FAQ Questions and Answers

Last week the Provost’s office issued “Policy Guidelines for the Implementation of A New Vision in Teacher Education” as Memorandum to Presidents, Vol. 03 No.2. This policy memo is addressed to campuses with teacher preparation programs, as they must report on the status of various requirements in June 2003. It should be noted, however, that the New Vision policy also contains broad strategies for the University as a System, for example, an urban public education agenda of which the SUNY Urban Teacher Education Center in New York City is a working model.

In several respects A New Vision goes beyond the State Education Department’s Regulations governing teacher education in New York State. It is our expectation that campuses offering teacher preparation programs will meet both the letter and the spirit of the New Vision as well as the regulatory requirements.

At least one faculty member teaching in each curriculum culminating in a bachelor’s degree shall hold an earned doctorate in an appropriate field…

The context of this requirement is important. This section is preceded by the following (emphasis added):

All members of the faculty shall have demonstrated by training, earned degrees, scholarship, experience, and by classroom performance or other evidence of teaching potential, their competence to offer the courses and discharge the other academic responsibilities. [§52.2(b)(1)]

To foster and maintain continuity and stability in academic programs and policies, there shall be in the institution a sufficient number of faculty members who serve full-time at the institution… [§52.2(b)(2)]

For each curriculum the institution shall designate a body of faculty who, with the academic officers of the institution, shall be responsible for setting curricular objectives, for determining the means by which achievement of objectives is measured, for evaluating the achievement of curricular objectives and for providing academic advice to students [52.2(b)(3)]

In other words, each new baccalaureate program should have a sufficient number of full-time qualified faculty to design and assess the curriculum and to advise students. This is inarguably the center of the review for approval by the State University and for registration by the State Education Department. It is the responsibility of the proposing campus to demonstrate how a new curriculum meets the spirit if not the letter of the minimum regulatory requirements and to present a rationale for an exception to the Regulations. The case for an alternative standard will be strengthened by including external validation, in particular the credentials of peer institution faculty in similar programs, and by the use of the external evaluation report required of all new baccalaureate degree programs in the University.

For Poultry Science Management you should document how the combined faculty – in the poultry science and in business/management – is qualified by training, earned degrees, and experience to offer the curriculum and that your external experts validate the argument.

Copies were mailed in April 2002 to campus presidents, academic officers, Faculty Senate and Faculty Council representatives and libraries. It is available on the University Faculty Senate website at www.ufs.suny.edu: click on Publications and download using Adobe Acrobat.

The Guide for the Evaluation of Undergraduate Academic Programs was mentioned in the September 16, 2002 Assessment Update as a suggested context for the assessment of student learning outcomes in the Major.

I had the privilege of working on the 2001 Guide with Faculty Senate and Faculty Council representatives. The committee endured my exhortations about continuous program review as terrific fodder for the documentation for new academic program proposals and revisions – the workaday world of this office.

The Student Data File and the Course and Section Analysis (CASA) are independent data collection processes for gathering System enrollment information and faculty workload, respectively. They are governed by the same set of policies and definitions in order that an instruction type or category (e.g., lecture, laboratory, tutorial) is defined consistently to allow the data collections to be linked.

For SDF/CASA reporting purposes there are nine instructional types to describe the primary mode of instruction for a course or section: lecture, seminar, recitation, laboratory or activity, tutorial, independent study, programmed instruction, supervised instruction, and distance learning. I am advised that a credit-bearing, self-paced mathematics course could be reported as independent study, programmed instruction or supervised instruction, depending on the particulars. Excerpts from OIR's definitions follow:

Independent study is "study where the student works with minimal faculty direction…a student receives advisement with respect to this type of study…independent study sections report no faculty member."

Programmed instruction "occurs through programmed materials and includes computer-assisted instruction, televised courses, and other instruction where materials is presented to students by preplanned automated procedures."

Supervised instruction includes any type of direct mentoring instruction that may occur in a variety of clinical settings.

