Distance Education: Improved Data on Program Costs and Guidelines on Quality Assessments Needed to Inform Federal Policy;Report to the Congress

摘要

Distance education--that is, offering courses by Internet, video, or other forms outside the classroomhas changed considerably in recent years and is a growing force in postsecondary education. More than a decade ago, concerns about fraud and abuse by some correspondence schools led to federal restrictions on, among other things, the percentage of courses a school could provide by distance education and still qualify for federal student aid. Given the recent changes in distance education, GAO was asked to review the extent to which the restrictions affect schools' ability to offer federal student aid and the Department of Education's assessment of the continued appropriateness of the restrictions.