ARELLO.NET - ARELLO Distance Education Certification Program

What is ARELLO?
The Association of Real Estate License Law Officials (ARELLO-IDECC) is an organization comprised of real estate regulatory officials from all across the North America, Africa and Asia. In an effort to better equip its members to protect the public through quality education of its regulated professionals, the group developed a set of standards for distance education course delivery that is applicable to all fields and professions. "ARELLO-IDECC Certified" now has nothing to do with real estate, but everything to do with assurance that important educational principles are being met when the instructor and pupil are separated by time and/or space.

What is IDECC?
The International Distance Education Certification Center (IDECC) is a subsidiary of The Association of Real Estate License Law Officials (ARELLO). In 2000, the success of the ARELLO Distance Education Certification program created demand for another certification credential that could be used in industries beyond real estate. While ARELLO Certification maintains the leading credential for distance education courses in the real estate industry, IDECC Certification has begun to be recognized by regulatory agencies in the appraisal industry.

What is the certification program?
Having a "measuring stick" is an important step to evaluate quality. What education providers and regulators need is an objective review of courses submitted for credit. ARELLO-IDECC’s Distance Education Council, in conjunction with qualified university consultants, will evaluate the quality of course delivery using the Standards. If the provider’s program matches up against the measuring stick, the Council will certify the course delivery.

What are the primary benefits of ARELLO-IDECC Certification?
Put simply for educators, students and regulators: Education providers can expand their classrooms because certification can mean students from outside their current market may now qualify for continuing education credit. Students can earn credit in their local area by taking certified courses, which are offered in more convenient delivery methods. Education credit approval bodies benefit because certified courses have had their delivery already reviewed by experts. Also, industries outside the realm of real estate are beginning to recognize the benefits of requiring ARELLO-IDECC certification as opposed to undertaking the expensive task of developing their own distance education standards. ARELLO-IDECC is known world wide for maintaining the highest yet most reasonable certification standards and is committed to maintaining them.

What are the ARELLO-IDECC Distance Education Certification Standards?
From the latest research on distance learning and educational delivery, ARELLO-IDECC has compiled a comprehensive set of criteria against which distance courses can be accurately evaluated. Think of them as a reliable measuring stick for delivery of Internet, satellite, video, computer disc, audiotape or other remote instruction.

What are the benefits for providers to have their courses ARELLO-IDECC certified?
First, some jurisdictions require ARELLO-IDECC certification for approval. Therefore, having your course certified meets this requirement in the particular jurisdiction. Second, some jurisdictions simplify and expedite the jurisdictional application process for ARELLO-IDECC certified courses by shorting or eliminating application forms that deal with course delivery issues. Third, ARELLO-IDECC certification does not guarantee automatic approval in all jurisdictions but it is the leading credential available in distance education in the world today. Many jurisdictions that don’t require certification certainly hold it in high esteem as a quality course for their jurisdiction’s pre and post licensees. Please see the "Certified Courses" section of this web site to find out which states recognize ARELLO-IDECC certification. You may look in the menu bar to the left and click the link that says "Certified Courses". If you have questions concerning ARELLO-IDECC certification requirements for a particular jurisdiction, please contact the applicable jurisdictional office.

Why does ARELLO-IDECC still require clock-hours and not competency based education?
This is a matter of jurisdictional law and is the basis for course acceptance at the jurisdictional level.

Aren’t regulatory agencies implementing ARELLO-IDECC certification in their rules and regulations holding distance education to a higher standard than classroom education?
Many regulatory officials have responded by stating not if classroom education is taught how it is supposed to be. This includes classroom courses having adequate interaction, instructional support, and appropriate assessment instruments etc...just as ARELLO-IDECC Certified courses have.

