{"id":12310,"date":"2014-05-28T13:13:40","date_gmt":"2014-05-28T13:13:40","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www2.tamus.org\/system\/system-offices\/acedemic-affairs\/approval-process\/distance-education\/"},"modified":"2026-03-30T14:42:55","modified_gmt":"2026-03-30T19:42:55","slug":"distance-education","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.tamus.edu\/academic\/academic-planning-and-policy\/changes-not-requiring-board-approval\/distance-education\/","title":{"rendered":"Distance Education"},"content":{"rendered":"<style>.wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading12310_8347fa-b3, .wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading12310_8347fa-b3[data-kb-block=\"kb-adv-heading12310_8347fa-b3\"]{padding-top:var(--global-kb-spacing-lg, 3rem);font-style:normal;}.wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading12310_8347fa-b3 mark.kt-highlight, .wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading12310_8347fa-b3[data-kb-block=\"kb-adv-heading12310_8347fa-b3\"] mark.kt-highlight{font-style:normal;color:#f76a0c;-webkit-box-decoration-break:clone;box-decoration-break:clone;padding-top:0px;padding-right:0px;padding-bottom:0px;padding-left:0px;}.wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading12310_8347fa-b3 img.kb-inline-image, .wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading12310_8347fa-b3[data-kb-block=\"kb-adv-heading12310_8347fa-b3\"] img.kb-inline-image{width:150px;vertical-align:baseline;}<\/style>\n<h1 class=\"kt-adv-heading12310_8347fa-b3 wp-block-kadence-advancedheading\" data-kb-block=\"kb-adv-heading12310_8347fa-b3\">Distance Education<\/h1>\n\n\n\n<p>The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB) provides information and guidance to public institutions of higher education regarding Distance Education, Higher Education Regional Councils, and Programs of Study. THECB rules define distance education as the \u201cformal educational process that occurs when students and instructors are in separate physical locations for the majority (more than 50 percent) of instruction.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The THECB rules recognize two categories of distance education courses:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>100-percent online course<\/strong>: a distance education course in which 100 percent of instructional activity takes place when the student(s) and instructor(s) are in separate physical locations. Requirements for on-campus or in-person orientation, testing, academic support services, internships\/fieldwork, or other non-instructional activities do not exclude a course from this category.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Hybrid course<\/strong>: a distance education course in which more than 50 percent but less than 100 percent of instructional activity takes place when the student(s) and instructor(s) are in separate physical locations.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Modifications &amp; Requests<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Modality Changes or Additions<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Institutions should submit requests related to modality changes or additions for distance education, off-campus programs, and self-supporting programs using our Laserfiche Forms process.&nbsp;&nbsp;Effective May 18, 2023, all requests for modality changes or additions are notification only, regardless of degree level.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To access Laserfiche Forms,&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/it-lf-ecmf.tamu.edu\/Forms\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">click here<\/a>&nbsp;or the button below.&nbsp; If you need assistance,&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.tamus.edu\/academic\/academic-planning-and-policy\/laserfiche-help\/\">click here<\/a>&nbsp;to visit our Laserfiche Help webpage.<\/p>\n\n\n<style>.wp-block-kadence-advancedbtn.kb-btns12310_bb8a3b-07{gap:var(--global-kb-gap-xs, 0.5rem );justify-content:flex-start;align-items:center;}.kt-btns12310_bb8a3b-07 .kt-button{font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;}.kt-btns12310_bb8a3b-07 .kt-btn-wrap-0{margin-right:5px;}.wp-block-kadence-advancedbtn.kt-btns12310_bb8a3b-07 .kt-btn-wrap-0 .kt-button{color:#555555;border-color:#555555;}.wp-block-kadence-advancedbtn.kt-btns12310_bb8a3b-07 .kt-btn-wrap-0 .kt-button:hover, .wp-block-kadence-advancedbtn.kt-btns12310_bb8a3b-07 .kt-btn-wrap-0 .kt-button:focus{color:#ffffff;border-color:#444444;}.wp-block-kadence-advancedbtn.kt-btns12310_bb8a3b-07 .kt-btn-wrap-0 .kt-button::before{display:none;}.wp-block-kadence-advancedbtn.kt-btns12310_bb8a3b-07 .kt-btn-wrap-0 .kt-button:hover, .wp-block-kadence-advancedbtn.kt-btns12310_bb8a3b-07 .kt-btn-wrap-0 .kt-button:focus{background:#444444;}<\/style>\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-advancedbtn kb-buttons-wrap kb-btns12310_bb8a3b-07\"><style>ul.menu .wp-block-kadence-advancedbtn .kb-btn12310_9fc36d-ee.kb-button{width:initial;}<\/style><a class=\"kb-button kt-button button kb-btn12310_9fc36d-ee kt-btn-size-standard kt-btn-width-type-auto kb-btn-global-fill  kt-btn-has-text-true kt-btn-has-svg-false  wp-block-kadence-singlebtn\" href=\"https:\/\/it-lf-ecmf.tamu.edu\/Forms\/Notification-Form\"><span class=\"kt-btn-inner-text\">Click Here to Submit Your Request<\/span><\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">New Distance Education Programs<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>For new distance education programs, if the institution has an approved Institutional Plan for Distance Education on file, the <a href=\"https:\/\/app.smartsheet.com\/b\/form\/6b09b34ef8a54f02af88250ff02e7f12\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Certification Form for Electronically Delivered and Off-Campus Education Programs<\/a> should be submitted for the new program.