Distance Education Key Regulatory Updates – On-Demand Training

Prepare for 2023 Rule Changes to Limit Impact & Confusion

The recent federal rulemaking efforts will bring significant changes for online and interstate education for all institutions of higher education. As part of the revived and bolstered borrower defense to repayment rule taking effect on July 1, 2023, by the U.S. Department of Education, institutions must be prepared to address both higher expectations concerning student disclosure practices and an easier path for states, students, and consumer protection organizations to bring successful misrepresentation complaints. The additional proposed rule changes could change requirements for offering programs leading to professional licensure in other states while also eliminating statue authorization reciprocity protections concerning state-by-state consumer protections.

Is your institution prepared to adjust to these new regulations and adapt current practices to avoid non-compliance?

Gather your faculty, staff, and administrators involved in online and distance education and hear our expert presenters highlight how these regulatory changes are most impactful to institutions offering online programs and the increased risk and associated administrative burden involved when offering programs to students located in other states. They navigate the increased scrutiny over third-party Online Program Manager (OPM) relationships due to separate regulatory and procedural changes and the broader application of the regulatory updates to programs offered in partnership with OPMs.

Increase your institution’s awareness of the recent and upcoming federal policy changes, gain a greater understanding of the complicated regulatory framework that applies to online and interstate programs, and prepare for their impact to your programs to avoid confusion and non-compliance.

Topics Covered

You will gain crucial and actionable takeaways that will help you:

• Increase your awareness of the recent and upcoming federal policy changes and their impact on your programs – ensure you are remaining compliant with the unique federal, state, and reciprocity requirements for online and distance learning.
• Position your campus with the opportunity to collaborate and gain critical stakeholder input to ensure innovation can continue – develop defensible procedures and safeguards that mitigate financial and reputational risk to your institution.
• Foster a collaborative and shared approach to addressing compliance challenges that cut across multiple domains – explore automated processes that support compliance efforts and may be available through the student information system (SIS) or third-party online Program Manager (OPM) used by the institution.
• Create a collaborative working group with representatives from key units that have a compliance role in online or interstate education and student disclosures – build a foundation that is inclusive of campus wide constituents and avoid costly and non-compliance nightmares.
• Consider opportunities for integrating compliance reviews or consultations within your new program approval processes – create a centralized infrastructure and process to avoid confusion and non-compliance.

Presenters

Erika G. Swain is currently serving as the Assistant Director for Compliance and Authorization at the University of Colorado Boulder
Click here for full bio.

Ricky LaFosse Esq. is currently the Compliance and Policy Lead for Academic Innovation at the University of Michigan.
Click here for full bio.