Do I have resources available to help me through the ARELLO-IDECC certification process?
Yes! ARELLO-IDECC commits to a cooperative effort with certification applicants. ARELLO-IDECC certification is not an “accepted or denied” process. Once a course is submitted for review, if it doesn’t meet the ARELLO-IDECC standards, ARELLO-IDECC enters in to cooperative effort with the provider to bring the course up to standard. If the ARELLO-IDECC review team requests changes be made to a course, the provider has 45 days or three months to respond to that initial request. If the provider doesn’t follow-up within the 45 day period the application fees are forfeited.

What are grounds for a course losing certification?
Not administering the course as certified or failure to have the course recertified every three years.

Delivery Method Definitions

What is ARELLO-IDECC’s definition of a CBT course?
CBT (Computer Based Training) – CBT courses are taught via a computer and typically delivered from a CD-ROM or floppy disk. CBT courses may also be “distributed” but are not typically “delivered” via the Internet. The distinguishing feature of CBT courses is that an Internet connection is not needed to complete the course or run a substantial part of it. For example, a course that is sent to the student on a CD-ROM and installed to run on the student’s computer independent of an Internet connection would be considered a CBT course. Even if the student completion reporting were done within the CBT program via an Internet connection at the end of a course, the primary delivery method is still CBT. Typically, in a CBT course, student progress information is kept on the student’s hard drive, not on a remote server as with Internet based courses.

What is ARELLO-IDECC’s definition of a correspondence course?
Correspondence courses are courses that use static print or static print in electronic media as the primary means to deliver content and assessments. This means that print courses will either be mailed to students or that a word processing file or Adobe® PDF file will be made available through email or from a web site. The fact that the course may be distributed and accessed electronically does not change its delivery method. It is still a correspondence course which is merely distributed via electronic means rather than through the mail.

What is ARELLO-IDECC’s definition of an Internet course?

Internet courses are courses that require an Internet connection to complete. Internet or web-based courses are typically facilitated by web technologies that use a web browser as the primary means of content delivery and providing interactivity. Typically, Internet based courses store student progress information in a database housed on the provider’s server. Internet courses can typically be run from any computer having an Internet connection, a web browser and any software needed to run that particular course . In an Internet based course, the content is delivered to the student in logical increments and assessments are performed at appropriate intervals using Internet or web technologies.

What is ARELLO-IDECC’s definition of a mixed media course?

Mixed media courses combine more than one technology to deliver content of a single course. Most often, mixed media refers to correspondence courses that utilize print or electronic media to deliver content to the student. In addition, for interactive exercises such as quizzes or exams, web or other technologies may be used. Essentially, mixed media utilizes specific technologies to deliver major portions of a course. For example, a course developer provides students with documents in that they could download from a web site and read as the primary method of content distribution. (So far, this course would be considered a correspondence course.) But the provider adds some interactive quizzes students must take on the Internet, thus adding another media to the instructional design strategy. The course then becomes a mixed media course.

Primary and Secondary Providers

What is a primary provider?
A primary provider is a course developer who has a proprietary interest in the product. The primary provider may develop the course or may hire someone to develop it. The primary provider may market the course themselves, have their own instructors deliver it and/or may sell it to secondary providers.

What are the responsibilities of the primary provider?
Some primary responsibilities are to: involve a qualified instructional designer for course development to insure interactivity and appropriate course design. Provide two independent studies that verify the course hours. Provide direction for secondary course providers in the form of manuals, sample directions, suggestions for quality administration etc.

What is a secondary provider?
A secondary provider obtains a course from primary provider. They also have approved instructors and are responsible for monitoring student progress and verifying course completion and student identity. Secondary providers provide opportunities for interaction, support, administrative communications, and assessment or evaluation feedback. All critical components of delivery need to be measured next to the ARELLO-IDECC distance education standards.

If primary providers go through the certification process once why do secondary providers have to go through it again?
Secondary providers must be certified because they play a large roll in how the course is delivered. Secondary providers provide opportunities for interaction, support, administrative communications, and assessment or evaluation feedback. All critical components of delivery need to be measured next to the ARELLO-IDECC distance education standards.

