Marhoff’s Blog

The Higher Education Opportunity Act (HEOA) was signed into law on August 14, 2008. It contains language requiring accreditors to assure that an institution that offers distance education or correspondence education:

“…has processes through which the institution establishes that the student who registers in a distance education or correspondence course or program is the same student who participates in and completes the program and receives the academic credit.”

I could not find similar language about students in traditional (classroom) classes. One conclusion we could draw from the fact that institutions are only required to establish the identity of on-line students would be that the US federal government thinks it’s OK if you have someone else take your face-to-face classes for you. Another is that only on-line students cheat.

Now, if the Act said that all institutions must verify the identity of all students – good for them! Shouldn’t schools be doing that anyway? What I object to is the fact that the language is discriminatory. Especially since, in order to comply with this legislation schools will eventually have to charge more and put provisions in place which will likely inconvenience distance students. So, in the end, this law discriminates against college students, and we all lose. I do understand that in America it is legal to discriminate against distance learners (it’s not a protected class like race, religion or gender) but just because it’s legal does not mean it’s right! Right?

—
Martin