students. Please limit response to a few paragraphs.
3. Impact: What impact will the proposed comprehensive distance education offerings have on
existing degree programs and resources?
For example, if same faculty will be used, how will these courses be factored into their normal teaching load; if overload, will
there be any limits?
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4. Formation and diversity: How do the proposed distance education courses address matters of
formation and diversity within a community of learners appropriate to the applicable Degree
Program Standards (ES.4.2.3)?
5. Interaction: How will the proposed courses ensure regular and substantive interaction not only
among students but also between students and instructors (ES.4.2.3), and what is the projected
average class size?
NOTE: The ATS Commission does not approve correspondence courses because they do not provide regular interaction
among a sufficient community of learners; see ES.1.6.2.
6. Collaboration: How have these courses been developed collaboratively by faculty, librarians, and
others (ES.4.2.4), and by whom are they approved, reviewed, and assessed (ES.4.2.5)? If these
courses are developed by an external entity, how are the issues in ES.4.2.7 addressed?
7. Residency: How do the proposed comprehensive distance education offerings conform to the
residency requirements for each degree program to which the courses apply (ES.4.2.6, ES.4.2.19)?
8. Library: How are library and other information resources made available to distance education
students (ES.4.2.8)? If other libraries are used, how is ES.4.2.9 addressed?
Describe briefly the extent of available online library resources (e.g., research databases, print books, e-books, full-text online
journals), as well as online library services (e.g., automated catalog, circulation, help desk, etc.)
9. Support: How will adequate technical support services be provided (ES.4.2.10–12)?
10. Faculty: How are faculty chosen for these comprehensive distance education offerings, how are
they involved in their implementation, and how are they trained/experienced in this delivery mode
(ES.4.2.13–15)?
11. Student technology skills: Where and how does the institution describe to prospective students the
technical skills required for these comprehensive distance education offerings (ES.4.2.16–17)?
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12. Student services: How does the institution provide appropriate student support services, such as
registration, bill paying, financial aid, academic advising, vocational counseling, etc. (ES.4.2.18), to
online students?
13. Student identity and privacy: How does the institution verify the identity and protect the privacy of
online students?
See Commission Policies and Procedures, Article VI.G.5; for example, note if student username and password are required.
14. Authorization: How does the institution address General Institutional Standard 2, section 2.2,
regarding compliance with all applicable laws and regulations, including enrolling online students
from states that regulate such activity?
Describe institutional policies that address how the school determines whether its offerings trigger any state regulations, and if
so, how those regulations are met.
15. Append to the petition three supporting documents:
a.
Proposed budget for the next two or three years that briefly describes projected revenues and expenses for
comprehensive distance education, including any one-time start-up costs unique to this delivery method (e.g.,
technology purchases). Revenues should be based on realistic enrollment projections; expenses should include all
applicable costs unique to these proposed distance education offerings (personnel, technology, marketing, etc.).
b.
Brief (one page) assessment summary of how the school’s current distance education courses have been assessed,
including results of those assessments, and a plan for how the proposed comprehensive distance education offerings
will be assessed, using both direct and indirect measures, and how that assessment will be incorporated into the
institution’s overall assessment plan.
c.
Copy of two course syllabi that illustrate the design and expectations for these distance education offerings,
including how these courses will provide “regular and substantive interactions among students and between students
and instructors” (ES.4.2.3).
Approval of any petition for change is effective with the date specified in the official action. Such approval expects the change
will be implemented within a year of that approval date. If the change cannot be implemented within that time frame, the
school must submit a satisfactory explanation for the delay and a modified time line for implementation. Absent
implementation of the change or granting a request for additional time, the approval will expire one year after the initial grant
date. In such cases, the school would need to submit a new petition seeking permission to implement the change after that
one-year period. In addition, any contingency attached to an approved petition must be satisfied before the change can be
implemented, typically within a year, unless the school provides a satisfactory explanation for the delay and additional time is
granted.
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