Do secondary providers have to complete time studies for each course certified?
No! Only primary providers have to provide course time studies to obtain certification.

What resource does ARELLO-IDECC require primary providers give to secondary providers?
ARELLO-IDECC requires primary providers or course developers that use secondary providers as a means of delivering and supporting courses to develop a reference manual for secondary providers.

The secondary provider’s manual should contain but not be limited to the following when applicable:

· Instructional strategies for the secondary provider that may enhance the course.

· Information on how to access administrative features of a course used in monitoring student progress.

· Suggestions on how to offer timely and quality instructional support.

· Information pertaining to course design and delivery that may be necessary for secondary providers to obtain prior to receiving ARELLO-IDECC Certification. For example, a manual may include comments on the course instructional design that would help secondary providers understand how to answer the necessary question on the secondary provider application form for ARELLO-IDECC Certification.

· Technical support information

Course Instructors

How important are instructor credentials?

Instructor credentials must be submitted with the application and reflect experience and expertise in the subject matter and the distance delivery. If instructors are changed or added, the credentials must be submitted and approved by ARELLO-IDECC before they can officially teach the course.

If my course is taught via the computer, why do I need an instructor associated with it?

All ARELLO-IDECC Certified courses must have an instructor regardless of the delivery method. Students taking distance education courses require instructional support that can only be provided by a qualified course instructor. Instructors may also play an important role in monitoring student progress.

What is acceptable for monitoring student progress?
On-line courses should have a course management system where the instructor monitors student progress. In the case of other delivery methods such as correspondence and CBT, the school and the instructor must have a system in place to check on student progress at a minimum of every 30-days. This can be done via mail, e-mail or telephone. See the ARELLO-IDECC Standards and Resource Guide for more information.

How does an on-line course meet the requirement for students contacting the instructor when they are taking a course that is maintained by a primary provider?
This is a course design issue. ARELLO-IDECC recommends that a “help” function in an on-line course be designed so that it will link to the secondary provider. An alternative design which is permitted is to have the help button to display the secondary provider with the contact information. Currently, in all cases the secondary must have the help function displayed on the page that links to a primary provider.

ARELLO-IDECC Forms

Must I use the ARELLO-IDECC forms to apply for certification?

Applications that are not submitted on the latest ARELLO-IDECC forms will result in delays in processing your application.

Does a provider have to fill out separate applications for EVERY course individually even if the delivery method is identical for each course?
No! Providers can submit multiple courses with one application as long as the delivery method is the same. Also, applicants must make sure that any variations in the clock hours, completion rates, instructors etc. are clearly noted when they vary. Also, the independent time studies must be submitted individually for each course.

The Standards and Course Review Process

What are ARELLO’s guidelines for time studies mentioned in the primary provider’s application and Distance Education Standards Manual?

Time studies help providers for which the average completion time of a course is appropriate for the number of clock hours for which the course is being offered. Two methods are available for providers to meet their time study requirement.

a) The provider can have ten individuals of an appropriate sample audience complete the course and fill out the appropriate Time Study Participant form available at ARELLO.NET. Please note students must complete the affidavits provided by ARELLO. These reports received in any other manner will not be accepted.

b) The provider may have two qualified professionals that are experienced with course content and instructional design complete the course and attest to the appropriate time. These two professionals use their experience, as it relates to the course being taught, to attest to an appropriate course completion time. These professionals must complete the Time Study Participants form located at ARELLO.NET.

The primary difference between these two options is obviously the number of participants that would be involved in the time study. ARELLO prefers item A for all continuing education courses because it is more representative of the target audience and therefore will better verify the appropriate number of clock hours. It also represents the best means a provider can use to assure that the course time is appropriate prior to submitting it to ARELLO. Choice B should be reserved for lengthier courses such as prelicense courses where obtaining ten individuals from the target audience is more difficult and perhaps even cost prohibitive.

