4250 - Continuing Education and Correspondence Study
Owner:
- Position: ISI Program Manager
- Email: indepst@uidaho.edu
Last updated: January 01, 2006
A. Continuing-Education Policy. The regents have adopted the following statement: "Higher education in Idaho is committed, as part of its responsibility to the people of the state, to serving the needs of part-time students and adults requiring continuing education. Societal change, technological advances, and certification and licensing requirements are but a few of the reasons why all institutions are committed to providing opportunities for citizens to continue their education regardless of location, age, and job responsibilities."
B. Administration of Continuing-Education Activities. Continuing education is an integral part of UI's total commitment, and all continuing education activities must be consistent with UI's official mission and role. The provost is responsible for the coordination of all continuing-education programs and activities.
B-1. Credit-generating continuing-education courses, either on- or off-campus, are part of the programs of the colleges and departments responsible for resident instruction in the subject areas involved and are administered by the respective academic units. In particular, they coordinate registration for such courses with the registrar, so that the student FTEs generated are included in the department and college FTEs. Instructors who are not members of the resident faculty must have scholarly and professional qualifications equivalent to those required of regular faculty members.
B-2. Participation by resident faculty in continuing-education activities should be considered in salary, promotion, and tenure evaluations, and recognition should be given to these instructional and service activities at the time of such evaluations.
B-3. The granting of credit must be consistent throughout the institution. A semester credit is expected to require a total of three hours (50 minutes each) of scholarly activity a week (see regulation D-1 in the catalog). Therefore, the standard of at least 45 hours of such activity (normally, 15 contact hours and 30 hours of additional work) for each credit must be maintained. For workshops and similar short courses, one semester credit is granted for each week of full-time (i.e., 45 hours) scholarly activity required. When such a class is to be in session for less than a full calendar week for each credit, the course outline must specify the way in which the student will be expected to engage in the required amount of scholarly activity. These special arrangements must be approved in each instance by the University Curriculum Committee (and, for graduate courses, by the Graduate Council), included in promotional materials, and explained to the student before registration.
B-4. Noncredit postsecondary-level courses and programs may be offered for "continuing-education units" (CEUs) as defined in regulation D-5 in the General Catalog. Arrangements must be made with the academic department before CEUs may be offered. The Continuing Education Unit (CEU) was designed to award credit for short programs of education. The CEU is often considered by professional organizations as an indicator that the participating professional is pursuing continuing education within their chosen discipline. Although CEUs and university academic credit may be offered for the same learning event no participant can be awarded both CEUs and university academic credit. A separate syllabus is required for each type of offering clearly outlining requirements for completing the course. The differences between the CEU and academic credit hour are indicated below. (rev. 1/06)
| Academic Semester Credits from UI | Continuing Education Units (CEU) |
| Characteristics: | Characteristics: |
| Accomplish credit requirements | Units record hours of attendance in a conference, short course or seminar |
| 1 classroom hour per week for each semester credit (see General Catalog Regulation D) | 10 contact hours required per unit |
| Academic work/evaluation required | Academic work or evaluation not required |
| Academic grade and credit are earned | No academic grade or credit earned |
| Grade recorded on University transcript | Units are recorded by the UI on the CEU transcript with grade of S (Satisfactory) [some courses may also provide a certificate of completion] |
| Course approval requires prior University Curriculum Committee approval | Course approval requires prior departmental approval |
B-5. Provision must be made for laboratory and other required facilities, and, if necessary, special arrangements for adequate library support must be made. Courses requiring resources not generally available to the off-campus student should not be offered off campus.
C. Conferences and Enrichment Program. The responsibilities of this office include:
C-1. Conferences and Workshops. Providing services requested by colleges and departments offering conferences and workshops, such as advertising, publication, brochures, registration and fee collection, hosting, transportation, and coordination of all other conference activities (room arrangements, food service, audiovisual assistance, etc.).
C-2. Noncredit Community Enrichment Courses. Offering a full range of community enrichment courses throughout the year; defining the need for programs and courses, and arranging for scheduling, location, registration and fee collection, instructional appointments, advertising, and promotion.
D. Correspondence Study. College-level correspondence study in Idaho is administered by UI in cooperation with ISU, BSU, and LCSC. Courses offered for credit from a particular institution are written and graded by faculty members of that institution. No correspondence-study course may be offered for college credit unless it is approved for listing in the institution's catalog, thus signifying both institutional and board approval. Different procedures apply to high-school-level courses; these are prepared and approved through the Independent Study Office at UI.
E. Procedures for Correspondence-Study Offerings. Discussion with the coordinator of correspondence study concerning the desirability of offering a particular correspondence course is the first step in the preparation of such a course. If it is decided to offer the course, written approval must be secured from the appropriate departmental administrator and dean and the correspondence-study coordinator. The writer, under a contract with the Independent Study Office, then prepares the course syllabus and study guide. The syllabus and related examinations must be approved by the departmental administrator, dean, and coordinator of correspondence study before final payment is made to the writer. The course then becomes the property of the State Board of Education. Persons grading correspondence-study lessons must also be approved by the departmental administrator. (For authorization of and compensation for this service, see 3420 F-1.)
Version History
Amended January 2006. Significantly amended section B-4, defining Continuing Education Units and corresponding matrix.
Adopted 1979.