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2.12.02: Off-Campus Instructional Site Policies and Guidelines

SUBJECT: External Instruction in the University System of Georgia: Policies and Procedures, October 2004
SOURCE: Board Policy Manual 303.03, 920

  1. Preamble/Historical Context
  2. Guiding Principles
  3. Procedures and Criteria for Offering External Instruction and for Establishing Off-Campus Instructional Locations
    • Nomenclature
      • Institution
      • Branch Campus
      • Off-Campus Center
      • Host Campus Consortium
      • Instructional Site
      • Contract Site
      • Additional Definitions
  4. Characteristics Associated with Each Location
    • Overview (Matrix)
    • Required Authorizations
    • Mission
    • Administration
    • Academic Program
    • Faculty
    • Academic Support
    • Student Services
    • Facilities
    • Budget
    • Local Community Investment
  5. Instructional Delivery Plan

Appendix A: Declaration of Intent to Offer a Degree Program Externally (PDF 81k)

Appendix B: Supplemental Guidelines for Preparing an Institutional Instructional Delivery Plan (PDF 156k)

Appendix C: Instructional Delivery Plan (template) (Word 360k)

Appendix D: Institution Instructional Delivery Plan Documents

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I. Preamble/Historical Context

The "Report of the Study Team on Off -Campus Instructional Sites" was submitted to the Board of Regents in October 1997. That report outlined guidelines to assist the Board of Regents in determining when and how to allow the establishment of off-campus sites for instructional coursework or programs. The report urged that a distinction should be made between situations where off-campus instruction is provided to meet primarily state needs and demand versus where it is provided primarily for the convenience of local communities and citizens. The report also urged that population growth (demographic demand), other existing instructional programs, as well as opportunities for collaboration among campuses and for distance education should be considered in such decisions. Finally, the report urged that community financial participation in helping to establish instructional sites should be expected and that balance between local and state support would depend on the nature of demand, whether primarily local community or state needs are to be met.

Since the issuance of that report, much has changed. The University System of Georgia confronts major challenges in accommodating the projected demand for higher education, with estimates ranging from 100,000 to 175,000 additional students enrolled by 2020. The state's workforce development needs for a global economy will require significantly greater numbers of college-educated personnel. Although the 1997 report contained many important guidelines to manage external instruction (many of which are incorporated in this document), the 2004 policy is directed less toward past concerns for regulatory management and more toward capacity building to meet the future needs and demands for higher education in Georgia.

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II. Guiding Principles

  • External degree programs and course offerings will be offered across the state to increase access and to extend educational opportunities to underserved areas.
  • External degree programs and course offerings will be established both on the basis of educational needs of the state, region, and local area, determined by analysis of data, and on the basis of requests from communities in locations with no University System institutions. Collaboration between and among University System units and, when relevant, DTAE and other educational institutions, will be encouraged.
  • Each institution wishing to offer external degree programs will develop and maintain an Instructional Delivery Plan (IDP) which provides a strategic outline of the institution's ambitions for external instruction, the facilities, staffing, and other financial investments necessary to attain those, and data that supports the need for and demand for its proposed programs. IDPs require approval from the Vice Chancellor for Academic Planning and Programs and should be regularly updated.
  • First-order considerations in establishing an external degree program are the quality of the degree, effective and efficient use of resources, and ability to offer a full array of courses permitting timely completion of degree requirements. Although distance learning technologies make geographical service areas less relevant, proximity remains a key second-order consideration favoring local institutions.
  • External degree programs and coursework must maintain the same academic quality standards as are maintained at the home institution, including curricular rigor. External degree programs and course offerings will be periodically assessed for quality and continued viability by the USG System Office.
  • In order to ensure quality and sustainability, all proposals for external degree programs will be required to have a sound fiscal plan, as well as a plan for the location/site of the program, including facility cost. No institution shall financially obligate the Board of Regents without its formal approval.

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III. Procedures and Criteria for Offering External Instruction and for Establishing Off-Campus Instructional Locations

Nomenclature

The University System of Georgia Board of Regents has adopted a series of definitional terms that carry specific expectations about the academic, administrative, student support, and facilities characteristics of instructional locations. Although the terms campus, center, consortium, and site can be used in a variety of ways in different contexts, all USG catalogs, brochures, advertisements, websites, signage, and other official publications and communications will employ these terms only as defined and authorized in this document. Designation as a campus, center, or consortium requires formal action by the Board of Regents.

