Design and Accreditation of Distance Learning Postgraduate Programs in two Mexican Universities

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to describe strategies forward to creation and accreditation Distance Learning programs. This is a qualitative research, which adopted biographical method with two data collection techniques: focus group and interviews with students, professors, and directors in the University of Guadalajara and the University of Querétaro. Results show that academic community’s layout three strategies of program’s creation: virtualizing face-to-face programs, enhancing institutional projects, and designing of new programs. Besides, they operated two strategies of adaptability: organizing their own educative model and producing situated knowledge to attend accreditation criteria. Conclusion say that the members of academic communities set personal and collective commitment with their universities, they surf evaluation dinamics and enhanced institutional conditions to get accreditation into The Programa Nacional de Posgrados de Calidad del Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología.