MONTANA
BOARD OF REGENTS OF HIGHER EDUCATION
Policy and Procedures Manual
SUBJECT:
ACADEMIC AFFAIRS
Policy 304.1
- Credit programs
Effective November 18, 1999; Issued December 10, 1999
Board policy:
1. There shall be no distinction between extension and resident credit.
2. Continuing education credit courses shall meet the following criteria:
a. Faculty. Persons assigned to teach courses must have credentials equivalent to those required of faculty teaching the same or similar courses under regular instruction.
b. Facilities. Library or laboratory facilities must have been assessed and determined to be equivalent to those required for the same or similar courses offered under the regular instruction credit programs.
c. Educational resources. The appropriate educational resources have been assessed and determined to be equivalent to those required for the same or similar courses offered under regular instruction credit programs.
d. Eligibility of students. Students must meet the same admission and grade point standards and other academic requirements that are met by students taking the same or similar courses under regular instruction.
3. Direct costs for credit continuing education programs shall be self-supporting through collected fees or designated funds.
4. Indirect costs of credit continuing education programs shall be funded from collected fees or designated funds or in part through the current unrestricted operating funds of the unit.
5. Enrollment in continuing education credit programs shall not be counted and reported as part of each unit's regular enrollment, but shall be reported to the Commissioner of Higher Education under guidelines to be established by the Commissioner.
6. Units of the Montana University System shall maintain their present activities in continuing education and strengthen the cooperative effort among the six campuses, the colleges of technology, the community colleges and the private colleges.
7. Credit offerings for continuing education and extension courses must fall within the mission approved by the Board of Regents for each campus of the Montana University System.
8. Each campus shall establish procedures for the academic approval of continuing education credit offerings.
9. If a course is proposed to be offered in a community, the institution located closest to the community shall be notified so that it can respond to the course proposal assuming the course falls under the mission of the closest institution. If the institution is unable or unwilling to respond to the course proposed, the proposing institution may offer the course. The adjunct professors shall be supervised by the unit offering the course. The university units may include the private colleges, community colleges and colleges of technology in the administration of this policy.
10. No institution shall withhold approval unless it actually plans to offer an essentially equivalent course in the same semester and in a location reasonably accessible to the same clientele.
11. In determining whether another institution offers a course, the criterion shall be the general coverage of a field as described in the current catalog, rather than precise equivalence of course names.
12. Where possible, plans should be made to deliver structured educational programs rather than individual courses.
13. In courses in which veterans who are eligible for fee waivers are enrolled, the minimum class size may be increased by the number of such veterans.
Administrative procedures:
When any campus of the Montana University System receives a request for a course, workshop, program, etc., which is not within the assigned mission of that campus, the following procedures should be used.
I. The continuing education department receiving the request should:
A. Inform the person making the request that someone from the University System will contact them in the near future.
B. Contact the institution with the appropriate mission, which shall assume full responsibility for further follow-up of the request.
II. The continuing education department with the appropriate mission shall respond to the request for the continuing education activity by:
A. Determining the feasibility and/or appropriateness of the requested proposal.
B. Determining the method of delivery.
Contact with the person making the request may be necessary to obtain the information needed about the program. Regardless of the circumstances the person making the request should be contacted as soon as possible but no later than one week.
III. Activities which are multidisciplinary may be offered by an institution if the primary emphasis of the activity falls within the institution's role and scope. For example, the University of Montana could offer a workshop on "The Law and Nursing" provided the emphasis of the workshop is on law and not upon the practice of nursing.
A. An institution planning multidisciplinary activities should inform the other institutions with component programs. Joint sponsorship may be an advantage.
B. Approval by the other institution is not required provided the primary emphasis of the activity falls within the sponsoring institution’s mission.
Options for Delivery.
The institution with the mission designation determines one of the four delivery systems as follows:
A. The mission institution delivers the complete program.
B. There is equal division of responsibilities and equal division of finances by co‑sponsoring institutions. The institution with the mission designation will control the assignment of responsibilities; the other institution has the option of accepting or rejecting those terms.
C. The institution with the mission designation accepts major program responsibilities, but contracts with the institution receiving the request for some services. The services and fees may vary and are agreed upon in writing.
D. The mission institution permits the institution originally contacted to develop and provide the program. However, granting and recording the credit is the mission institution’s responsibility. Written permission is granted to the proposed sponsoring institution by the institution with the mission designation. Restrictions and terms should also be specified in writing at that time.
If the institution with the mission designation determines that the proposed program is not appropriate then no institution under the authority of the Regents will offer the program unless it is reviewed and approved by the Office of the Commissioner.
Definitions:
1. Direct costs are defined as the instructional costs associated with an individual course, such as instructor stipend, travel costs, rental of space for the course, and promotion of the course.
Cross-Reference:
Policy 220.1, Community College education centers
History:
Executive Council, November 1955 (Rescinded); Item 165-002, February 10, 1958 (Rescinded); Item 2-008-R0973, September 10, 1973 (Rescinded); Item 3-902-R0174, January 14, 1974 (Rescinded); Item 5-901-R0774, July 8, 1974 (Rescinded); Continuing Education Recommendations Approved by the Board of Regents, July 12, 1976 (Rescinded); Item 17-007-R0777, July 11, 1977, as revised April 11, 1978, and November 2, 1979, Board of Regents Minutes, December 12, 1978, Administrative regulations, March 27, 1984; as revised November 18, 1999 (Item 104-103-R0999)