Asking Permission
One of the unique things about an online school is that it exists wherever there is a reliable internet connection. This means there are many places ILT students can live. On a traditional campus, the students move to the state in which the school exists. This school only needs to have official permission from that one state to operate. The school is bound by the rules and regulations established in that one state. It is not so with a school that exists in every state. Distance learning schools have to receive permission to operate in every state in which its students live.
The reason for this is because it is the responsibility of the state to protect its citizens from fraudulent schools and schools that do not effectively educate people. In an attempt to fulfill this responsibility, each state must decide what agency will monitor the schools and what qualifies a school to be able to operate in its jurisdiction.
It has been interesting for me, as I continue to work through the remaining states ILT needs permission from, to see the differences in how each state addresses these issues. I feel that I should have a disclaimer here concerning this process. First, it is a process that ILT has been in for many years. Second, we do not have students in every state. So there are some states that have been less of a priority, but we continue to work through all of them so that we are ready when/if students in those states apply.
The most surprising thing in this process has been the wide variety of ways the states have legislated this. In some states, there is nothing we have to do because they do not have any laws pertaining to distance learning institutions that have no physical presence in the state. That is one side of this issue. On the other side of this issue, we must be bonded in some states to ensure that there is financial protection for the citizens if something were to go wrong in the education process. Between these, there are states in which we are exempt as long as we are offering professional religious degrees, but not exempt if we offer academic degrees. And there is the occasional state in which distance learning institutions cannot apply to operate until they are fully accredited.
My opinion is that these very different ways of legislating distance education will not differ so much from each other as distance education becomes more established as an educational system. Already there is a reciprocity agreement that fully accredited institutions can join so that they have permission to operate in the majority of the state in the US. However, for a school like ILT, we must first become established in the state where we have facilities and achieve accreditation before we can broadly participate in distance education. Longevity, experience, and stability are important for educational institutions; for without these, there is a greater risk for the student.
It can seem like a lot of busy work when there are students to teach, but it is important work which must be done for the future of the institution. There are reasons why institutions have to go through these processes. Mostly, it is for the sake of the consumer so that they don't waste their money on a fraudulent education, but also it for the sake of good order. We cannot be allowed to "get away with something" or to cut corners. The students mean more than that. They do for the states and they should for the schools too.
The reason for this is because it is the responsibility of the state to protect its citizens from fraudulent schools and schools that do not effectively educate people. In an attempt to fulfill this responsibility, each state must decide what agency will monitor the schools and what qualifies a school to be able to operate in its jurisdiction.
It has been interesting for me, as I continue to work through the remaining states ILT needs permission from, to see the differences in how each state addresses these issues. I feel that I should have a disclaimer here concerning this process. First, it is a process that ILT has been in for many years. Second, we do not have students in every state. So there are some states that have been less of a priority, but we continue to work through all of them so that we are ready when/if students in those states apply.
The most surprising thing in this process has been the wide variety of ways the states have legislated this. In some states, there is nothing we have to do because they do not have any laws pertaining to distance learning institutions that have no physical presence in the state. That is one side of this issue. On the other side of this issue, we must be bonded in some states to ensure that there is financial protection for the citizens if something were to go wrong in the education process. Between these, there are states in which we are exempt as long as we are offering professional religious degrees, but not exempt if we offer academic degrees. And there is the occasional state in which distance learning institutions cannot apply to operate until they are fully accredited.
My opinion is that these very different ways of legislating distance education will not differ so much from each other as distance education becomes more established as an educational system. Already there is a reciprocity agreement that fully accredited institutions can join so that they have permission to operate in the majority of the state in the US. However, for a school like ILT, we must first become established in the state where we have facilities and achieve accreditation before we can broadly participate in distance education. Longevity, experience, and stability are important for educational institutions; for without these, there is a greater risk for the student.
It can seem like a lot of busy work when there are students to teach, but it is important work which must be done for the future of the institution. There are reasons why institutions have to go through these processes. Mostly, it is for the sake of the consumer so that they don't waste their money on a fraudulent education, but also it for the sake of good order. We cannot be allowed to "get away with something" or to cut corners. The students mean more than that. They do for the states and they should for the schools too.
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