Procedures and Guidelines for Distance Education Programs
| Distance Education Programs In order for a major, minor, or certificate program at Wright State University (WSU) to be officially designated and offered through distance delivery methods, including but not limited to electronically offered or on-line programs, it must first be reviewed and approved by the appropriate college or school curriculum committee, the college or school faculty if required by that unit, the University Undergraduate Curriculum and Academic Policy Committee (UCAPC), and the Faculty Senate. Major programs and certificate programs must then be approved by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools (NCA). If the program is being proposed as a new major program, approval must be obtained from the WSU Board of Trustees and the Ohio Board of Regents prior to submission to the NCA.. Distance education programs as defined herein are governed by the agreement of the regional accrediting associations: Distance
education
is defined, for the purposes of accreditation review, as a formal
educational process in which the majority of the instruction occurs
when student and instructor are not in the same place. Instruction may
be synchronous or asynchronous. Distance education may employ
correspondence study, or audio, video, or computer technologies.
The definition and additional guidelines adopted by regional accrediting associations of the Higher Learning Commission are available as follows: In proposing to offer distance education programs, departments and colleges or schools are to ensure that the expectations in the Guidelines for Distance Education are met. Procedures and Guidelines for Preparing Distance Education Program Proposals All distance education program proposals, whether they involve
the creation of new academic programs or involve an existing academic
program, must be
submitted to UCAPC for review and approval and subsequently by UCAPC to
the Faculty Senate based on the criteria established by the NCA's Seeking Approval of Proposed Changes:
Documentation to Support a Change Request and contained in the
following: Documentation for
Approval of Distance Learning Programs An original and nineteen copies of the Documentation are to be submitted
through the dean's
office of the department's college or school to UCAPC. At the same
time, the dean's office should
provide copies to all other deans of colleges and schools to be made
available
for additional review by curriculum committees, departments, and
faculty
and to the Office of the Provost, and other university offices as
deemed
necessary by the Office of the Provost and the Council of Deans. Once the program has received approval through the WSU
process and, when required, the WSU Board
of Trustees and the Ohio Board of Regents, the Office of the Provost
will submit the proposal for review
to the NCA.
Depending on the nature of the proposal, it may be necessary
to submit additional
documentation following WSU policies and procedures. When the distance education program being proposed is a new
major program, a new minor program, or a new certificate program, it is
required that, in addition to the above Documentation, the appropriate WSU
policies and procedures be followed for creating new programs: New
Major Programs New
Minor Programs
as website: Procedures and Guidelines for Preparing Minor Programs as PDF file: Procedures and Guidelines for Preparing Minor Programs New
Certificate Programs
as website: Procedures and Guidelines for Preparing Certificate Programs as PDF file: Procedures and Guidelines for Preparing Certificate Programs When the distance education program being proposed involves an existing WSU approved major, minor, or certificate program but also carries with it changes in that program including changes in admission, program and graduation requirements, or changes in the program of courses as would typically be listed in the undergraduate catalog, namely, the specific listing of course requirements and options and corresponding numbers of credit hours, it is required that, in addition to the above Documentation, the WSU policies and procedures be followed for changes in existing programs: as
website: Procedures
and Guidelines for Preparing Changes
in
Existing Programs
as PDF file: Procedures and Guidelines for Preparing Changes in Existing Programs
To assist institutions in implementing and maintaining
electronically offered programs, the eight regional accrediting
commissions have developed and published Best Practices For Electronically Offered
Degree and Certificate Programs. In developing, implementing,
maintaining, and assessing distance learning programs, departments and
colleges and schools should follow those practices available as follows:
Undergraduate Curriculum and
Academic Policy
Committee, January 18, 2005
Faculty Senate, March 7, 2005 |