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Additional Resources<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">THECB Distance Education Webpages<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.highered.texas.gov\/new-program-development\/distance-education-resources\/\">Distance Education Resources<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/apps.highered.texas.gov\/program-inventory\/?view=DESearchForm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Distance Education Program Search<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Forms &amp; Resources<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/app.smartsheet.com\/b\/form\/6b09b34ef8a54f02af88250ff02e7f12\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Certification Form for Electronically Delivered and Off-Campus Education Programs<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/reportcenter.highered.texas.gov\/agency-publication\/miscellaneous\/principles-of-good-practice-approved-oct-2023\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Principles of Good Practice for Distance Education (approved October 2023)<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/view.officeapps.live.com\/op\/view.aspx?src=https%3A%2F%2Freportcenter.highered.texas.gov%2Fagency-publication%2Fmiscellaneous%2Fprinciples-of-good-practice-mapping-table%2F&amp;wdOrigin=BROWSELINK\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">PGP Mapping Table (revised November 10, 2023)<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/app.smartsheet.com\/b\/form\/6b09b34ef8a54f02af88250ff02e7f12\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Institutional Plan for Distance Education Submission Form<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/view.officeapps.live.com\/op\/view.aspx?src=https%3A%2F%2Freportcenter.highered.texas.gov%2Fagency-publication%2Fmiscellaneous%2Fipde-worksheet%2F&amp;wdOrigin=BROWSELINK\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Institutional Plan for Distance Education Worksheet<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/reportcenter.highered.texas.gov\/agency-publication\/miscellaneous\/ipde-process-workflow\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Institutional Plan for Distance Education Process Workflow<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">THECB Rules<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board rules governing the offering of distance, off-campus, and self-sustaining education:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/texas-sos.appianportalsgov.com\/rules-and-meetings?chapter=2&amp;interface=VIEW_TAC&amp;part=1&amp;subchapter=J&amp;title=19#\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Chapter 2, Subchapter J (rules governing approval of distance education for public institutions)<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/texas-sos.appianportalsgov.com\/rules-and-meetings?chapter=4&amp;interface=VIEW_TAC&amp;part=1&amp;title=19#\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Chapter 4, Subchapter Q (rules governing off-campus face-to-face, out-of-country, out-of-state)<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/texas-sos.appianportalsgov.com\/rules-and-meetings?chapter=7&amp;interface=VIEW_TAC&amp;part=1&amp;title=19#\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Chapter 7 (rules governing degree-granting colleges and universities other than Texas public institutions)<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:100px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Distance Education The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB) provides information and guidance to public institutions of higher education regarding Distance Education, Higher Education Regional Councils, and Programs of Study. THECB rules define distance education as the \u201cformal educational process that occurs when students and instructors are in separate physical locations for the majority (more&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":0,"parent":38847,"menu_order":5,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","template":"","meta":{"_eb_attr":"","_kad_blocks_custom_css":"","_kad_blocks_head_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_body_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_footer_custom_js":"","_kadence_starter_templates_imported_post":false,"_kad_post_transparent":"","_kad_post_title":"hide","_kad_post_layout":"","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"_kad_post_classname":"","footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-12310","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"taxonomy_info":[],"featured_image_src_large":false,"author_info":{"display_name":"tamus","author_link":"https:\/\/www.tamus.edu\/academic\/author\/webmaster\/"},"comment_info":0,"pbg_featured_image_src":{"full":false,"thumbnail":false,"medium":false,"medium_large":false,"large":false,"1536x1536":false,"2048x2048":false,"gform-image-choice-sm":false,"gform-image-choice-md":false,"gform-image-choice-lg":false},"pbg_author_info":{"display_name":"tamus","author_link":"https:\/\/www.tamus.edu\/academic\/author\/webmaster\/","author_img":false},"pbg_comment_info":" No Comments","pbg_excerpt":"Distance Education The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB) provides information and guidance to public institutions of higher education regarding Distance Education, Higher Education Regional Councils, and Programs of Study. THECB rules define distance education as the \u201cformal educational process that occurs when students and instructors are in separate physical locations for the majority (more...","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tamus.edu\/academic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/12310","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tamus.edu\/academic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tamus.edu\/academic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tamus.edu\/academic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tamus.edu\/academic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12310"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.tamus.edu\/academic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/12310\/revisions"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tamus.edu\/academic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/38847"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tamus.edu\/academic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12310"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}