Internet Learning Volume 4, Number 2, Fall 2015 | Page 71

Internet Learning
MattersTM addresses only course design,
not the quality of a program or institution.
The primary aim of this article is to examine
the intersection of exemplar accreditation
standards from a representative professional
association and Quality MattersTM Rubric
Standards (QM Standards) for best practice in
distance education. Such close examination
may serve as a model for accrediting
bodies to engage in open dialog to improve
the quality of distance education. This
comparative exercise focuses on exemplar
standards of the Accreditation Council
for Occupational Therapy Education®
(ACOTE) of the American Occupational
Therapy Association (AOTA). The ACOTE
standards are similar in format and intent to
those of other health professions.
Accreditation in Higher Education
In the United States, accreditation
is a process of voluntary, external, nongovernmental,
systematic review of
educational institutions and programs
for quality assurance and improvement
(Eaton, 2009). Accreditation is intended
to support improvement of the institution
or program. The Council for Higher
Education Accreditation (CHEA) is the
largest non-governmental higher education
organization in the United States, supporting
academic quality through voluntary
accreditation. The United States Department
of Education (USDE) publishes a database
of nationally recognized accrediting bodies
determined to meet acceptable levels of
quality for programs and degrees within
institutions of higher education (http://
ope.ed.gov/accreditation/). USDE does not
accredit individual degrees, programs or
institutions. CHEA focuses on academic
quality in courses, programs, and degrees,
while USDE focuses on financial and
administrative practices for federal student
aid funding. CHEA reports that more than
8,400 degree and non-degree-granting
institutions are recognized as specialized
accrediting organizations either through
USDE, through CHEA or both (CHEA,
2014). These national, regional, and
specialized accrediting bodies develop
specific evaluation standards and guidelines
used during peer review for determination
of compliance. Many of these are health
and human service professions such
as audiology, nursing, optometry, and
pharmacy. Accreditation directly benefits
the public, students, institutions of higher
education, and the professions overseen
via specialized accrediting bodies such as
ACOTE.
Accreditation Council for
Occupational Therapy Education
ACOTE accredits educational
program degree levels for the occupational
therapist (OT) and the occupational
therapy assistant (OT). USDE and CHEA
each recognize ACOTE as an accrediting
organization. ACOTE “establishes comprehensive
standards for occupational
therapy education at multiple degree
levels, thereby supporting the preparation
of competent occupational therapists and
occupational therapy assistants” (AOTA,
2013 p3). The most current ACOTE
Standards and Interpretive Guide, consistent
with the requirement of the USDE,
became effective July 31, 2013 (AOTA,
2013). The Standards are competencybased,
describing the knowledge and
skills necessary for occupational therapy
practitioners to serve in a variety of roles
in response to the “rapidly changing and
dynamic nature of contemporary health and
human services delivery systems” (ACOTE,
2011 p1). ACOTE does not address course
design. ACOTE routinely collects data
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