During the course review, ARELLO reviewers conduct their own time analysis to ensure the integrity of the provider’s time study. If ARELLO finds that its time study substantially differs from the one provided by the course provider, one of two actions will occur:

1. The course will be certified with a reduced number of clock hours.

2. Certification for the course will be denied.

Furthermore, ARELLO will not allow providers to resubmit courses that are lacking the appropriate clock hours multiple times. ARELLO does attempt to allow providers with instructional design issues identified during the review process to “fix” those issues and resubmit the course for no additional fee. This option is not the case for courses that do not take the appropriate amount of time to complete.

Note: time studies are not necessary for courses taught live or by synchronous delivery methods. These delivery methods include but are not limited to live satellite broadcasts, live video conferencing, or live web casts using streaming media. Even though time studies are not required for courses using these types of delivery methods, a timing analysis of the course syllabus or schedule of what is taught when and for how long is necessary to document that the course will take the appropriate amount of time to complete.

How long does a provider have to respond to ARELLO-IDECC's request for modifications in a course?
45 days from the initial communications with the reviewer. Once the provider has responded to the requests of the reviewer, the "clock" resets for another 45 days.

Must I send in the answers to all the quiz questions and exams with my submission?
Yes. If you do not do this it will delay your review.

Why doesn't ARELLO-IDECC certify content as well as delivery methods of a distance education course? Will ARELLO-IDECC ever certify content?
Real Estate law is different in every jurisdiction and maintaining a review team of content experts for each participating jurisdiction would be cost prohibitive. ARELLO-IDECC has no future plans to certify the content of distance education courses, only delivery.

Why does ARELLO-IDECC require providers to include course content in the certification process if they don’t certify content?
ARELLO-IDECC cannot certify content because of the differences in law among jurisdictions. However, ARELLO-IDECC only looks at content in light of delivery. In other words, since delivery and content are so intermingled it is necessary to at least examine the content in light of the delivery methods used.

Does ARELLO-IDECC test the actual delivery applications for ways they could be compromised?
To a reasonable degree, yes!

How long does the certification process take?
Once the review team receives the initial application, it should take less than 30 days to receive the first round of feedback. The length of the certification process is dependent primarily upon the timeliness of the course provider’s response to the requests of the review team. On average, the review process should not take more than 60 days. In addition, the review cycle is on approximately a 30 day cycle. If your review indicates that you need to make changes, the review goes into another 30-day cycle once it is received by the review team. Since there are other submissions that are being processed, the quicker your respond the faster your application will be processed.

Does ARELLO-IDECC offer instructional design or technical help in designing courses?
No! The certification review process is built on the premise that courses are professionally designed. Distance education courses today often use complex technologies that require the expertise of various professionals. The technologies of today are varied and often unique in their structure. It is critical that an instructional designer is involved in the design of a distance education course.

What if ARELLO-IDECC doesn’t certify my course?
ARELLO-IDECC makes a commitment to each provider to work cooperatively until certification is granted. ARELLO-IDECC’s independent review team strives to maintain a very cooperative atmosphere until the ARELLO-IDECC standards are met and the certification process is complete. If the ARELLO-IDECC review team requests changes be made to a course, the provider has 45 days or to respond to that initial request. If the provider doesn’t follow-up within the 45-day period the application fees are forfeited.

