Online, distance or blended learning courses are often surrounded by suspicion or uncertainty. Many educationalists and academics do not believe an online student can have the same educational experience as their campus based equivalents. While this is true in many ways, it need not be true of the standard of education on offer.
Accreditation by ASIC will confirm that your online, distance and blended learning institution meets high standards of education, welfare and good practice. Our international accreditation will reassure students, parents and agents that your institution is a good choice, and that you will provide them with professional teaching, valuable qualifications and a positive learning experience. It will also give confidence to employers that your graduates have undertaken a quality program with secure assessment procedures in place.
Why ASIC Accreditation
ASIC Accreditation of online, distance, e-learning or blended institutions is a voluntary, nongovernmental process that gives recognition to institutions that meet established quality standards. The purpose of accreditation is to assure the public, students, parents and other stakeholders as to the quality of an institution and its commitment to high standards through a system of continuous improvement.
It is probable that your institution is already accredited within your own country, however ASIC accreditation confirms your commitment to internationalisation and in particular your commitment to supplying exemplary services to international students.
Our accreditation process consists of a set of key performance indicators split into 8 main areas, namely;
A – Premises, and Health and Safety
B – Governance, Management and Staff Resources
C – Learning, Teaching and Research Activity
D – Quality Assurance and Enhancement
E – Awards and Qualifications
F – Marketing and Recruitment of Students
G – Systems Management
Support for the particular challenges you face
Online education opens doors to higher education to those who are unable to access full time, on campus education. Online education enables individuals living with physical disabilities, busy full-time employees, soldiers, those living abroad or living in remote areas, and stay-at-home parents, among others to have access to accredited higher education.
The perception of the quality of online degrees compared to on-campus degrees varies. While most major online colleges are regionally accredited, the public estimation of their quality is in dispute. The main criticism of online, distance or blended learning programs is in regard to the security of the assessment process and how an institution guards against various aspects of academic misconduct such as plagiarism and impersonation. Assessment security, proctoring arrangements, monitoring of quality, management and technical resources are all thoroughly checked as part of the ASIC Accreditation process.
In addition to the monitoring of particularly relevant aspects, such as online security, all online, distance education and blended learning providers undergo a stringent inspection visit to their site premises just as a campus based institution would.
All of the documentation needed to apply for ASIC accreditation can be found via the following links. Here you can download the ASIC Accreditation Handbook, the ASIC Standards for Accreditation and the ASIC Application Form. Save the file to your computer where you will be able to fill in the application form electronically.
Once you have electronically completed the application form, please print a copy and send it to our postal address along with the appropriate fee and documentation. The accreditation process can then begin.