  • University System Institution (Main Campus): This is an institution with a specific mission and degree authority granted by the Board of Regents. A University System institution will have autonomous administrative, budgetary, and programmatic authority, subject to Board of Regents policies. In addition, a University System institution is distinguished from all other sub-units of the System by its unique ability to comply with the requirements of the Criteria for Accreditation of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.
  • Branch Campus: This is a division or sub-unit of a USG institution. A Branch Campus is initially authorized to offer a specific set of degree programs and may subsequently offer additional degree programs (previously approved for the Main Campus) with administrative approval from the Senior Vice Chancellor for Academics and Fiscal Affairs. Normally, a Branch Campus will evolve from an Off-Campus Center and will be characterized by its greater complement of faculty, staff, administration, and student/faculty support services. A Branch Campus requires the presence of a lead executive or academic officer, and courses are taught primarily by tenured or tenure-track faculty.
  • Off-Campus Center: This denotes a Regents-authorized facility offering Board-approved undergraduate and/or graduate degree programs in their entirety. An Off-Campus Center is initially authorized to offer a specific set of degree programs and may subsequently offer additional degree programs with approval from the Board of Regents. A Center requires the presence of a lead executive or academic officer, and courses are taught at least partially by tenured or tenure-track faculty.
  • Host Campus Consortium: This denotes an agreement (Memorandum of Understanding) between two or more USG institutions to offer degree program(s) from one USG institution on the main campus of another USG, DTAE, or other educational institution. Most such agreements do not carry any formal site name. If institutions wish to establish a formal Consortium site designation for these offerings, they must obtain approval from the Board of Regents through its Committee on Academic Affairs.
  • Contract Site: USG institutions are periodically asked by an individual company, organization, or agency to provide specific degree or certificate training to that company's staff on company premises. So long as these agreements do not impose any facilities obligation upon the Board of Regents, only the appropriate approval of the academic program is required.
  • Instructional Site: This term describes an off-campus location where courses are offered, but not in sufficient number or structure to constitute a degree program. Instructional space is typically provided without charge by the local community. So long as these course offerings do not impose any facilities obligation upon the Board of Regents, only registration of the site in the USG Off-Campus Inventory is required.

Additional Definitions

  • Agent of Record: The USG institution with Board-granted authority and responsibility for providing administrative support to an off-campus site. The agent of record acts in consultation with and on behalf of the participating institutions in matters relating to administration, budget, coordination of academic programs, policy, and staff. Enrollments and credit hour reporting shall conform to stated policies in Section 2:12:03 of the Academic Affairs Handbook.
  • On-campus: Face-to-face instruction and interaction between instructor and student where both are located on the premises of the primary campus.
  • Off-campus: Face-to-face instruction and interaction between the instructor and the student in an environment that is external to the institution's primary campus.
  • Distance education: Instruction delivered at least 50% through one or more forms of distance technology, and in which the instructor of record and the student(s) are separated by time and/or geographic location.
  • On-campus center or institute: Institutions may create these internal entities in accordance with Section 2.15 of the Academic Affairs Handbook. They typically have an interdisciplinary or specialized research focus.
  • Overseas study center: A site beyond the borders of the United States where courses are offered to USG students. These centers are governed by Section 2.13 of the Academic Affairs Handbook.

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IV. Characteristics Associated with Each Location

The offering of external degree programs and coursework at the six instructional locations defined above carry differing and largely graduated expectations about the levels of approval, administration, faculty, support services, and local investment appropriate to each environment. The table on the following page provides a matrix of these characteristics for each location, as well as some additional narrative explanation to help identify and differentiate key factors. These provide a guiding framework for assessing the relative strengths and weaknesses of an external location and for determining its appropriate designation.

In order to request formal designation by the Board of Regents as a branch campus, off-campus center, or host campus consortium, an institution must submit a detailed explanation to the Chancellor documenting the location's compliance with the relevant characteristics and expectations associated with the requested designation.

Overview - OCI Definitions Matrix (PDF 44k)

Required Authorizations:

  • Approval by the Vice Chancellor for Academic Planning and Programs of an institution's Instructional Delivery Plan is a prerequisite for all external degree offerings.
  • All external degree programs require authorization from the Board of Regents, although this may be granted administratively by the Vice Chancellor for Academic Planning and Programs in the case of degrees to be offered at a Branch Campus.
  • Whenever external degree or course offerings involve the purchase or lease of facilities, approval by the Board of Regents is required.

Mission: All external offerings by an institution must be consistent with its mission. The establishment of a Branch Campus or Off-Campus Center requires a purpose statement that identifies the educational goals of that location. It must also demonstrate a clear intent to maintain a continuing presence at that location.

Administration: A Branch Campus or Off-Campus Center must have a lead executive officer or lead academic officer on site. It may have both. A Branch Campus should also have a lead financial officer on site.

Academic Program: A Branch Campus or Off-Campus Center must offer a curriculum leading to an undergraduate and/or graduate degree(s). Consortia and Contract Sites offer structured curricula for degrees and/or certificates. Instructional sites may only offer individual courses that are not designed to result in a degree.

