[Minor revision–posted 12/7/23 (replaces 3/24/20 edition)]
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Operating Policy and Procedure

OP 36.06: Self-Supporting and In-State Off-Campus Credit Courses

DATE: December 7, 2023

PURPOSE: The purpose of this Operating Policy/Procedure (OP) is to ensure understanding and a standardized approach regarding self-supporting and off-campus courses taught in state, as required in Chapter 4, Subchapter Q of the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board Rules and Regulations - Approval of Off-Campus and Self-Supporting Courses and Programs for Public Institutions.

REVIEW: This OP will be reviewed every two years after publication by the Vice Provost for Texas Tech Online or designee with substantive revisions presented to the Provost and Senior Vice President (PSVP).

POLICY/PROCEDURE

The Vice Provost for Texas Tech Online or designee has been delegated the authority and responsibility for monitoring self-supporting (formerly extension) and off-campus courses, and Institutional Research is responsible for reporting for self-supporting and off-campus courses taught in state. Study Abroad courses are addressed in OP 34.20, Study Abroad Programs.

Policy

1.  Self-supporting and in-state off-campus courses must meet the same quality standards applicable to on-campus courses.

2.  Faculty teaching self-supporting and off-campus courses may be full-time, part-time, or adjunct; all faculty must be approved and appointed by the respective academic unit. (See OP 32.36, Certification of Faculty Qualifications, for definitions and procedures related to qualifications.)

3.  Grades must be recorded according to the Registrar’s Office normal deadline unless an exception has previously been approved by the Registrar.

4.  Efforts should be made to ensure against proliferating courses beyond the department’s ability to offer such courses. Faculty course load should be considered.

5.  Existing on-campus certificates, endorsements, and programs proposed for delivery in self-supporting or off-campus formats must be approved by the Online Learning Council, Graduate Council (for graduate programs), and Academic Council prior to their review and approval by the PSVP. The proposal for delivery of self-supporting and off-campus programs must include documentation of compliance with all of the pertinent Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB) rules and regulations (see OP 36.04, New and Changes to Existing Academic Courses, Programs, and Units, for proposal guidelines).

6.  The Vice Provost for Texas Tech Online or designee will perform all required area institution and Education THECB notifications and, working with the Office of the Provost, will ensure that all appropriate THECB and SACSCOC approvals have been obtained.

Procedures

1.  In-State, Off-Campus Courses

a.    Departments intending to offer in-state, lower-division, off-campus courses at any time in the upcoming academic year should notify the Vice Provost for Texas Tech Online or designee by mid-January of each year. College deans or designees should submit the course number, the course name (as on file with the THECB), the section number, and the physical address of the proposed delivery site, including the city and zip code. The Vice Provost for Texas Tech Online or designee will present the courses for approval to the respective Higher Education Regional Council and prepare the Texas Tech Distance and Off-Campus Instructional Plan for the upcoming academic year.

Non-state-funded credit courses offered out of state or in foreign countries shall not be included in the distance and off-campus instructional plan.

b.    Departments intending to offer in-state, upper-division, off-campus master’s or doctoral level courses at any time during the upcoming academic year should notify the Vice Provost for Texas Tech Online or designee by mid-January of each year. The Vice Provost for Texas Tech Online or designee should be provided with the course number, the course name (as on file with THECB), the section number, and the physical address of the proposed delivery site, including the city and zip code.

c.    In the event that a previously scheduled off-campus course must be canceled, the instructor should notify the respective academic department head as well as the director of the respective site. The cancellation should be reflected in the online course listing, and Course and Section Inventory should be notified.

d.    Courses may be proposed by submission of Attachment A, In-State Off-Campus Credit Course Information and Approval Form, as specified on the form. (See also OP 36.07, Authorization for Small Classes.)

e.    If course fees are to be assessed on a course, the application for new courses should include a course fee request form so that the appropriate fee structure may be assigned to the course at the same time the course is entered into the inventory. (See also OP 30.29, Approval of and Changes to Incidental Fees.)

2.  Self-Supporting Courses and Programs

a.    Definition: Self-Supporting Courses and Programs: “Academic credit courses and programs whose semester credit hours are not submitted for formula funding” (Chapter 4, Subchapter Q, section 4.272 (27), THECB).

b.    Although several units of the university provide self-supporting courses and programs, the official unit designated to coordinate self-support activity is the Office of the Provost. Institutional Research is responsible for issuing required reports for these courses and programs.

c.    All courses, certificates, endorsements, and degree programs proposed for delivery in self-supporting format must have been approved in accordance with OP 36.01, Adding, Changing, and Deleting Courses and Changing Method of Delivery, and OP 36.04, New and Changes to Existing Academic Courses, Programs, and Units, and have a section or sections that are offered on-campus periodically.

d.    Approved courses may be proposed as self-supporting courses by submission of Attachment B, Self-Supporting Course Information and Approval Form, as specified on the form.

e.    Admission: “Institutions shall require that students (except for students in out-of-country programs) enrolled in an off-campus or self-supporting degree program satisfy the same requirements for admission to the institution and the program as required of regular on-campus students. Students in degree programs to be offered collaboratively shall meet the admission standards of their home institution. Out-of-country students shall meet equivalent standards for admission into programs” (Chapter 4, Subchapter Q, section 4.275 (6), THECB).

f.    Limitation: “Institutions shall not jeopardize or diminish the status of formula-funded on-campus courses and programs in order to offer self-supporting courses. Self-supporting courses shall not be a substitute for offering a sufficient number of formula-funded on-campus courses” (Chapter 4, Subchapter Q, section 4.279 (e), THECB).

g.    Fees: “For courses not submitted for formula funding, institutions shall charge fees that are equal to or greater than Texas resident tuition and applicable fees, and that are sufficient to cover the total cost of instruction and overhead, including administrative costs, benefits, computers and equipment, and other related costs. Institutions shall report fees received for self-supporting and out-of-state/country courses in accordance with general institutional accounting practices” (Chapter 4, Subchapter Q, section 4.279 (f), THECB).

 

Attachment A: In-State Off-Campus Credit Course Information and Approval Form

Attachment B: Self-Supporting Course Information and Approval Form

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