ICOES centres itself on its vision to create a level of quality and care in the worldwide online education industry that builds absolute trust among learners in the standards of each ICOES-accredited body. It strives to achieve this by collaborating with providers, learners and stakeholders.
At the heart of ICOES’s mission is the need to ensure and increase the credibility and trustworthiness of online educational training providers and to pursue and promote continuous improvement in online education actively. ICOES establishes, monitors and develops objective and verifiable standards which online courses must meet and o bided by to qualify as a quality education provider. Therefore, ICOES continually assess online courses and the institutions that provide them to ensure that organisations meet the educational standards required to gain ICOES accreditation.
Process of Getting Started
To get your organisation accredited by ICOES is both a progressive and positive step as it demonstrates that you have achieved a required standard of quality that in itself is an achievement. The process to get accredited takes approximately one to three months, which compared to other accrediting bodies is relatively quick. ICOES issues a set of guidelines which form the basis of an objective self-evaluation which is measured against ICOES standards to ensure that they are both met and maintained across the board.
The ICOES assessment examines all areas of your service, ranging from the completion of courses to student enrolment and highlights any potential areas that need change or improvement to comply with the ICOES requirements. ICOES requirements are broken down into seven areas of action and within those areas are sets of standards which a provider must submit to achieve accreditation. The seven areas of action are:
- Administrative Accountability
- Integrity and Transparency
- Program Criteria
- Academic Quality
- Assessments and Examinations
- Learners
- Tutors
- Staff
In the occasion that your organisation does not meet ICOES standards, your application is still kept open, which enables you to implement improvements to achieve accreditation. Upon accreditation, you can take advantage of all the benefits that it brings and also display the ICOES logo on your website.
The International Open Academy is an example of an organisation which offers ICOES-accredited courses.
Benefits of Being an ICOES Accredited Provider
There are many benefits of being an ICOES accredited provider some of which are as follows:
- It shows that your organisation is committed to quality which gives your company credibility and your consumer’s confidence in your courses
- There is the opportunity to access expertise and support
- ICOES accreditation assures all potential students of the quality and high standards of your courses
- ICOES members have the opportunity to network with and learn from other members with similar objectives.
- You’ll gain self-confidence to enhance your educational standards, develop and improve your internal and administrative processes and in developing a more efficient and comprehensive service.
- Your organisation enjoys guaranteed status and added exposure to your target audience by being listed on the ICOES website
ICOES for Students
ICOES offer supportive guides and online teaching courses for students which helps to ensure that the provider you pick is reputable and that the courses fit around your studies and improve your skills and enhance your learning opportunities.
ICOES supports students by providing a bank of questions on the ICOES website that should be considered before registering on a course. The questions are broken into the following categories:
- How Well Are You Supported?
- Do The Details fit Your Schedule and Budget?
- How Useful is Your Programme?
By asking these questions ICOES makes sure that students pick a relevant course that is tailored to their individual needs.
ICOES accreditation guarantees that registered service providers are reputable and uphold the ICOES standards which gives you peace of mind that you are investing your time and money in a high-quality worthwhile online course.