Reporting Substantive Changes to the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) (G/P)

Purpose

The purpose of this document is to ensure Austin Community College (ACC) complies with its internal Administrative Rule 7.1100.01 Reporting Substantive Changes to the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC). These procedures expand on AR 7.1100.01 to provide a description of each type of substantive change, to identify the duties of responsible parties, and to provide general time-frames for submission of required documentation to SACSCOC.

Definitions

Substantive change is a significant modification or expansion of the nature and scope of an accredited institution including but not limited to:

• Any change in the established mission or objectives of the institution
• Any change in legal status, form of control, or ownership of the institution
• The addition of courses or programs that represent a significant departure, either in content or method of delivery, from those that were offered when the institution was last evaluated
• The addition of courses or programs of study at a degree or credential level different from that which is included in the institution’s current accreditation or reaffirmation
• A change from clock hours to credit hours
• A substantial increase in the number of clock or credit hours awarded for successful completion of a program
• The establishment of an additional location geographically apart from the main campus at which the institution offers at least 50% of an educational program.
• The establishment of a branch campus
• Closing a program, off-campus site, branch campus or institution
• Entering into a collaborative academic arrangement that includes only the initiation of a dual or joint academic program with another institution
• Acquiring another institution or a program or location of another institution
• Adding a permanent location at a site where the institution is conducting a teach-out program for a closed institution
• Entering into a contract by which an entity not eligible for Title IV funding offers 25% or more of one or more of the accredited institution’s programs

Procedures for Common Substantive Changes

New programs (degrees and certificates), Significant changes to the length of a program, Direct assessment Competency Based Educational (CBE) programs, Repackaging an existing program, Closing a program, Initiating degree completion programs.

1. Initiating department completes all required curriculum forms and includes all required documentation (forms and requirements are found in the Curriculum and Programs Committee manual).
2. Curriculum and Programs (C&P) packet is submitted for review and signature to Dean, VP of Instruction, and Provost, respectively.
3. Signed packet is forwarded to Instructional Support Services (ISS) and Office of Accreditation and Compliance no later than 7 days prior to C&P Committee meeting.
   Packet will not be included on the agenda if it is a) not received 7 days prior to scheduled meeting, b) incomplete, or c) missing signatures.
4. C&P Committee reviews and approves or rejects proposal. Accreditation Officers will inform committee during the meeting of the date of implementation based on SACSCOC required timelines.
5. Accreditation Liaison will oversee the submittal of notification or prospectus to SACSCOC to ensure that sufficient time is allowed to accommodate advanced notice and prior approval required by SACSCOC before the implementation.

Initiating Distance Education/Correspondence courses and programs by which students can earn at least 50% of a program’s credits through delivery in a format other than face to-face.

1. Initiating department completes all required curriculum forms and includes all required documentation (forms and requirements are found in the Curriculum and Programs Committee manual).
2. Curriculum and Programs (C&P) packet is submitted for review and signature to Dean, VP of Instruction, and Provost, respectively.
3. Signed packet is forwarded to Instructional Support Services and Office of Accreditation and Compliance no later than 7 days prior to C&P Committee Meeting. Packet will not be included on the agenda if it is a) not received 7 days prior to a scheduled meeting, b) incomplete, or c) missing signatures.
4. Curriculum and Programs Committee reviews and approves or rejects proposal.
   Accreditation Officers will inform committee during the meeting of the date of implementation based on SACSCOC required timelines.
5. Accreditation Liaison will oversee the submittal of request to SACSCOC to ensure that sufficient time is allowed to accommodate the six month advanced notice and prior approval required by SACSCOC before the implementation.

Initiating an off-campus site at which a student may earn 25%-49%, or 50%+ of credits toward a program.

1. If initiating department is instructional, the department chair will submit a New Location Request form for review by the C&P Committee (form can be found in C&P Committee manual). If the initiating department is Dual Credit or Early College High School, the request will be submitted directly to the Office of Accreditation and Compliance.
2. Office of Accreditation and Compliance completes impact analysis and informs initiating department of the percentage of any award resulting in the addition of new course(s).
3. If the course(s) results in 1%-25% of any award, Office of Accreditation and Compliance approves new location and informs both initiating department and Instructional Support Services Supervisor. ISS Supervisor will add course/location to the schedule for the upcoming semester.
4. If the new course impacts the location’s current percentage and results in the location offering 25%-49% or 50% or more of any award, Accreditation Officers will determine appropriate date of implementation based on SACSCOC timelines. Office of Accreditation and Compliance will ensure that all appropriate departments (including but not limited to initiating department, Instructional Support Services, Environmental Health and Safety Clery Act Compliance and Title IV Financial Aid) are notified of all location activity.
5. Accreditation Liaison will oversee the submittal of notification for a location projected to offer 25%-49% of any award, or a prospectus for a location projected to offer 50% or more of any award to ensure that sufficient time is allowed to accommodate the three month prior approval required by SACSCOC before the implementation.

Moving an approved off-campus instructional site within the same geographic area to serve essentially the same pool of students, closing an instructional site.

1. Initiating department informs Office of Accreditation and Compliance as soon as the decision is made to relocate the site and provides name of location, location code, current address and new address.
2. Accreditation Liaison will oversee the immediate submission of notification (to include a teach-out plan if required) to SACSCOC.
3. Office of Accreditation and Compliance will ensure that all appropriate departments (including but not limited to Environmental Health and Safety Clery Act Compliance and Title IV Financial Aid) are notified of all location activity.