Faculty: Instruction at Institutions and Branch Campuses should be provided primarily by tenured and tenure-track faculty. Instruction at Centers, Consortia, and Contract Sites should be provided at least partially by tenured and tenure-track faculty.

Academic Support: All locations except Contract Sites and Instructional Sites must provide access to all appropriate academic services, including library resources, academic advising, technology support, and PeachNet connectivity.

Student Services: All locations except Contract Sites and Instructional Sites must provide admissions, registration, and financial aid services. Both a Branch Campus and an Off-Campus Center are expected to provide counseling services and student life programs.

Facilities: A Branch Campus or Off-Campus Center must be owned or leased by the institution serving as Agent of Record. Maintenance, security, and safety services must be provided at these locations.

Budget: Only Institutions have annual budgets authorized by the Board of Regents. Budgets for Branch Campuses, Centers, Consortia, and Contract Sites are contained within the budgets of the sponsoring Institutions.

Local Community Investment: This can be demonstrated in a variety of ways (financial support, infrastructure improvements, etc.), but the investment of the local communities served by an off-campus location must be significant in the creation of a Branch Campus. There must be some demonstrable community investment in the creation of an Off-Campus Center.

All of the considerations listed above should be incorporated into an institution's Instructional Delivery Plan (IDP).

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V. Instructional Delivery Plans (IDP) for Externally Offered Academic Programs: Guidelines and Instructions

Academic programs offered on campus are supported by processes, services, and infrastructure which were developed for campus-based educational delivery. When programs are delivered externally, those processes may be inappropriate or insufficient in the new location or format. However, because academic and student support services are vital to the success of all academic programs, those delivered in non-traditional formats or locations must involve the same levels of academic and student support services as their traditional, on-campus counterparts.

All institutions that offer or intend to offer external degree programs must submit an Instructional Delivery Plan (IDP), reflecting the spirit and intent of the USG's Principles of Good Practice, and have it approved by the Vice Chancellor for Academic Planning and Programs. The IDP summarizes the processes and procedures the institution already has in place as well as those it will put in place to ensure that the quality of its off-campus and distance education offerings is comparable to its on-campus programs. Institutions that intend to offer only a selection of external courses not leading to a degree are encouraged, but not required, to develop an IDP that helps establish appropriate quality standards and curricular coherence for these offerings.

Upon approval of the IDP, institutions planning to offer external programs that are already approved for on-campus delivery may submit a Declaration of Intent in order to obtain approval from the Board of Regents. Institutions planning to offer external programs that they are not already approved to offer on campus must follow the New Academic Programs procedures in section 2.03.02.

All program approvals are subject to review at the time of submission according to any additional external program participation criteria such as those that might accompany System initiatives as well as related approvals for facilities. Approval of an institution IDP, while it does suggest conditions are favorable for programs identified in an institution's plan of action, does not guarantee approval of an external program.

Components of the Instructional Delivery Plan
Each institution's plan should utilize the following template to facilitate addressing all of the components identified below. Please download both the guidelines (PDF 152k) and the template (Word 360k). For additional help in understanding the various components, utilize the form in conjunction with the detailed information provided below. Every approved plan will include the following sections and content components:

