Distance education in professional training in psychology

Distance learning methods have had a dramatic effect on undergraduate education and are being incorporated by graduate and professional programs in a variety of areas, including psychology. To address the implications of these developments, an APA task force was organized in 2001 and presented its findings in 2002. This article summarizes key findings of the task force regarding (a) developments in distance education applications to training in professional psychology, (b) significant issues regarding best practices and quality assurance, (c) implications of accreditation standards for programs based on distance methods, (d) licensure and recognition of graduates from online programs, and (e) implications of distance education methods for campus-based programs. Keywords: graduate education, distance education, distance learning, online education