

Distance Education
Develop and share common distance education standards and practices
April 2022 Current Status
-
April 2022 Current Status
June 01 2021 | Distance Education Policy
The Accreditation Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (ACAOM) has approved a change to its policy regarding distance education offered by the institutions and programs it accredits.
Effective June 01 2021, accredited programs offered in English, Korean and Mandarin will be eligible for distance education approval.
Background:
In 2015, ACAOM established a policy for distance education programs taught in English were eligible to apply.
and began accepting applications for review and approval. .
ACAOM only opted for a pragmatic approach to ensure a successful rollout. For this reason, accredited didactic
While ACAOM made three revisions to its policy prior to COVID-19, the policy remained limited to English-language programs because only 10 programs had sought distance learning approval in a five-year period and
Because ACAOM stated that
received no inquiries or waiver requests from stakeholders regarding non-English programs participating in distance education.
The pandemic ushered in an unprecedented need for distance education and the Department of Education understandably extended temporary flexibilities which have allowed non-English ACAOM-accredited coursework to be conducted virtually.
ACAOM envisions a post-pandemic world in which virtual learning will continue and expand and has approved this policy change to ensure that all programs it accredits may continue to provide distance education if they choose to do so.
This announcement coincides with new and evolving guidance and regulations related to distance education from the U.S. Department of Education. Additional changes to ACAOM policies will be required to ensure compliance with this new and evolving regulatory guidance.