Additional Requirements for Programs Delivered Online

Institution and Program Designation Requirements

In addition to meeting the General Program Designation Requirements and the designation requirements for the specific program or institution type and location as mentioned in this chapter, a program delivered online must also meet the following criteria to be eligible for Alberta and Canada student loans and grants:

  1. A program (including a career, vocational, or technical program) must have at least 20 hours of student activity or participation on average per week.

  2. The educational institution must actively monitor student participation and maintain contact with students to ensure minimum course load is maintained.

  3. The educational institution must demonstrate its courses/programs and monitoring activities meet criteria guidelines.

    Criteria guidelines for online programs are stipulated within the Pan Canadian Designation Policy Framework. The educational institution must show that it is actively and adequately monitoring academic progress for those students registered and confirm that they are also ensuring students are maintaining full-time status. The educational institution must explain how and what mechanisms are used to ensure the appropriate measures are taken by completing the Required Information for a Correspondence, E-learning, Distance Study Program form.

  4. The educational institution must provide specific program/course start and end dates.

  5. For an educational institution in the United Kingdom only: The educational institution must also have an acceptable rating in a full institutional audit conducted within the last 5 years.

The full institutional audit is conducted by the United Kingdom Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education.