[S-SARA] SARA Update for August 12, 2020

[Elisa Jaden]

In Case You Missed It...

NC-SARA President and CEO Lori Williams collaborated with State Higher Education Executive Officers Association President Rob Anderson to pen a new joint op-ed<https://www.insidehighered.com/views/2020/07/20/covid-surge-distance-learning-demands-renewed-focus-quality-assurance-opinion> published by Inside Higher Ed that emphasizes the valuable role states must play in assuring postsecondary distance education quality, particularly as the number of students enrolled in distance education spikes due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

The op-ed provides an overview of how NC-SARA helps support state oversight of distance education quality and student consumer protections, but also underscores the fact that states must do more to ensure appropriate accountability and quality. You can go to NC-SARA.org<https://nc-sara.org/news-events/case-you-missed-it-nc-sara-sheeo-op-ed-emphasizes-important-role-states-assuring> for the full press release and access to the Inside Higher Ed piece.


NC-SARA President and CEO Lori Williams was a guest on The Key, Inside Higher Ed's weekly podcast<https://www.insidehighered.com/audio/2020/07/21/ep-15-online-learnings-outlook-fall> on the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic on higher education. Episode 15 of this podcast focuses on the many questions that loom about remote learning in coming months. Will online offerings from colleges be more sophisticated? What steps need to be taken to ensure academic quality in online learning? And will short-term credentials be more popular?

Lori Williams provided answers to these tricky questions when she discussed ideas from the opinion piece<https://www.insidehighered.com/views/2020/07/20/covid-surge-distance-learning-demands-renewed-focus-quality-assurance-opinion> she wrote for Inside Higher Ed on the role for states in quality assurance in online education. You can go to NC-SARA.org<https://nc-sara.org/news-events/case-you-missed-it-nc-sara-ceo-lori-williams-inside-higher-eds-key-podcast> for the full press release and access to the podcast.


Save the Date...

For the 2020 October S-SARA RSC Virtual Meeting, scheduled for Wednesday, October 21, 2020, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. EST. Like the 2020 June RSC meeting, the October meeting will follow the same meeting structure - a virtual, two-part meeting on the GoToWebinar platform. Formal registration information will be sent via email in September. The states submitting renewal applications are Kentucky, Louisiana, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Kentucky. We look forward to convening with you then!

Elisa Jaden
Program Coordinator
Southern Regional Education Board
592 Tenth Street NW
Atlanta, Georgia 30318
Phone  (404) 879-5517
Fax       (404) 872-1477
E-mail: elisa.jaden at sreb.org<mailto:elisa.jaden at sreb.org>

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