Accreditation Outside the Academy - Paul Fain, Inside Higher Ed

As boot camps, massive online courses and other nontraditional academic offerings expand, several organizations angle to play an accreditor-like role in the growing space. “We think it’s time to start having conversations, much the way regional accreditors do,” said Leah Matthews, executive director of the Distance Education Accrediting Commission, a national accreditor that has participated in the umbrella group’s initial meetings. “If this takes off really fast, we think it would be good to have some groundwork laid.” Likewise, Skills Fund, an upstart form of accreditor and a student lender for boot camps, has expanded its reach. https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2016/03/18/groups-seek-become-quality-reviewers-boot-camps-online-courses-and-other-noncollege