In October 1999, the EADL elected to join with the U.S.-based Distance Education and Training Council (DETC) in sharing common interests and offering member benefits to each respective group. The goal of this mutual cooperation is to encourage the free exchange of ideas between the two groups for the common benefit of both.

DETC is based in Washington, DC USA and Michael P. Lambert is the Executive Director. Mr. Lambert was the recipient of EADL's Roll of Honour Award in 2003, and has attended and presented at many EADL meetings over the years.

The DETC 's major activity is the sponsorship of the DETC Accrediting Commission. The Commission defines, maintains, and promotes educational excellence in distance education institutions globally. The Commission is dedicated to fostering quality assurance, protection of the rights of the students and institutional self-improvement through voluntary accreditation via peer evaluation. DETC accreditation aims to instill public confidence in DETC institutions' missions, goals, performances, and resources through rigorous application and peer-developed accreditation standards

Since 1959, DETC has been formally recognized by the U.S. Department of Education, the official U.S. government agency charged with overseeing U.S. education. DETC is the only nationally recognized U.S. accrediting association focused exclusively on the accreditation of distance learning institutions.

There are over 120 DETC member institutions in 4 countries that enroll nearly 3 million students. DETC has members in Australia, Japan, United Kingdom, and the USA. DETC sponsors annual conferences each April and a workshop each autumn, and publishes research.

Examples of the kind of practical research DETC publishes are at these links below:

Comparative Data on DETC Institutions:

http://www.detc.org/downloads/publications/2007DESurvey.pdf

Degree Program Graduates' views of their degrees:

http://issuu.com/detc/docs/2010_detc_graduate_survey?viewMode=magazine&mode=embed

DETC members may register for EADL Conferences at the EADL member rate, and vice versa. DETC and EADL have exchanged mailing lists of their members. Each group often sends representatives to attend each other's meetings on a regular basis. EADL members attend nearly every DETC Annual Conference.

Periodically, DETC holds a Seminar on Global Developments for distance learning leaders around the world. Past venues have been Buckingham, England (1994), Hamburg, Germany (1997), Oxford, England (2000), Dublin, Ireland (2003) and Brighton, England (2007). EADL members are always welcomed to attend any DETC meeting.

Internet address: www.detc.org