If a provider submits multiple courses that use the same "engine" or "shell", why does each individual course have to be certified?
The Standards are very comprehensive and encompass more than course design. There are eight major divisions in the standards with each division containing from two to nine standards. Course design is only one division. The review process examines much more than the engine or shell on which the course runs. Some examples are technology support – amount required and credentials of those who provide it; student support – numbers and credentials of instructors; how student progress is monitored and evaluated; what kind and how interaction is achieved; who is accountable for learning outcomes, administering final exams and reporting scores to the appropriate regulatory agency. This is by no means an all inclusive list. Beyond that, we find that the “platform” tends to change depending on the kind and length of course offered because behavioral objectives and learning outcomes differ. An online prelicense course would most likely include chat rooms, threaded discussions, discussion boards, instructor issued assignments and group projects whereas a continuing education course would likely not contain all of these tools. Many online providers use off the shelf shells such as WebCT. It contains a plethora of tools from which an instructor can pick and choose what to use and can alter the format from one class to another. The course management system is elaborate and could vary from course to course. Regulators are concerned about this kind of flexibility without ARELLO-IDECC/IDECC having the opportunity to review the platform or shell for each course. That is because providers who supposedly use the same platforms for courses will submit them only for the review team to discover that tools used in some courses work properly but do not function properly in another course. Additionally, while it is true that some courses may run on the same platform, other factors may differ such as the instructor support and possibly the technology support. We have found that, due to rapidly changing technology, there is simply no one size fits all in distance education.

Why does ARELLO-IDECC not certify “click-through” courses?
Courses that are designed in a fashion that allows students to “click-through” a course with no assessment or remediation will not be certified. These are courses that are clearly designed to allow the student to by-pass material and that do not employ tools that foster learning and interactivity. There must be the use of quizzes and we encourage the use of tools that ensure the students are studying and learning the material.

Can an orientation be accomplished on-line?
Yes, this can be done a variety of ways. It can be done via e-mail BUT there must be a response from the instructor to each student. The response must include their availability, and encouraging the student to maintain contact and ask questions if needed. An e-mail generated via a course management system must receive a response. See the ARELLO-IDECC Standards for more information.

What is necessary to achieve “interactivity”?
The ARELLO-IDECC certification process does not accept passive learning models. The course must be designed so there is ample interactivity as described in the ARELLO-IDECC Standards. This must include pro-active designs that foster interaction with the instructor as well as the content and preferably with students when appropriate. The standards encourage the use of tools to foster interactivity and these are thoroughly discussed in the Distance Education Standards Manual and Resource Guide.

If a provider develops a single 90 hour pre-license (qualifying education) course and then wants to take exact “modules or components” from it to create separate courses will the provider have to certify each of the sub courses?
Yes, each course must be certified separately. Often, the audiences are very different within pre-license and CE courses. Thus, delivery methods should usually be adjusted to accommodate these differences in the experience levels of the students. Also, two independent studies must be done on each sub course to verify course hours.

Will ARELLO-IDECC certify a group or bundle of previously certified courses to create a single new certified course without having to pay a fee for a “new course” to ARELLO-IDECC?
No! The course provider would have to certify the bundled courses as if it were a new submission. The course must also be designed to be taken in its entirety if the student is to receive credit for the course. For example, if a provider has taken two previously certified courses both for three hours and combines them into a single six hour course, the student must have to complete all six hours to receive credit for the new course. The provider would also have to certify a new six hour course with ARELLO-IDECC. Note: Some regulatory agencies have different policies in regard to bundled courses. Check with the jurisdictions you wish to receive credit in for more information.

Assessing Mastery

Are pretests required by ARELLO-IDECC?

Pretests are not required but are encouraged. Pretests are administered to measure the student’s knowledge prior to taking the course. By the end of the course, a clear measurement of what has been learned can be provided to the student by comparing pre and post assessments. Pretests do serve as interactive elements that can be attributed to a course. A pretest may also be a worthy learning strategy to implement in order to extend the time it takes to complete a course and meet clock hour requirements. Any implementation of pretests should be integrated with other learning strategies such as post-tests to ensure they are purposeful and accurately provide some measurement of student performance.

Are incremental assessments or quizzes required?

