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Understanding SARA: Simplifying Interstate Offering of Distance Education

Learn about SARA (State Authorization Reciprocity Agreement) and how it establishes national standards for offering distance education courses and programs across states. Find out who can be a member and how states can join SARA. Discover the benefits, requirements, and complaint process of SARA.

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Understanding SARA: Simplifying Interstate Offering of Distance Education

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  1. Who is SARA? And should I know her?

  2. SARA • State Authorization Reciprocity Agreement • Establishes comparable national standards for interstate offering of postsecondary distance education courses and programs • Intended to simplify • Overseen by a board, National Council for SARA (NC-SARA) • Administered by four regional education compacts

  3. FAQ • Who can be a member • States are members • Join through respective region compact • Institutions are approved by their own state agency if that state has joined SARA

  4. 4 Regions MHEC NEBHE WICHE • MHEC - Midwestern Higher Education Compact • NEBHE - New England Board of Higher Education • SREB - Southern Regional Education Board • WICHE - Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education SREB

  5. FAQ • How does a state join SARA? • Decide which state agency has legal authority to sign an interstate agreement governing distance education laws for both public and private colleges. • Determine which state agency will serve as the portal agency. • Determine whether state laws allow the portal agency (or a combination of agencies) to investigate/resolve complaints .

  6. Current Membership • 20 states are current members: Alaska Arizona Colorado Idaho Indiana Kansas Louisiana Minnesota Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire North Dakota Ohio Oregon South Dakota Virginia Washington West Virginia

  7. FAQ • What is SARA’s purpose? • Centralizes the process • Monitors • Program quality • Financial stability • Consumer protection • Graduated fees • < 2,500: $2,000 • 2,500-9,999: $4,000 • 10,000+: $6,000

  8. Quick Test • What if Kevin from Illinois wants to take a course at Huntington University?

  9. Quick Test • What if Troy from Virginia wants to take a course at Huntington University?

  10. FAQ • How does the federal government feel about SARA? “SARA staff has been advised that the Department of Education will embrace this approach. Institutions will still need to get separate authorization in non-SARA states.”

  11. SARA says no physical presence if • It is advertising (print, billboards, direct mail, internet, radio, TV, etc.) • Maintaining electronic devices • Using recruiters in a SARA member state • Students do not gather in groups • If enrollment on military base is limited to federal employees and their families • Holding proctored exams

  12. SARA says no physical presence if • Academic personnel live in a state but do not gather with students • Short course/seminar < 20 classroom hrs • Full term course meeting no more than 2 meeting totaling <6 hours • Operating limited supervised field experience*

  13. Supervised field experience • A student learning experience under the oversight of a supervisor, mentor, faculty member of other qualified professional • Located in host state • Responsible to enrolling institution • Placement of not more than 10 students from an individual academic program placed simultaneously at one clinical or practicum site.

  14. Quick test • Huntington University (HU), based in Indiana, chooses to open an administrative office in Illinois. • HU runs radio advertisements on the Bubba Gump show in Ohio and Alabama. • The science department at HU offers online classes and requires they meet once a month for 2 hours for a lab. • The HU education department requires students to do student teaching.

  15. Complaint Process • Institutions offering distance education mustprovide information regarding the filing of a complaint for each state where classes are offered.

  16. Annual Reporting • Beginning fall 2015 • One month after fall enrollment numbers are reported (IPEDS) • # of students by state/territory or district

  17. Odds & Ends • If a state requires an out-of-state college to register with the secretary of state or other state registry and/or appoint an agent in the host state, SARA does not impact that requirement • SARA has no effect on state professional licensing requirements

  18. Application process • For states - http://www.nc-sara.org/what-does-state-need-to-join-sara • For institutions - http://www.nc-sara.org/what-does-institution-do • Contact by state - http://www.nc-sara.org/content/state-portal-agency-contacts

  19. For additional information • Jenny Parks, M-SARA director, will be joined by colleagues for a SARA update webinar on Tuesday, March 24, at 1:00 p.m. CT. • https://cc.readytalk.com/cc/s/registrations/new?cid=s0x63qk9hvxm

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