Policy for the Off-Campus/Online Delivery of Graduate Degree or Certificate Programs

Introduction

The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign has traditionally sought to extend its graduate-level instruction mission to include the continuing education needs of citizens throughout the State of Illinois. In particular, the Urbana campus has placed a high priority upon meeting the continuing education needs of professionals such as teachers, social workers, engineers, and farmers as they strive to improve their skills and broaden their perspectives related to their own professional practice. The national and international role of the campus may also create opportunities where it is appropriate to extend graduate-level instruction beyond Illinois.

The Graduate College seeks to expand and improve off-campus/online educational opportunities and to encourage greater participation by academic units in the lifelong education of nontraditional students, particularly as it relates to continuing professional education. Graduate College policy allows students to satisfy their graduate residence requirement either through courses meeting on the Urbana campus, online, or through courses that are offered by the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, but meet off-campus. All courses must be approved before they can be offered. See Developing Courses and Programs for the graduate course approval policy and procedure. Depending on the restrictions of the academic unit and student eligibility, degree candidates as well as persons seeking professional development opportunities may enroll in credit-bearing, extramural graduate-level courses. On-campus graduate students may only enroll in extramural courses with permission from the department offering the course. By carefully scheduling extramural courses, academic units are able to offer all of the courses required for a graduate degree online or in locations distant from the Urbana campus.

While Graduate College policy has expanded access to graduate education at Urbana-Champaign, it is also clear that high quality graduate programs involve much more than simply the accumulation of required courses. Graduate programs traditionally include an independent experience, whether it be professional or research, that challenges the student to examine a topic in detail and draw a unique conclusion. In addition, programs must also involve such elements as a capable and accessible faculty, motivated students, a strong curriculum, competent academic advisement, appropriate and accessible academic facilities, and skilled program administration. These are the 8 topics. Attention to these elements is particularly important in the case of off-campus/online graduate programs because the learners are often isolated from each other and from the rest of the campus community.

It is the statutory responsibility of the Graduate College to develop and maintain standards of graduate study for the Urbana campus. In this regard, the Graduate College has a particular responsibility to make clear its expectation regarding the design and conduct of off-campus/online graduate degree and certificate programs and to assist academic units to develop programs that meet these expectations. The following guidelines are intended to serve this responsibility.

Definition

Graduate degree and certificate programs delivered off-campus/online:

• are those in which more than one-half of the graduate hours required for the degree or certificate completion are offered either online, at off-campus sites or through real time or asynchronous technologies to students who are not physically in residence on the Urbana campus.
• must be approved by the department and academic college before being forwarded to the Graduate College Committee on Extended Education and External Degrees (CEEED),
• require approval by the CEEED and to be signed by the Dean of the Graduate College and approval will be communicated to the Executive Committee  as an information item,
• must be approved by the Office of International Programs and Studies, if they include an international component, and
• must be approved as off-campus programs by the Illinois Board of Higher Education

Off-Campus Graduate Degree Program Approval

Graduate degree programs must go through an extensive approval process to be offered on campus. This discussion pertains to the process of approving a certificate program or an existing graduate degree program for delivery off-campus/online.

During the 1977-79 academic school years, the Graduate College Committee on Extended Education and External Degrees (CEEED) conducted an evaluation of several off-campus graduate degree programs offered by the Urbana-Champaign campus. An important outcome of this evaluation was the identification of problems and opportunities that are unique to this type of graduate education and that need to be carefully considered in the process of off-campus program design and implementation. As a result of this evaluation, the Graduate College Executive Committee urged the Dean, with the advice and counsel of the CEEED, "to provide greater guidance and assistance to departments in their continuing education efforts." (See Executive Committee Minutes, September 19, 1979.)

It is the position of the Graduate College Dean and Executive Committee that the quality of off-campus/online graduate degree programs could be further enhanced if the Graduate College were to review the plans of academic units to offer such program prior to program implementation. The review process would allow the Graduate College, through its staff and committee resources, to share its experience and insight regarding graduate education in the process of program development. It would also allow the Graduate College to work collaboratively with academic units to further define and elaborate the program guidelines that are described below.

Items to be Addressed in Off-Campus Graduate Degree or Certificate Program Proposals

Proposals must provide details addressing each of the following topics. These responses are intended to validate the expectations of the Graduate College concerning the design and implementation of high quality off-campus/online graduate degree or certificate programs.

1. Program Identification
2. Describe the program by concentration (if applicable), major and degree.
3. List the program’s common name.
4. Program Purpose

   An academic unit proposing off-campus/online delivery of a degree or certificate program must clearly state the purposes it intends to serve and the goals that it hopes to achieve though such a program. In particular, how does the program contribute to the unit's teaching, research, and service missions?

    

5. Program Need

   The decision to offer an off-campus/online degree or certificate program must be based upon a thorough and systematic assessment of program need. This needs assessment should include attention to the following:

   • The nature and extent of student demand
   • The availability of similar programs in the same geographic area offered through other post-secondary institutions
   • Determination that the program will meet an educational need that is not currently being served
   • Determination that the off-campus/online program will not adversely affect the campus-based program.
   • Any site-based course not offered on the Urbana campus will require approval by the Illinois Board of Higher Education prior to enrolling any students.
      
6. Faculty

   Faculty members involved in an off-campus/online graduate degree or certificate program should ordinarily be members of the Urbana-Champaign faculty or in the case of multi-institutional programs, faculty at that institution. Exceptions to this rule, including the use of adjunct faculty, should be allowed only by reason of a person's ability to make a unique contribution to the program because he or she possesses professional skills, experiences, or perspectives that are not represented or not available within the academic unit's own gradate faculty.

