State Authorization

The State Authorization Reciprocity Agreement is an agreement among member states, districts and territories that establishes comparable national standards for interstate offering of postsecondary distance education courses and programs. It is intended to make it easier for students to take online courses offered by postsecondary institutions based in another state. Nebraska is a member of the SARA and Doane University is a participating institution in SARA. 

Please contact: [email protected]

In the event that a complaint cannot be resolved at the University level, a student may contact the Nebraska state portal agency. 

State Portal Agency Contact 
Kathleen L. Fimple, Ph.D., Acad. Programs Officer
Nebraska Coordinating Commission for Postsecondary Ed.
P.O. Box 95005,
Lincoln, NE 68509-5005
402.471.0030
[email protected]
Student Complaints Against Postsecondary Institutions

If you are not a resident of the State of Nebraska, you have the option of filing a complaint with your state licensing authority, or with the Higher Learning Commission. 

Institutions providing distance education are required to identify programs that lead to licensure or certification and provide information about requirements. Requirements can vary by profession and state. Prospective and current students are encouraged to research the requirements in their current or intended state of residence to ensure that the intended enrollment in a program will meet the requirements of their state’s licensing agency. It may be necessary to reach out to state agencies with questions or clarification.

The following resources and contact information for state licensing boards are provided to assist prospective and current students in their research related to Professional Licensure Disclosures (34 CFR 668.43 – Institutional Information).

Professional Licensure Information

• Nebraska State Education Department
• Nebraska State Education Certification
• CAEP National Accreditation
• TeacherCertificationDegrees.com
• Teach.com's Teacher Certification Requirements by State
• NC-SARA Directory
• Teacher Education Smart-Sheet
• Doane University's General Licensure and Certification Disclosure

Purpose and Scope

This policy applies to all credit-bearing distance education courses offered by Doane University. The purpose of this policy is to ensure that the university operates in compliance with the provisions of the United States Federal Higher Education Opportunity Act (HEOA) concerning the verification of student identity in distance education.

The HEOA requires that institutions offering distance education or correspondence courses or programs have processes in place to ensure that the student registering for a course is the same student who participates in the course or receives course credit. The Act requires that institutions use one of the following three methods:

• A secure login and password;
• Proctored examinations; or
• New or other technologies and practices that are effective in verifying student identification.

Compliance

Colleague is a university management system used to ensure accounts are managed securely. All students will need to claim their Colleague unique student identifier and establish a password before accessing services, including distance learning and online courses. Students verify their account with personally identifying information. Students are required to create secure questions and associated answers to be used in the event that they need to change their password or reclaim their unique identifier. Two-factor authentication is used to secure all accounts. Doane University uses Canvas as its learning management system. The Canvas system integrates with the Colleague to ensure secure student access to courses. All individuals are responsible for maintaining the security of their unique identifier and passwords.

Students' Privacy Rights

All students, including distance education students, at the University have privacy rights. Those rights are discussed under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA). Information on the university's FERPA policies can be found here.

Course Fees

All fees associated with taking classes both on campus and through distance education are available online. Residential undergraduate tuition and fees information and similar information for non-residential and online students can be found on our website. There may be additional fees for taking online courses. Students are encouraged to check the fees before registering for classes. These fees are adjusted periodically and should be verified before enrollment.