Indiana clears online learning regulatory hurdles


Indiana leads other states in a nationwide enterprise to ease distance learning.

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A major initiative to ease the regulatory burdens of online learning across state lines found its first ally this week as the state of Indiana joined the National Council for State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements (NC-SARA).

SARA is a nationwide attempt at making distance education courses more accessible to students living in different states.

The SARA agreements are being overseen by four regional higher education regulating bodies: the New England Board of Higher Education, the Southern Regional Education Board, the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education, and the Midwestern Higher Education Compact, which approved Indiana joining the initiative on Feb. 14.

Indiana is the first state to join NC-SARA, but others are expected to soon follow, including North Dakota and Nebraska. A $2.3 million grant from the Lumina Foundation is funding the effort.

“Indiana has enthusiastically supported the establishment of SARA from its earliest discussions and has been actively engaged in implementation of the concept,” said Ken Sauer, senior associate commissioner for research and academic affairs at the Indiana Commission for Higher Education, in an announcement.

The regulatory hoops colleges and universities must jump through when offering distance and online education in states other than where they’re based can be numerous. Complying with state authorization rules could cost $143,000 per institution, according to a WICHE survey of 230 institutions.

Looming federal efforts to tie state authorization to federal financial aid has further concerned some institutions, like New York’s Excelsior College, which offer online courses in several states.

With SARA, institutions approved by their home states will be able to operate in any other SARA states without being re-authorized. For example, if Nebraska and North Dakota were to join NC-SARA, Indiana University, once approved by the state, could freely operate in Nebraska or North Dakota without any additional effort toward authorization.

“SARA seeks to be part of the solution to issues in distance education and will save states and institutions time and money,” said Marshall Hill, executive director of NC-SARA.

As part of the initiative, the Indiana Commission for Higher Education has created an Indiana Board for Proprietary Education that oversees in-state and out-of-state proprietary, or for-profit, institutions, a prominent force in online and distance learning.

In addition, the commission was granted oversight for out-of-state public and not-for-profit institutions providing courses in Indiana.

“This is really exciting for the Compact and for Indiana as we move this initiative forward for states, institutions, and students that will ultimately benefit from these reciprocity agreements,” Larry Isaak, MHEC president, said.

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