Quality of distance learning in Mexico: A study on accreditation processes

Abstract

Distance Learning is a key strategy in the search for new ways of learning. The accreditation processes are based on the new information and communication technologies. In this sense, this article characterizes the quality of distance education in Mexico, specifically what concerns accreditation processes. The research is exploratory-descriptive and field oriented, contextualizing the Autonomous University of Tamaulipa. The results show: 1) Institutional guidelines on accreditation processes; 2) Definition of a Development Plan, which accounts for the execution of strategic planning processes; 3) A diversity of national and international mobility programs for teachers, researchers and students, supported by strategies defined from the contents of the programs and the organizational aspects. It concludes on the existence of both institutional and social efforts around a distance education of quality in which the accreditation processes have potential in the search of new ways of deepening the learning.