If you wish further detail, please consult our colleague Gary Blose, Assistant Provost for Data & Analysis, in OIR at 518-443-5639 or at Gary.Blose@.suny.edu.

Question #2:
"In a recent accreditation visit, our credit/contact hour situation was a matter for comment and we have been requested to regularize it. We have been told our standard should be the Carnegie unit and we have been referred to a 1976 memo from SUNY regarding credit/contact hours, which does allow taking different disciplines into consideration. Are we bound by the 1976 memo? Are other campuses in the system? Why have we not been told about this earlier?"

The basis for the policy is the classical Carnegie definition of a semester credit hour. While there have been instructional modifications to the standard over time, such as varied academic calendars and instructional delivery methods, the policy stands.

KVA--Answer #2:
Let me refer you to relevant policies and regulations. The 1976 memo is the State University policy on Credit/Contact Hour Relationship mentioned above. While the policy memo does not state so explicitly, its foundation is the definition of the semester hour found in §50.1(o) of the Regulations of the Commissioner of Education: "…a credit granted for satisfactory completion of a course which requires at least 15 hours (of 50 minutes each) of instruction and at least 30 hours of supplementary assignments…" Exceptions may be granted by the Commissioner of Education; see §52.2(c)(4). Further, the financial aid Regulations, §145-2.1, define eligibility for awards and loans for full-time and part-time study based on the semester hour definition in §50.1(o). See the Regulations at http://www.highered.nysed.gov/ocue/rules.htm. They apply to all degree-granting higher education institutions in New York State.

We understand the campus' concern about being cited for apparent "irregularities" by an accrediting body. Whether it is program accreditation (e.g., AACSB, ABET, NASAD) or institutional accreditation, the matter lies at the heart of the college's academic responsibility and requires the best thinking of the faculty and the support of leadership. Your work on this issue may well lead to significant curricular revisions, on which process we would be happy to advise you and to simplify as best we can.

An easy way to learn the degree titles currently authorized for your campus is to check the first page of the hardcopy of Inventory of Registered Programs, which is probably available in the office of the academic vice president. (This information is not contained in the on-line version.) For example, one of the University's more comprehensive colleges is listed as being authorized for the following: NC Cert, NC Dipl, Cert, Dipl, BA, BS, BPS, BSNurs, BFA, MA, MS, MPS, MAT, MST, MSEd, MFA, MPA, MSW, Adv Cert, Adv Dipl. Some of these would be considered terminal degrees depending, of course, on the discipline.

Degree titles are authorized campus-by-campus by the State University Board of Trustees, subject to the approval of the Board of Regents. The process involves: an appropriate (and compelling) program proposal, approval by the Board of Trustees of the award for the program, review of the program by SED, approval by the Board of Regents of the award, and program registration. Degree authorization is the process for acquiring a new degree title. It is not the same as a master plan amendment or change in mission. For example, an MBA in accounting for the comprehensive college mentioned above would require degree authorization only provided the college had a registered baccalaureate or masters degree in accounting.

The first program for an institution at a new level of study would require a master plan amendment. A request for a PhD in education, for example, by the comprehensive college mentioned above would require a change in mission. This ambition would be sorted out in the Mission Review process or similar discussions and doubtless inter-campus collaboration would be encouraged.

The Regulations governing teacher aide, a position noted for its non-teaching duties, have not changed. There is no requirement to revise your teacher aide program.

In 2000, the Board of Regents changed the requirements for candidates applying to work as teaching assistants effective February 2004. All currently registered programs for teaching assistants will need to be revised to ensure success in applying for certification. All new program proposals for teaching assistant should be consistent with 80-5.6(b)(2)(ii). You will want to use the formal certification title, teaching assistant, for the program.

Proposals, either as revisions of existing programs or as new curricula, should show evidence of knowledge of the revised Regulations. (For example, does the teaching assistant certificate level proposed include the necessary collegiate study and/or indicate applicability toward a baccalaureate degree?) Program content will be consistent with the specific regulation and determined by the faculty in concert with the school district(s). Because of the requirements for experience and the time validity of the certificate, all proposals for a teaching assistant curriculum should demonstrate evidence of market demand and partnering with school districts to meet specific local needs.

