Å·ÃÀÉ«ÇéƬ

Todd Karr and Wes Juranek, of NU Online, have earned a 2015 Online Learning Consortium (OLC) Effective Practice Award for the .

The State Authorization Dashboard is a web-based portal that gives University of Nebraska faculty and staff the authorization status of NU online programs in individual states. Given the complexity of state regulations and the large portfolio of NU’s online offerings, a centralized system was vital to keeping information organized and communicate current program status.

“It’s an honor to be recognized by OLC for the State Authorization Dashboard,” said Todd Karr, assistant director University of Nebraska Online. “The tool has been invaluable in our ability to track and communicate the authorization status of programs in individuation states.”

NU Online has made the dashboard code available via a creative-commons license to other institutions who may be interested in implementing the dashboard on their own campus. To date 20 institutions have contacted NU with their interest in the tool.

The portal also serves as the data source for the NU Online public website informs potential students of the availability and compliance of online programs in their state. Submissions for OLC Effective Practices are evaluated in terms of innovation, replicability, potential impact, and scope and supporting documentation.

Compliance with state authorization is a continuous process for the University of Nebraska. As of August 2015, most (if not all) NU distance education programs are authorized, licensed, exempt or not subject to approval in all 50 states.

Some states have restrictions on programs that have required placements (i.e., clinical, practicum, internship, student teaching or field experience). These states require additional authorization for placement programs or have specific requirements regarding who organizes the placement on a student’s behalf. Application materials for these states are currently being gathered.

In late 2014, on behalf of all University of Nebraska campuses, University of Nebraska Online applied and received membership into the State Authorization Reciprocity Agreement (SARA). Membership in SARA allows NU to offer all distance education programs to students who reside in SARA states without the need for additional regulatory compliance. As of August 2015, 28 states are members of SARA.Copy goes here