    

7. Student Admission

   The quality of a graduate degree or certificate program is directly related to the quality of the students. A graduate program should therefore endeavor to select and admit applicants who show the greatest academic or leadership potential.

   Graduate College admission requirements are the same for off-campus students as they are for their on-campus counterparts. However, departments may require additional items of on campus, online and off-campus students differently if they desire in order to assess each of those groups for admission purposes. In the case of programs admitting international students, the Graduate and Professional Admissions unit should be consulted regarding appropriate admission polices and procedures for those applicants prior to promoting the program.

   Whatever the academic unit's admission criteria, they must be well defined and articulated before seeking approval for an off-campus/online degree program.

    

8. Curriculum

   The requirements for the degree must be the same as the approved on-campus program.

   Academic units proposing an off-campus degree or certificate program should include a list of courses that may be offered off-campus as part of that program. In most cases, the off-campus program will not provide the same variety of courses available to students enrolled in the similar program on-campus. Nevertheless, the off-campus setting provides several unique opportunities that can be addressed in curriculum design. For example, off-campus/online degree programs can be designed to build upon the extensive professional experience of the students, thereby developing a strong link between theory and professional practice.

    

9. Advising

   Academic advising is a fundamental dimension of any graduate degree program. Students enrolled in off-campus/online programs must be assigned an advisor at the time of admission and must be provided with the regular opportunity to communicate with their advisors to discuss not only choice of course enrollment and satisfaction of degree requirements, but other intellectual and professional concerns as well. A method must exist to assist students with particular academic or professional interests to be linked with faculty members with similar interests. This opportunity is essential for both on-campus and off-campus/online students. Provisions must also be made for the continuous monitoring of student progress and the maintenance of appropriate academic records for that purpose.

    

10. Academic Support

    Off-campus/online graduate study requires the availability of adequate academic support. Classrooms should be convenient to the student and conducive to the instructional approach being utilized. Laboratories should also be well equipped and up to the standards required for graduate study. While the specific requirements will differ by field of study, it is imperative that off-campus degree programs be supported by the necessary physical facilities and resources.
     
    Instructional resources such as overhead projectors, and screens, distance education equipment and resources should be available when needed for site-based as well as online programs. Library resources should contain the necessary books and periodicals and be accessible at times convenient for nontraditional students. Access to needed computer hardware, software and technical assistance should be assured. Good advanced planning is required to insure that this support is available.

     

11. Program Administration

    The program must be under the direct and continuous supervision of the academic unit(s) sponsoring the program. The responsibility for the administration of an off- campus degree program must be assigned to a single faculty member within the academic unit that is offering the program. The academic unit's program administrator should work cooperatively with the Division of Academic Outreach and other involved administrative and academic units to insure that the following issues are adequately addressed:

    By upholding these guidelines, the Graduate College hopes to be an active and involved partner in the design and implementation of off-campus graduate degree programs. By working collaboratively with colleges and academic units, the Graduate College hopes to assist in addressing both the unique problems and opportunities associated with off-campus graduate education.

    • That the academic unit insures, prior to enrollment, that students are fully and accurately informed about the purpose of the program, objectives, admission requirements, program requirements, degree awarded, cost, academic and financial policies, timelines, and the services to be provided or not provided.
    • That adequate communication channels exist between students and faculty, between students and the academic unit.
    • That courses will be scheduled far enough in advance to assure that students have adequate time to plan their schedules.
    • That steps will be taken to insure that the faculty understands the purpose of the program, the characteristics of the students, and the nature of the off-campus teaching/learning setting.
    • That if non-Urbana-Champaign faculty is utilized, the academic units have a mechanism to insure consistency in course content and academic standards.
    • That program planning involves those academic units who may necessarily have to contribute to the program. (For example: Educational Policy Studies and Educational Psychology in the College of Education degrees, because their foundation courses are required.)
    • That the funding is adequate to insure a quality program. That in the case of out-of-state programs, State funds will not be used to support the program.
    • That all necessary approvals from governmental bodies will be obtained prior to offering the program.
    • That if professional accreditation is needed for entry into the field, as specified in the objectives of the program, this need has been addressed.
    • That in the case of discontinuation of the program, all obligations to current students be fulfilled, including the opportunity to fulfill their degree requirements within the regular mode of offering.
    • That criteria exist for evaluation of the program by the academic unit. That faculty will be evaluated consistent with the procedures of the academic unit and campus. Departments are encouraged to require evaluation of all their off-campus offerings.
    • That in the case of contractual programs, the arrangement is consistent with State of Illinois guidelines for contract credit programs and the contract specifies that the University controls the program, consistent with its academic polices, requirements, and procedures.
    • That in the case of international programs, the program is consistent with the "Principles of Good Practice in Overseas International Education Programs for Non-US Nationals" subscribed to by the regional accrediting associations.

       

12. Program Evaluation
    • In addition to assisting academic units in the development of off-campus graduate programs, the Graduate College will evaluate all off-campus graduate programs on a periodic basis. See Process and Procedures for Off-Campus and Online Program Review by the Graduate College Committee on Extended Education and External Degrees (CEEED).
       
13. Approvals
    Approval for all program proposals must be obtained from the unit, the disciplinary college and the Graduate College, through the CEEED, and is communicated by signatures on the Clearances sheet, which should be submitted with the proposal. Some proposals may need additional reviews. Consult the Levels of Governance (LOG) for more information.