Academic & Student Services

Academic Program Planning & Review

SUBMITTING REQUESTS TO OFFER
EXISTING DEGREE PROGRAMS BY DISTANCE EDUCATION

Revised Instructions: July 2003
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In June, 2000, the University of Wisconsin Board of Regents (BOR) approved Standards for Academic and Student Support Services in Distance Education Credit Courses, Degree and Certificate Programs and Guidelines for Distance Education Credit Program Array and Approval. This document provides revised instructions to institutions seeking approval to offer an existing degree or certificate programs via distance-education technology within the BOR guidelines.

DEFINITION: A degree or certificate program is considered distance education when a substantial number of credit hours will be delivered through distance-education technology. For the purposes of this policy, distance education is defined as follows:

Distance education is a planned teaching/learning experience in which a substantial portion of the instruction occurs when teacher and students are separated by time and/or distance. In distance education courses and programs course materials may be delivered and interactions between student and teacher and among students may occur in an asynchronous or synchronous mode over a wide spectrum of existing and evolving media.

This definition will supersede any previous definitions. It encompasses many design permutations in which time and/or place barriers to participation are eliminated. Essentially, if an institution identifies a degree or certificate program as available by distance-education delivery methods, this process will apply.

APPROVAL PROCESS: The approval process consists of two parts, a one-time institution-level document and a program-specific document.

  1. The institution-level document will provide a description of how academic support services and access will be provided distance learners. This document will only be submitted once, prior to or simultaneous with the first request to convert a program to distance delivery. It will be kept on file in the Office of Academic and Student Services. Subsequent program requests will reference this document. Attachment A describes the information to be included.
  2. The program-specific document, as required by BOR policy, will be submitted to the Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs, requesting approval to offer an existing academic or certificate program using distance-education delivery methods. You may use either of the following options to request this approval: the UW System distance education program request format (Attachment B) or the NCA format plus addendum (Attachment C).

    Option 1: UWSA Distance Education Request Format, Attachment B, provides a framework for the request for approval. While you do not need to follow this format exactly, you do need to ensure that your proposal contains all the requested information. The request will be review by the distance education standing committee and a response provided in a timely manner. Regent approval is not required.

    Option 2: NCA Format Plus Addendum, The Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools (NCA) requires approval to extend accreditation when an affiliated institution initiates certain institutional changes, including offering degree programs through distance delivery methods.
    Policy 3.2(d)2 found on page 44 of the HLC Policy Book 2007
    see also HLC's
    Best Practices For Electronically Offered Degree and Certificate Programs (56K pdf)

Institutions may use the NCA-required Request for Institutional Change and supporting documentation for the UW System Distance Education approval process in lieu of the UWS Program Specific request format, with an addendum including the information described in Attachment C of these guidelines.

The NCA document requires that all necessary external approvals be identified and documentation confirming the approval be completed. Therefore, it will be necessary to obtain UWSA approval prior to submitting the Request for Intuitional Change to NCA.