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THECB committee outlines rollout of distance‑education review process and institutional support
Summary
THECB staff and LTAC reviewers described the Institutional Plan for Distance Education (IPDE) review process, a rolling schedule tied to accreditation reaffirmation and a pilot of a more automated review workflow; one IPDE (College of the Mainland) was recommended for approval.
THECB staff and LTAC members updated the committee on the Institutional Plan for Distance Education (IPDE) reviews required by rule changes that took effect in December 2023. Gwen Mayne and Luke Dowden described the operational workflow the review subcommittee has adopted and the planned improvements to make the process less manual.
What institutions must do: institutions that offer distance education must submit an IPDE every 10 years and within one year of reaffirmation. The form is tied to the THECB's Principles of Good Practice; institutions answer 10 targeted questions and attach supporting documentation.
Review process: Luke Dowden explained the operations subcommittee's workflow: independent reviews by multiple reviewers, aggregation of feedback into a shared spreadsheet, collaborative discussion to resolve disagreements, and a single recommendation forwarded to LTAC. The group has piloted the approach (June cycle) and will use two December submissions to pilot an automated review tool the agency is building.
Committee action: The operations subcommittee recommended approval (with no changes) of the IPDE submitted by College of the Mainland; LTAC voted to approve that recommendation unanimously. Dowden said upcoming workload will include seven IPDEs in June and three more next December and invited additional volunteer reviewers to help manage the volume.
Guidance and support: THECB staff maintain an IPDE section on the agency website with the form, a worksheet version of the questions, a mapping to the Principles of Good Practice, and a forthcoming instructional video. Quality Assurance and Operations work groups will coordinate to produce bulleted examples and submission guidance (generalized samples rather than institution‑specific exemplars) to aid institutions in preparing materials.
Use of AI: members discussed whether institutions may use AI tools when preparing IPDE submissions. Reviewers conveyed that usage is acceptable as long as final responses represent actual institutional practice and are supported by evidence; the committee is considering language in the submission instructions to that effect.
Next steps: THECB staff will continue process improvements, post resources and a video, and circulate IPDE deadlines and contact guidance to provosts and accreditation/digital learning liaisons.
