ACCREDITATION OF DISTANCE EDUCATION IN MEXICO: PERSPECTIVE AND CHALLENGES

Over the past years, distance education programs have emerged in Mexican public universities registering a constant growth, making presence in major institutions and serving an increasing number of students reaching over 300,000 on 2013. Therefore, a necessity for the establishment of quality assurance standards through accreditation of virtual programs arises, understood as "compatibility of a higher education institution or a program with national or international performance standards" (Cabuk et al, 2013, p. 233). Although the existence of relevant accreditation references worldwide on the form of recognized international agencies and educational researchers' work, it is also true that each institution may be affected locally by multiple factors and needs that can be very particular. Thus, there is a need to review the criteria that allow the migration from international to local accreditation systems and how are the last ones being operated. The central question is which are the appropriate criteria, indicators and standards for accreditation in the context of the Mexican higher education system? This paper presents a review of existing accreditation organizations in USA, Europe and Latin America, as well as the challenges and opportunities perceived in Mexico, and conclude with a brief proposal of common indicators for quality assurance in engineering distance programs.