  1. Anticipated Fields of External Instruction and Anticipated Locations/Methods of Delivery
    1. Describe the institution's strategic plan to offer external instruction for a period of at least the next three years. Identify the disciplines, degree levels, off-campus locations, distance education modalities, and resource investments that are envisioned. Describe how these programs are consistent with and advance the mission of the institution.
    2. Document the local, regional, and/or state needs that these programs will meet. Document the student demand for these programs.
    3. If the institution's plan for external instruction anticipates new facilities investments, identify projected location(s), size and scope of facilities needed, projected acquisition and operating costs, projected source(s) of financing, and other anticipated commitments that will be necessary to implement the plan. Provide additional information about the host community, including its current and projected population demographics, economic indicators, education base, and supporting infrastructure. Provide appropriate data and other evidence to establish the sustainability of the facility for the projected lifecycle of the investment.
    4. If the institution's plan for external instruction anticipates new technology investments, provide additional information about the projected lifespan of the technology, the projected value of the investment relative to its cost, and the anticipated improvement in student learning outcomes and academic performance indicators that will result from deployment of the technology.
    5. At least three months prior to the formal offering of a new external degree program, an institution must submit a "Declaration of Intent" (Appendix A) to the Vice Chancellor for Academic Fiscal Affairs.
  2. Curriculum and Instruction
    Explain how the institution will ensure that academic standards for all courses and programs offered at a distance or off-campus will maintain the same rigor as those for traditional courses and programs. Describe the processes the institution will employ to review the following:
    1. That the educational content, including student learning outcomes, is comparable by all academic standards to the same or equivalent courses and programs offered on-campus.
    2. The appropriateness of the technology being used to meet course or program objectives.
    3. The suitability, consistency, and comparability of instructional materials if acquired from other organizations or institutions.
  3. Faculty
    1. Describe how the institution will ensure appropriate training, professional development, and continuing fiscal and logistical support (e.g., travel to the off-campus locations, Internet access, technical support, etc.) for faculty who develop and teach distance education or off-campus courses.
    2. Describe what provisions will be implemented to ensure that faculty teaching these courses meet the same credentialing requirements as on-campus faculty. What combination of full-time, part-time, and adjunct faculty will be used for these external programs? How will they be included in policy, decision-making, and planning processes?
    3. Describe how faculty developing and teaching distance education or off-campus courses will be evaluated in regard to course evaluations, annual reviews, promotion and tenure reviews, etc.
  4. Student Support
    Describe how the institution will ensure parity among on-campus, off-campus, and distance education offerings in the following areas of student support:
    1. Library services
    2. Learning support and tutorial services
    3. Student advising
    4. Student counseling
    5. Disability services
    6. Career guidance
    7. Bookstore services
    8. Test proctoring and evaluation
    9. Technical support
    10. Curriculum, course, and degree requirements
    11. Course and program costs and payment policies
    12. The nature of faculty/student interaction (faculty-student conferences, office hours, etc.)
    13. Describe the point of contact and the methods of communication through which students and off-campus constituents will access accurate and timely information associated with off-campus and distance education instruction, including but not limited to:
      1. Course information, including prerequisite technology competencies and skills and equipment requirements
      2. Availability and means of access to academic/learning resources and student and auxiliary services (recruiting and admissions materials should clearly and accurately represent the program and services available.
  5. Administrative, Fiscal, and Operational Support
    1. Describe the administrative structure for planning and coordinating all distance education and off-campus programming across multiple departments. Relevant issues include avoiding duplication, promoting efficiency, facilitating collaboration, ensuring parity in academic and student support services, and linking budget processes to distance education and off-campus obligations.
    2. Describe how the institution's operational plan ensures that adequate equipment, software, and hardware infrastructure will be available to support both instructional delivery and the necessary levels of communication among students, faculty, staff, and administrators.
    3. Describe how the institution's budget ensures that all off-campus and distance education programs will be fully supported for a sufficient period of time for each student cohort to complete them.
  6. Other Considerations
    1. Describe how the institution plans to ensure compliance with copyright and intellectual property laws and with Board of Regents and institutional intellectual property policies, procedures, and guidelines.
    2. Describe institutional plans and procedures for secure transmission of sensitive data, including the need for encryption, passwords, and other electronic mechanisms for the secure transmission of sensitive data.
    3. Describe the process used by the institution to address the effect of distance education and off-campus offerings on current contracts, licenses, policies, procedures and practices, and summarize any renegotiation of agreements or modification of policies and practices, as appropriate.
    4. Summarize institutional measures to maintain the appropriate level of safety and security for students and faculty in classrooms, auxiliary spaces, and parking at off-campus sites.
  7. Evaluation and Assessment
    1. Describe the evaluation methods will be employed to assess student learning outcomes that take the special characteristics of external instruction into account.
    2. Describe how these data will be administered, collected, analyzed, and redistributed back to faculty and incorporated into future planning.
    3. Describe mechanisms for monitoring enrollment, particularly retention and participation levels.
    4. How often will programs be reviewed to assess and improve quality?

Plan Submittal and Availability

Completed Instructional Delivery Plans will be submitted to the USO Academic Affairs Division for review and approval no later than three months prior to the offering of the external programs. As changes are implemented in an institution's off-campus and distance education programs, revisions to the plan should be submitted so that the IDP on file reflects current information.

All approved Instructional Delivery Plans will be posted here in the Academic Affairs Handbook. These Plans will serve as a resource for all future review activities and as a reference for all inquiries about USG institutions' off-campus and distance education offerings. [ List of approved plans ]

In order to enhance communication strategies, it is recommended that the IDP be posted on the institution's website in its entirety and that elements of the IDP be worked into appropriate locations within the institution's website such as course home pages (syllabi), the bookstore, the Faculty Handbook, and all catalogues.

Appendix A: Declaration of Intent to Offer a Degree Program Externally (PDF 81k)

Appendix B: Supplemental Guidelines for Preparing an Institutional Instructional Delivery Plan (PDF 156k)

Appendix C: Instructional Delivery Plan (template) (Word 360k)

Appendix D: Institution Instructional Delivery Plan Documents

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Last Updated: 06/26/2007


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