602.17—Application of standards in reaching an accrediting decision.
The agency must have effective mechanisms for evaluating an institution's or program's compliance with the agency's standards before reaching a decision to accredit or preaccredit the institution or program. The agency meets this requirement if the agency demonstrates that it—
(1)
Maintains clearly specified educational objectives that are consistent with its mission and appropriate in light of the degrees or certificates awarded;
(3)
Maintains degree and certificate requirements that at least conform to commonly accepted standards;
(b)
Requires the institution or program to prepare, following guidance provided by the agency, an in-depth self-study that includes the assessment of educational quality and the institution's or program's continuing efforts to improve educational quality;
(c)
Conducts at least one on-site review of the institution or program during which it obtains sufficient information to determine if the institution or program complies with the agency's standards;
(d)
Allows the institution or program the opportunity to respond in writing to the report of the on-site review;
(e)
Conducts its own analysis of the self-study and supporting documentation furnished by the institution or program, the report of the on-site review, the institution's or program's response to the report, and any other appropriate information from other sources to determine whether the institution or program complies with the agency's standards;
(1)
The institution's or program's compliance with the agency's standards, including areas needing improvement; and
(g)
Requires institutions that offer distance education or correspondence education to have processes in place through which the institution establishes that the student who registers in a distance education or correspondence education course or program is the same student who participates in and completes the course or program and receives the academic credit. The agency meets this requirement if it—
(1)
Requires institutions to verify the identity of a student who participates in class or coursework by using, at the option of the institution, methods such as—
(2)
Makes clear in writing that institutions must use processes that protect student privacy and notify students of any projected additional student charges associated with the verification of student identity at the time of registration or enrollment.