Incremental assessments are typically considered to be quizzes given after each logical unit of instruction. Incremental assessments are required at appropriate intervals throughout the course to obtain certification. These assessments should be properly designed to ensure questions are not too easy and are not repetitive. Incremental assessments should be designed to measure adequately whether mastery of the material has been achieved. While it is difficult to quantify a preferred number of assessment items, ARELLO-IDECC will look for a “reasonable number” of questions to reflect the material presented. For example, if a particular unit takes the typical student thirty minutes to complete and is fairly complex in nature, it is doubtful five true or false questions would adequately measure competency. Instead, the provider may more appropriately choose a higher number of multiple choice questions for the incremental assessment. ARELLO will examine the number and type of assessment items to ensure that the instrument measures what it is appropriate

Are summative assessments or final exams required?

Summative assessments are typically considered final exams to be administered at the end of a course to ensure mastery over all of the material presented in the course. Just as with incremental assessments, summative assessments should be properly designed to ensure questions are not too easy and are not repetitive. Incremental assessments should be designed to adequately measure whether mastery of the material has been achieved. While it is difficult to quantify a preferred number of assessment items, ARELLO-IDECC will look for a “reasonable number” of questions to reflect the material presented.

Summative assessments are highly recommended but not required for ARELLO Certification. Some regulatory agencies do not require final exams for courses but many do.

Does ARELLO require assessment or question banks for CBT or Internet based courses?
No, assessment banks are highly recommended but not required. Assessment banks allow incremental quizzes or final exams to be presented from an appropriately sized “pool” of potential questions. For example, for a10 question quiz, there may be 30 potential questions within the bank. Implementation of an assessment bank within a course provides an excellent instructional strategy to ensure students do not simply memorize questions and answers. When using an assessment bank, no incremental quiz or final exam is identical to one a student previously completed. Courses utilizing assessment banks typically have increased credibility with regulatory agencies and therefore ARELLO as well. For the purposes of ARELLO-IDECC review, all questions within the assessment banks with answers must be submitted to ARELLO for the review process.

What is meant by remediation?
As is described in the ARELLO-IDECC Standards, the student must be informed of material that is not understood and the missed information either explained or the student directed back to the material missed. It is NOT acceptable to force a student to review an ENTIRE section that includes the missed material. The student must be directed to the precise information they do not understand. This is described in the ARELLO-IDECC Standards in detail.

Must a correspondence course have case studies that are mailed back to the provider for grading?
Yes. A correspondence course must include case studies which are appropriate for the length of the course. For example a three clock hour course should contain at least two to three case studies. If you are a secondary using material from a course developer that does not have cases included, you must develop appropriate cases. The cases must be presented during the course and graded and sent back to the student. E-mail can be utilized to accomplish this if appropriate.

Fees

How much does it cost to obtain ARELLO-IDECC certification?
Primary Providers First Course - $825
Subsequent courses of the same delivery method - $625
Secondary Providers First Course - $275
Subsequent courses of the same delivery method - $225.

What will be the costs associated with recertification?
Costs for recertification is: For primary providers - $370 Per course. For secondary providers - $195 per course.

FAQs for Regulators.

Will requiring ARELLO-IDECC Certification in my jurisdiction tie me to ARELLO-IDECC's course criteria for all courses submitted?
No! Some jurisdictions require ARELLO-IDECC certification and then implement additional standards of their own. This is precisely why course providers should always check with jurisdictions they want to market to prior to developing courses.

Will ARELLO-IDECC help ensure that courses offered X clock hours actually take X clock hours to complete?
Yes! ARELLO-IDECC helps ensure this in several ways. 1) ARELLO-IDECC requires primary course providers to provide time studies that include a sample group taking the course and attesting to its length. 2) ARELLO-IDECC road tests every course to ensure proper courses design and that would facilitate the appropriate number of clock hours to complete the course. Combining these methods of verifying clock helps ensure that courses offered for a particular number of clock/credit hours indeed take the appropriate amount of time to complete.

