OFFICIAL
Policy and Procedure Statement 2.16
Academic Programs: Distance Education and
Off-Campus Instruction
Revised: 9/05
(32 paragraphs)
Review Cycle: Sept. 1, E3Y
Review Date: 9/1/2008
Reviewer: Director, Extended and Distance Learning; Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs

GENERAL INFORMATION
  1. Texas State University-San Marcos is committed to maintaining a well-designed, effective process for developing new distance education and off-campus programs. This PPS summarizes key elements of that process and provides guidance for the preparation of proposals for new programs.
  2. When considering the addition, change or deletion of a distance education or off-campus program, Program Chairs/Department Chairs/School Directors or College Deans should consult the appropriate faculty members in the unit and in other related academic units, and if necessary, with outside experts.
  3. This PPS conforms to the rules and regulations of the Texas State University System Board of Regents (BOR); the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB) including Chapter 4. E. Approval of Distance Education, Off-Campus, and Extension Courses and Programs for Public, and THECB's Principles of Good Practice for Academic Degree and Certificate Programs and Credit Courses Offered Electronically ; and the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS).
DEFINITIONS
  1. Academic credit course – A college-level course that, if successfully completed, can be applied toward the number of courses required for achieving a degree, diploma, certificate, or other formal award.
  2. Area institution – A university, health-related institution, independent institution, or higher education center that is within a 50-mile radius of a proposed off-campus instruction site.
  3. Correspondence course – An academic credit course delivered through distance education that is either paper-based or electronic and that is largely self-paced.
  4. Degree – Any title or designation, mark, abbreviation, appellation, or series of letters or words, including “associate's,” “bachelor's,” “master's,” and “doctor's” and their equivalents and foreign cognates, that signifies satisfactory completion of the requirements of a program of study that is generally regarded and accepted as an academic degree-level program by accrediting agencies recognized by the Board.
  5. Distance education course –A course is considered to be offered by distance education if students receive more than one-half of the instruction at a location different from that of the instructor. A distance education course can be delivered synchronously or asynchronously to any single or multiple location(s) through electronic, correspondence, or other means. The course may be formula-funded or offered through extension, and it may be delivered to on-campus students and those who do not take courses on the main campus.
  6. Distance education degree or certificate program – A program in which a student may complete more than one half of the semester credit hours required for the program through any combination of electronic and off-campus delivery methods.
  7. Electronic delivery – A mode of delivery for distance education courses and programs using electronic telecommunication technology systems.
  8. Extension course – Academic credit course delivered face-to-face or by distance education, including correspondence, for which the semester credit hours are not submitted for formula funding. Face-to-face, academic credit extension courses may be delivered on-campus or off-campus.
  9. Formula funding – The method used to allocate appropriated sources of funds among institutions of higher education.
  10. Formula-funded course – An academic credit course delivered face-to-face or by distance education, including correspondence, for which semester credit hours are submitted for formula funding.
  11. Institutional report – A report describing distance education and off-campus instruction delivered for academic credit.
  12. Main campus – The headquarters of an institution and the location where the principal or chief executive's offices are located, also referred to as on-campus.
  13. Off-campus course – Course in which one-half or more of the instruction is delivered with the instructor and student in the same physical location away from the main campus. The course may receive formula funding or be given by extension.
  14. Off-campus degree or certificate program —Program for which a student may complete more than one-half of the required credit hours by taking off-campus courses.
  15. Out-of-state/out-of-country course – Academic credit course delivered outside of Texas to individuals or groups who are not regularly enrolled, on-campus students, Out-of-state and out-of-country courses do not receive formula funding and are a type of academic extension credit offering. They may be offered through distance education or face-to-face instruction.
  16. University Strategic Plan – Guides the development of proposals for distance education and off-campus programs by identifying degree programs that the University plans to develop and submit for approval over the next five-year period and other degree programs that the University has identified as likely for development in subsequent years. The Strategic Plan is reviewed annually by the Council of Academic Deans.
STANDARDS AND CRITERIA
  1. The following standards and criteria shall apply to distance education and off-campus courses and programs.
    1. Each course and program shall be within the role and mission of the institution responsible for offering the instruction.
    2. Each course shall be on the university's inventory of approved courses and each program shall be on the offering institution's inventory of approved programs.
    3. All courses shall meet the quality standards applicable to on-campus courses. (For electronic courses—courses in which 50 percent or more of the course will be delivered electronically—this is ensured by the completion of the Principles of Good Practice For Electronically Delivered Courses and Programs self-study. This self-study must be completed and submitted to the Office of Extended and Distance Learning for each course offered electronically before the course is offered.)
    4. Courses that offer either semester credit hours or Continuing Education Units shall do so in accordance with the standards of the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.
    5. Students (except for students in out-of-country programs) enrolled in a distance education or off-campus program shall satisfy the same requirements for admission to the university, to the program, and to academic credit courses, as are required of regular on-campus students. Students in degree programs to be offered collaboratively must meet the admission standards of their home institutions. Out-of-country students shall meet equivalent standards for admission into programs and shall be assessed for academic guidance purposes.
    6. Faculty shall be selected and evaluated by equivalent standards, review, and approval procedures used by the university to select and evaluate faculty responsible for on-campus courses.
    7. The university shall provide training and support to enhance the added skills required of faculty teaching courses through electronic means.
    8. The instructor of record shall bear responsibility for the delivery of instruction and for evaluation of student progress.
    9. Faculty for graduate-level courses shall be approved in the same manner as graduate faculty for on-campus courses.
    10. All courses shall be appropriately integrated with the entity or entities administering the corresponding on-campus courses. The supervision, monitoring, and evaluation processes for instructors shall be equivalent to those for on-campus courses.
    11. Students shall be provided academic support services appropriate for distance education and off-campus learners, such as academic advising, career counseling, library and other learning resources, and financial aid.
    12. Facilities (other than homes as distance education reception sites) shall be comparable in quality to those for on-campus courses.
    13. The university shall adhere to additional criteria outlined in the Guidelines for Institutional Reports for Distance Education and Off-Campus Instruction.