Yes, we would entertain a proposal as a revision provided it is clearly market-driven and all of the above-mentioned documentation is included.

SED's Office of the Professions is notified by accrediting bodies, such as the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET), of upcoming visits, including programs/departments scheduled for review and the names of the visiting evaluators. If SED chose to accompany the team on a "combined" visit, it would notify the professional school and institution. SED might also elect to conduct a visit separate from the accreditation team. (Keep in mind that when SED accompanies an accreditation team or conducts a visit, it is acting in its role as the State's registration authority, not in its role as a federally recognized accreditation body. The resulting SED registration action is independent of the findings of the accrediting body.)

In recent years, given SED staff reductions, its site visits are few and seem to be prompted by program or professional school difficulties (e.g., low success rates on licensure exam, high attrition, high faculty turnover) or by initial programs in the health professions.

These comments apply principally to the SED's Office of the Professions where programs leading to licensure are reviewed. They now apply to SED's Office of College and University Evaluation for the accrediting body, National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE), as well as in general for our regional accreditation body, the Middle States Commission on Higher Education.

We are obligated to inform our SED colleagues on any conditions or issues stated in the registration letter (e.g., faculty vita, progress reports), on major changes, and on program elimination.

For more on teacher education transfer programs, see also the May 7, 2002, and the May 22, 2002 Ask Kate questions.

For your SUNY and SED colleagues who will review your proposal, remember there is a regulatory difference between the B.A. and the B.S. The information you provide-in graphic or narrative form-needs to assure that the minimum regulatory requirements for liberal arts and sciences are being met. See Section 3.50 "Registered Degrees" at http://www.highered.nysed.gov/ocue/rules.htm. Remember too that the amount of liberal arts and sciences is a fraction of the regulatory minimum total, that is, three-quarters (for the B.A.) or one-half (for the B.S.) of 120 credit hours. It is not, as many think, a fraction of the total for the particular curriculum which may well be greater than 120 credits.

Technical corrections are necessary when there is an oversight or mistake in the approval (by the college or by the University) and/or in the registration (by SED) of a program. Such technical corrections may involve a misspelling or erroneous title, a wrong award (e.g., A.S. rather than A.A.), or an errant or incorrect punctuation mark (e.g., a hyphen rather than the preferred colon). Yes, they are cosmetic but we want the programs to be registered correctly. We can handle a technical correction by letter or by email. This may result in the issuance of a corrected registration letter; it definitely will result in a correction on SED's Inventory of Registered Programs.

(Watch http://www.nysed.gov/heds/irpsl1.html for the change.)

A substantive change, of course, involves more than notification of an error or infelicity. Please use the outline in the March 19, 2001 Ask Kate for a program revision and/or change in title. Examples we would regard as substantive changes include: shift from an A.A.S. to an A.S., from a B.A. to a B.F.A., from "Hospitality Management" to "Hospitality Management & Technology & Tourism."

If you have any question about the nature of the change and how to handle it, email your reviewer here and we'll advise you directly.

Technical changes were also addressed in the October 9, 2001 Ask Kate. And see the June 4, 2001 Ask Kate for a review of the pertinent Regulations of the Commissioner and the reason why your programs need to be registered correctly.

Strictly speaking, a review of the Commissioner’s Regulations would prompt one to suggest the registration of all certificate programs. (See the April 9, 2001 Ask Kate for the pertinent Regulations and general discussion) However, we know that some campuses offer a sequence of courses to already matriculated students and recognize the achievement with a "certificate." We also know that campuses offer non-credit or CEU certificate programs.

I suggest the following guideline: for a coherent set of courses, designed by the faculty, consisting of credit courses applicable toward a registered degree program, and available only to matriculated students at the campus and not to the public at large, the course of study need not be separately registered. If, however, the sequence of courses is available to matriculated students and to citizens "off the street" (for which you will doubtless advertise — at least in your catalog), then the course of study needs approval by the University and registration by the State Education Department. The exception, of course, is a course of study that leads to licensure or certification in New York State, which will always require registration.

