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The Distance Education and Training Council (DETC), formerly the National
Home Study Council, is the US equivalent to ODL QC. Founded in 1926,
and based in Washington, its accredited institutions are almost all
drawn from the US, plus a handful from Europe.
The site is build within a frame, making
navigation easy, but with all the disadvantages which have made frames
unfashionable of late. Many pages consist of little more than large
amounts of text dumped into the frame. But they are easy to read, the
use of color is simple and effective, and there are few gimmicks so
the site is (reasonably) quick to download.
The site includes a full list of DETC-accredited
institutions, with online links provided, and an index of all the courses
they offer, organised in the same way as ODL QC's own index. There are
useful lists of links to distance learning resources and institutions,
mostly within the US, information about DETC itself, its meetings, publications,
and a member's own area.
My only disappointment with the site
was that, as a resource for professionals, it could be improved. DETC's
own Standards are not on line, and much of the advice is in the form
of FAQs - fine as far as they go, but more a publicity device than a
reference resource. The lists of links was undated, and some were out-of-date,
and it had odd omissions like the other major US accrediting agencies.
Indeed, the whole site has more of the feel of a publicity brochure
than a lived-in part of DETC's own activity.
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