Accreditation of distance education programs in Turkey based on expert opinions

The main objective of this study is to develop a framework for the accreditation of higher distance education programs in Turkey. The study was designed as a sequential monomethod multistrand mixed model including two strands which were both qualitative (QUAL?QUAL). In the first strand, both quantitative and qualitative data were collected through a three-round Delphi study with an expert panel consisting of 28 experts. In the second strand, qualitative data were collected through a focus group interview with 21 experts. For the selection of experts, purposeful and snowball sampling were used in both strands. In the first strand, qualitative data were analysed descriptively while frequency distribution, measures of central tendency and dispersion were calculated for the quantitative data analysis. In the second strand of the study, qualitative data collected via focus grup interview were analysed by using descriptive analysis method.In the study, based on a comprehensive literature review and the findings from the study, a framework was proposed including an initial accreditation process for new distance education programs and a re-accreditation process for ongoing programs. Moreover, 35 criteria for new programs and 42 criteria for ongoing programs were developed to be used in the accreditation process. In addition to these, a framework was proposed for the recognition process of diplomas received abroad via distance education.