You will want to examine your certificates. If any are for credit and available to the public and/or you wish to advertise them, we should seek immediate registration.

The labeling of some credit course sequences as certificate programs is at the heart of the confusion here. Is there perhaps another term of art your faculty colleagues could devise?

Peter D. Salins
Office of the Provost
SUNY System Administration, S-401
State University Plaza
Albany, New York 12246

This ensures that your proposal will be entered on our internal database, acknowledged and referred to the individual reviewer in a timely manner. (The date the proposal is formally assigned to the reviewer places the proposal in the reviewer’s queue and starts the "clock" on our internal accountability process.)

There is an exception, however, which is noted in our guidelines and handbook: "It is not helpful to send materials directly to the reviewers unless specifically requested to do so." Quite often an additional piece of information is needed for our recommendation of approval and we may ask that the supplementary piece be e/mailed or faxed to us personally.

We ask that campuses not send proposals directly to the State Education Department. This invariably causes confusion and unnecessary delays between agencies when you would much rather have your Albany colleagues attending to the proposals in the queue.

Thank you, as always, for your cooperation.

Question:  We’re waiting on the "template" final product to develop a "Teacher Preparation" program leading to an AA. Can we use that title?

Answer: We don’t know at this date the title that the universal teacher education transfer will take or if in fact there might be several. It is doubtful, however, that we — or NYS — could support an associate degree by that name. A program title should fairly reflect its content. We believe the more accurate title will be "Liberal Arts and Sciences: Education."

Question: Our campus is in discussion with two senior colleges on a teacher education transfer program. They seem to be agreeing to our embedding seven of the SUNY-GER subject categories in the AA degree. If these campuses are OK with this, do we have to meet the requirements of ‘template’ outlined in your recent column and do all 10 SUNY-GER silos?

Answer: If you are developing an articulation agreement with specific institutions and they are satisfied with the liberal arts content, we would not require that you meet all 10 SUNY-GER subject categories. (Indeed, we do not approve articulation agreements between campuses.) If, however, you and the senior campus are seeking a jointly registered program and want to use "education" in the associate degree component of the title, we would require the full general education program including an extra semester’s work in Foreign Language.

Question:   Your last column confuses us. We’re in the final stage of developing a jointly registered program with our neighboring SUNY four-year campus. If we do this, will we be precluded from developing an associate degree in accordance with the template when completed?

Answer: No. We would encourage you to develop a joint program with your senior neighbor and to develop a generic template program when it is available. This would give your students choice: between continuing locally (and perhaps part-time) with a specific program and opting for the more universal free-market transfer program.

Question:   We have a jointly-registered childhood program registered by SED. Will we have to revise that program once the model template curriculum is made policy?

Answer: No. Your joint program is approved by the University and registered by the State Education Department, and stands.

Question:   Is it true that for a jointly registered program the baccalaureate degree can be listed in our catalog?

Answer: Of course. A jointly registered program is co-owned. Both campuses are free to market the registered program and to list the entire course of study — all eight semesters — in the catalog and promotional material of each institution.

Question:  We are prepared to develop an AA and AS in "Liberal Arts & Sciences: Education" including the 10 SUNY-GER categories and the extra semester of Foreign Language, as outlined in the last Ask Kate. Will we have to submit a Program Announcement and, if so, when should we do that?

Answer: At this time there has not been a decision as to whether a Program Announcement will be necessary. As you know, a Program Announcement is required for every new undergraduate program. It serves to provide information to and request information from other campuses in the System. In any case, to keep the System informed of new academic program developments we will continue to issue the monthly report that is periodically attached to this Update.

Question:   We know the ‘template’ is under discussion. Can you estimate when it will be available?

Answer: It is our expectation that the template will be finalized and issued as guidelines in time for two-year colleges to implement the model in Fall 2003.