What are the advantages of ARELLO-IDECC certification for the regulatory agency?
There are several benefits for regulatory agencies. First, participating agencies have assurance their courses are evaluated for quality delivery by distance education experts who have created standards based upon the latest distance education research. Second, agencies don’t have to keep up with the changes in technology in regard to distance educational delivery. Third, agencies don’t have to “reinvent the wheel” when in comes to distance education delivery standards thus saving time and money. Remember, the standards evaluate course design and delivery to the student. Finally, ARELLO-IDECC certification keeps the standards high for all distance education courses offered.

What does ARELLO-IDECC do to enforce providers teach courses as certified?
Most enforcement of ARELLO-IDECC certification is by the individual jurisdictions. However, students, providers or regulators have the ability to report any course that is not being administered as certified. Once ARELLO-IDECC verifies a particular course isn’t being taught as certified, ARELLO-IDECC will take action that could result in the revocation of the certification.

Are there examples of how other jurisdictions have worded the ARELLO-IDECC Certification Rule?
Yes, contact ARELLO-IDECC for examples.

Miscellaneous

If I have two courses that have identical interfaces and content but utilize different technological infrastructures, should these be considered two different courses when submitted to ARELLO-IDECC?
Yes. This is often the case for providers who want to offer the same course in both CBT and Internet based delivery methods.

Typically, a provider replicating course features using different technologies to accommodate market demand for a single course, equates to utilization of different delivery methods. Therefore, in regard to ARELLO-IDECC Certification, two different delivery methods would require a unique certification for each “set” of technologies used to offer a particular course. For example, a course provider creates an Internet course that the student runs from a centralized web server at the provider’s office or hosting facility. The provider then creates a course that is identical in the way the course looks but utilizes different technologies so the course can be run from a CD-ROM and without an Internet connection. In this case, the provider has used two different base technologies for offering the same course content. Therefore, since ARELLO also examines the technological layer of each delivery method, the provider would have to certify both delivery methods. In this case, one would be CBT and the other Internet. Student support and monitoring issues with the various delivery methods is also important to note. An instructor who has skills to monitor student progress and lend support to a CBT course student may not have the skills to do this for students taking an Internet course because support and monitoring is done differently in these two delivery methods.

What is the difference between delivery method and method of distribution of courses?
Delivery method means the platform on which the course is developed and designed. That means that the delivery method is an Internet course, a CBT (Computer Based Training) course such as one on a CD-ROM or floppy disk, a correspondence course, a satellite course, etc. Distribution means how the course gets to the students. For example, many providers may make their CBT courses available on CD-ROM which can be mailed to the students or the provider can make the course available for download on a web site. In this case the delivery method is CBT but distribution can be via the Internet, U.S. Mail or other ground carrier. The fact that a student can go to a web site and download it does not turn it into an Internet course. Regardless of distribution method, the student loads the course onto the computer’s hard drive and does not have to have Internet connection to take the course. An Internet or online course is one developed, designed and delivered online. In this case, both the delivery method and the distribution method happen to be the same. The student must to be connected to the Internet while taking the course. It is important to understand the distinction between these two terms.

Does ARELLO require the standards be met on an ongoing basis?

Yes. Providers may reference the ARELLO-IDECC Distance Education Program Information Packet available free at WWW.ARELLO.NET for more information about procedures relating to enforcement of the standards.

At any point during the time a course is certified by ARELLO, reviewers may perform the following enforcement procedures that include but are not limited to:

· Anonymously auditing courses.

· Randomly checking courses to ensure course design is consistent with what was certified.

· Requesting the provider document historical information pertaining to the amount of time courses are taking students to complete.

· Monitoring of advertising regarding certified courses.

It is also important to note that ARELLO investigates complaints about courses submitted by regulatory officials, students, or other providers.

If your question is not answered here please email Info at arello.net or contact us for a prompt response.

Copyright, Association of Real Estate License Law Officials and The International Distance Education Certification Center