PROPOSAL PREPARATION
  1. Distance education program proposals are prepared according to the format in Attachment A.
  2. Off-campus program proposals are prepared according to the format in Attachment B.
  3. Deletion of a distance education program or an off-campus program is proposed through a memorandum from the chair/director of the academic unit, via the college dean, via the Dean of The Graduate College when applicable, to the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs. Deletion requests should contain the following information: name of program to be deleted, justification for the deletion including potential impact on enrolled students, and proposed effective date.
ROUTING
  1. All distance education and off-campus program proposals are submitted for review and recommendation by the following in order beginning with a:
    1. Program/Department/School Faculty
    2. Program Chair/Department Chair/School Director
    3. College Curriculum Committee
    4. College Council
    5. College Dean
    6. Other College Deans
    7. Dean of The Graduate College (if applicable)
    8. Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs (for preliminary review)
    9. Council of Academic Deans
    10. Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs (for final recommendation)
    11. University Council
    12. President
    13. Texas State University System Board of Regents
    14. Area Institutions
    15. Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board
    16. Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (if necessary)
  2. The college dean should verify that the proposed program is included in the Strategic plan and that development is appropriate at this time. In addition, the college dean must ensure that the program will be maintained at a high quality and be cost effective.
  3. The college dean will submit proposals to the Dean of The Graduate College when applicable, or to the Director of Extended and Distance Learning in the Office of Extended and Distance Learning with a copy of the College Council minutes verifying approval.
  4. The Director of Extended and Distance Learning and the Director of Curriculum Services in the Office of the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs will review the proposal for compliance with BOR, THECB and SACS guidelines and then forward to the Provost for preliminary review.
  5. The Provost, with the assistance of the Director of Curriculum Services, will submit proposals to the Council of Academic Deans, and University Council. The Director of Curriculum Services will prepare a program abstract with approval from the Provost and submit the abstract to the Vice President for Finance and Support Services to provide information for the Board of Regents. After BOR approval, the Director of Curriculum Services will submit the proposal to area institutions, the THECB and SACS with approval from the Provost and the President.
  6. Within three years of on-campus approval, a proposal may be submitted to the BOR or THECB as often as deemed advisable by the Provost and the President. If necessary, the Provost will refer the proposal to the program chair/department chair/school director so that the documentation and justification can be updated. After this three-year period has passed, the proposal will not be submitted to the BOR or THECB until again approved on campus.
  7. Throughout the routing, the Director of Curriculum Services will report all decisions to the college dean submitting the proposal.
  8. When a proposal for a new program is fully approved, the program chair/department chair/school director with approval from the college dean or the Dean of The Graduate College when applicable will request assignment of a program code from the Director of Curriculum Services. The program chair/department chair/school director will also submit all necessary changes for inclusion in the appropriate catalog to the Director of Curriculum Services or the Dean of The Graduate College when appropriate at the required time.
CERTIFICATION STATEMENT

  1. This PPS has been approved by the reviewer listed below and represents Texas State's Division of Academic Affairs policy and procedure from the date of this document until superceded.
Review Cycle: _____________________________ Review Date: _______________________
Reviewer: ________________________________ Date: _____________________________
Approved: ________________________________ Date: _____________________________
  Perry Moore  
  Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs  
 
Texas State University-San Marcos
Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs
Last Updated: January 25, 2006
Send comments and questions to: tg12@txstate.edu