NON-TEFL course standards

The standards set forth in this document apply to all online IB (International Baccalaureate) and AP (Advanced Placement) high school English language and literature, and related, courses seeking OTCAC accreditation. 

In this document, OTCAC outlines the minimum course requirements standards acceptable for a review or direct tutoring course that is English-language-based and designed for middle- or high-school students to learn skills, concepts, and course-specific materials via online instruction. For simplicity, standards are based on generic, essential content and units that must be included in the taught content. All online courses must consist of reading material with online assessment of learning objective attainment, at a bare minimum. Ideally, online courses will also include audio, video, or live online lecture material. 

While there is necessary leeway provided to applicant institutions regarding some objectives, OTCAC has compiled the core standards based on dozens of already accredited online courses and the combined experience of the Committee.

The core standards will appear first, followed by OTCAC recommendations. In addition to course content standards, institutions seeking OTCAC accreditation are expected to adhere to the following general standards:

  1. All standards established in the OTCAC Standards for Accreditation must be met.
  2. An open channel of communication between the course provider and students must be available at all times. This in no way binds an institution to have a two-way chat service or compels the institution to reply immediately. However, students must be able to contact the course provider by email and at least one other medium (e.g. phone, Facebook, etc.). Course providers are expected to issue a response to students in a timely manner, not usually beyond a 72-hour period.
  3. Course prices must be clearly displayed on the website and not fluctuate drastically, with the exception for sale prices.
  4. Courses must offer some form of refund guarantee with a minimum cooling-off period of 7 days for newly enrolled students who change their mind about partaking in the specific course(s). Where an electronic/digital product is downloadable, regional laws will specify guidelines, and should be adhered to.
  5. Course providers must provide free technical assistance to students throughout the duration of the online course where the fault lies with the web server or content delivery network. If problems continue to persist, it is expected that the institution offers some form of compensation, extension of time allocated for completion of the course, or the choice of a full refund.

COURSE EXPECTATIONS (BY LENGTH OF TIME)

Autonomous Learning Courses (2-50 hours):
These courses may be fully automated, similar to our established TEFL framework, but adapted for secondary education. Content must be presented through multiple engaging formats to ensure memory consolidation and learning effectiveness. Delivery should include video lectures, interactive assessments, and automated feedback systems.

Extended Learning Courses (51-100 hours):
 These courses should combine automated learning with structured support [4]. Content delivery must include monthly live tutorial sessions, automated or instructor-based assessment systems with detailed feedback, peer collaboration opportunities (whether on a local-site forum or social media-framed platform), and progress tracking dashboards. Where these are not provided, institutions will need to provide clear reasoning for their omission and highlight alternatives that they have implemented.

Example courses:

IB English Language and Literature:
Text analysis component (15-20 hours)
Acceptable: Students complete guided video tutorials on literary devices, annotation practice with automated feedback, and timed exercises focusing on Paper 1 skills. The platform should provide sample responses with detailed commentary and assessment criteria alignment, highlighting stylistic and language-based choices and breakdowns (i.e. form and style).

 

AP Biology:
Laboratory Skills Module (25-30 hours)
Virtual laboratory simulations must incorporate detailed methodology tutorials, interactive experiment platforms, and comprehensive result analysis tools. Assessment includes multiple-choice questions with detailed explanations and free-response practice with model answers.

 

iGCSE Mathematics:
Core Concepts Module (20-25 hours)
Sequential video tutorials covering topic-specific content with step-by-step problem-solving demonstrations. Interactive practice questions should provide immediate feedback and detailed solutions.

 

QUALITY ASSURANCE STANDARDS

Assessment Methods:
Courses must implement varied evaluation techniques including regular progress checks, automated scoring with detailed feedback, performance analytics, and skills-based assessment.

Student Support Structure:
All courses must maintain comprehensive FAQ databases, technical support services, discussion forums, resource libraries, and clear communication channels with tutors or course supervisors.

OTCAC accreditation awards

Accreditation Levels remain consistent with our established framework, maintaining four tiers from “Accredited – Excellent” to “Not Yet” status. The “Accredited – Excellent” designation continues to require unanimous agreement from all accreditation staff.

This framework represents OTCAC’s adaptation of proven TEFL certification standards to modern secondary education needs, ensuring quality while embracing technological advancement in education delivery.

Accredited – Excellent

This course or institution provides educational services above and beyond our necessary standards. We award such a merit of accreditation only when all accreditation staff agree unanimously.

Failure to achieve this meritorious award is not a reflection of substandard education but rather the norm. Standards are in place as a representation of the average expected quality of online education. Those few courses or course providers that are able to receive such a rating offer their students exceptional quality. It is not within the scope of OTCAC to determine whether this quality is reflected in the price and, therefore, value of the course(s) receiving the rating. In other words, we measure the quality of the educational content without considering the cost as a factor of that quality.

Accredited

This is our regular rating. Courses attaining this rating have met our strict, objective standards on all fronts, and students can feel assured that the online course(s) they will undertake with such rating is/are suitable for their needs, as set out in the course(s). 

Under Review

This status shows that the course(s) is/are currently undergoing the accreditation process, but are not yet accredited.

Not Yet

Courses with such a rating are not accredited. There are numerous reasons for this status, but it always means that the course(s) have failed to meet OTCAC’s accreditation standards on this current cycle of review. Courses with such a rating are able to be amended by their course providers and reapply for accreditation with no bias applied. 


How do students know if a course is OTCAC-accredited?

Upon gaining full accreditation, course-providers receive an electronic certificate and full resolution logo with certificate number to display on their website, if they wish to do so. We advise institutions to display the approval number alongside the OTCAC logo. Membership is granted for a full year and then requires annual membership fees with online stealth inspection to ensure that courses still meet our strict standards. 

Would you like your course(s) accredited?

Contact us with a summary of what courses you offer your clients and provide as much detail as possible about your course content. One of our consultants will respond shortly thereafter to start the accreditation process.

You may download the general OTCAC standards of accreditation here.