Credit-bearing Off-campus Instructional Activities, Administration of

These guidelines relate to the offering of extension courses and other special off-campus programs.

In an effort to promote more coordinated planning and assure quality offerings of extension courses and other special off-campus programs within the State University of New York, the following guidelines have been developed. These guidelines are not intended to restrict campuses from developing off-campus programs.

Rather, the guidelines are intended to encourage the development, improvement, and expansion of off-campus courses and programs, thereby continuing to provide the citizens of New York State greater access to quality public higher education.

Each campus will establish policies for off-campus instruction which are consistent with the following:

1. Campuses shall have a published rationale for offering off-campus credit activities which is consistent with their campus missions and capabilities.

2. An administrative office shall be identified to coordinate and supervise off-campus credit-bearing activities.

3. Campuses shall determine the community need for each planned off-campus credit-bearing activity.

4. Campuses shall provide appropriate facilities for instruction and access to library resources for off-campus credit-bearing activities.

5. Campuses shall provide academic advisement, financial aid information, counseling services and other support services for off-campus credit-bearing activities. Students shall be advised of the availability of such resources and services.

6. If part-time faculty are employed in teaching off-campus instructional activities, campuses shall develop procedures and criteria for the appointment of part-time faculty.

7. Campuses shall develop a review process for courses to be taught off-campus which is similar to that used for on-campus courses.

8. Faculty teaching off-campus shall be evaluated by a process similar to those for on-campus faculty.

9. Each campus shall develop an orientation procedure to acquaint part-time faculty with policies and procedures that govern their responsibilities.

10. Opportunities shall be provided for part-time faculty teaching in off-campus credit-bearing activities to interact with their full-time faculty colleagues, e.g., faculty meetings.

11. If a campus plans to offer an off-campus credit-bearing activity in a geographic region where another campus is located, the initiating campus shall inform the presidents of all other campuses within this geographic area of its proposed activity. This written notification shall take place even if the other campuses cannot offer this proposed off-campus activity. If the proposed off-campus activity is one that the other campus has the capacity to offer and would be willing to offer, the campus proposing the activity shall obtain the approval of its plans from the other campuses prior to scheduling the activity. If an agreement cannot be reached between two campuses about the offering of an off-campus activity, the conflict shall be submitted to the provost for final resolution.

12. Cooperative arrangements between and among campuses should be encouraged in an effort to provide educational services to residents of the state.

Off-campus credit-bearing instructional activity – credit-bearing courses and/or programs which are taught off-campus. It does not refer to field trips, internships, student teaching, cooperative education, international programs or the like, which are supervised by on-campus faculty for students enrolled primarily in on-campus programs.

The New York State Education Department Commissioner's Regulations, Sections 50.1 (q) (r) (s) (t) and 54.1-3, govern instruction offered at locations other than the principal center of an institution or on the campus of another degree-granting institution. If a complete program is to be conducted at an off-campus site, that site is to be designated a branch campus, which must be approved through a master plan amendment. A complete program offered by one institution but conducted on another institution's campus is referred to as an inter-institutional program and still requires a master plan amendment.

If no complete program is offered but more than 15 credit-bearing courses are conducted, or there are more than 350 credit-course registrations in an academic year, an off-campus location is regarded as an extension center and must be approved by the University and the New York State Education Department.

An extension site, an off-campus instructional location with a lower level of activity, does not require external approval. All courses offered for credit at an extension site or an extension center must be part of the registered curricula at the campus's principal center or branch campus, and current records for such off-campus activity must be maintained.

Actions for approval of extension centers should be initiated through the office of the provost following the form and procedures outlined in the New York State Education Department memorandum to chief executive officers number 80-16 of September 19, 1980. Actions for establishment of branch campuses should be discussed with the office of the provost.

There are no procedures relevant to this policy.

There are no forms relevant to this policy.

The New York State Education Department Commissioner's Regulations §§ 50.1 (q) (r) (s) (t) and 54.1- 3

Memorandum to presidents from the office of the provost, dated December 12, 1988.

Memorandum to chief executive officers from the office of the vice chancellor for academic programs, policy and planning, dated September 19, 1980.

There are no appendices relevant to this policy.