Please contact the Office of Accreditation and Compliance for procedures and guidance in obtaining SACSCOC approval regarding the following substantive changes:

1. Initiating coursework, certificates, or programs of study at a different level than those previously approved by SACSCOC. **These types of substantive change require twelve months advanced note and prior approval required by SACSCOC prior to implementation.
2. Initiating a significant change in the established mission of the institution
3. Initiating joint or dual degrees with another institution not accredited by SACSCOC, Entering into a contract with an entity not certified to participate in USDOE Title IV programs if the entity provides 25% or more of an educational program offered by the accredited institution.
4. Initiating joint or dual degrees with another SACSCOC accredited institution, Entering into a contract with an entity not certified to participate in USDOE Title IV programs if the entity provides less than 25% of an educational program offered by the SACSCOC accredited institution.
5. Merger/Consolidation with another institution, Change of Ownership, Acquisitions, and Change of Governance, Control, Form, of Legal Status. **Reaffirmation cycle may be accelerated due to implementation of this substantive change.
6. Relocating a main or branch campus **As ACC currently has no main campus or branch campuses, the process for relocation of any site will reflect the steps represented in “Relocating an off-site teaching location.”
7. Initiating program/course delivered through contractual agreement or consortium. **This provision does not apply to articulation agreements with other institutions, clinical agreements, or internship agreements.

Glossary of Terms

Branch campus – a location of an institution that is geographically apart and independent of the main campus of the institution. A location is independent of the main campus if the location is permanent in nature offers courses in educational programs leading to a degree, certificate, or other recognized educational credential has its own faculty and administrative or supervisory organization and has its own budgetary and hiring authority.

Contractual Agreement – typically is one in which an institution enters an agreement for receipt of courses/programs or portions of courses or programs (i.e., clinical training internships, etc.) delivered by another institution or service provider.

Consortial Relationship – A consortial relationship typically is one in which two or more institutions share in the responsibility of developing and delivering courses and programs that meet mutually agreed upon standards of academic quality.

Correspondence education – a formal educational process under which the institution provides instructional materials, by mail or electronic transmission, including examinations on the materials, to students who are separated from the instructor. Interaction between the instructor and the student is limited, is not regular and substantive, and is primarily initiated by the student; courses are typically self-paced.

Degree completion program – a program typically designed for a non-traditional undergraduate population such as working adults who have completed some college-level course work, but have not achieved a baccalaureate degree. Students in such programs may transfer in credit from courses taken previously and may receive credit for experiential learning. Courses in degree completion programs are often offered in an accelerated format or meet during evening and weekend hours, or may be offered via distance learning technologies.

Direct Assessment Competency-Based Educational Programs – Federal regulations define a direct assessment competency-based educational program as an instructional program that, in lieu of credit hours or clock hours as a measure of student learning, uses direct assessment of

student learning relying solely on the attainment of defined competencies, or recognizes the direct assessment of student learning by others. The assessment must be consistent with the accreditation of the institution or program using the results of the assessment.

Distance education – a formal educational process in which the majority of the instruction (interaction between students and instructors and among students) in a course occurs when students and instructors are not in the same place. Instruction may be synchronous or asynchronous. A distance education course may use the internet; one-way and two-way transmissions through open broadcast, closed circuit, cable, microwave, broadband lines, fiber optics, satellite, or wireless communications devices; audio conferencing; or video cassettes,

DVD’s, and CD-ROMs if used as part of the distance learning course or program.

Dual degree – a separate program completion credentials, each of which bears only the name, seal, and signature of the institution awarding the degree to the student.

Educational program – a coherent course of study leading to the awarding of a credential (i.e., a degree, diploma or certificate). 

Impact Analysis – assessment of the pros and cons of pursuing a course of action in light of its possible consequences, or the extent and nature of change it may cause.

Joint degree – a single program completion credential bearing the names, seals, and signatures of each of the two or more institutions awarding the degree to the student.

Modified prospectus – a prospectus submitted in lieu of a full prospectus for certain designated substantive changes. When a modified prospectus is acceptable, the Commission specifies requested information from the institution.

Notification – a letter from an institution’s chief executive officer, or his/her designated representative, to SACSCOC President summarizing a proposed change, providing the intended implementation date, and listing the complete physical address if the change involves the initiation of an off-campus site or branch campus. The policy and procedures for reporting and review of institutional substantive change are outlined in the document “Substantive Change for

Accredited Institutions of the Commission on Colleges.”

Prospectus – a concisely worded narrative which describes the substantive change in detail. It includes an abstract; background information; an assessment of need and program planning/approval; a description of the change, faculty, library and learning resources, and student support services; a description of how the program will be evaluated and assessed; and documentation to support the narrative.

Significant departure – a program that is not closely related to previously approved programs at the institution or site or for the mode of delivery in question. To determine whether a new program is a “significant departure,” it is helpful to consider the following questions:

What previously approved programs does the institution offer that are closely related to the new program and how are they related?
Will significant additional equipment or facilities be needed?
Will significant additional financial resources be needed?
Will a significant number of new courses will be required?
Will a significant number of new faculty members will be required?
Will significant additional library/learning resources be needed?

Teach-out agreement – a written agreement between institutions that provides for the equitable treatment of students and a reasonable opportunity for students to complete their program of study if an institution, or an institutional location that provides 50% or more of at least one program offered, ceases to operate before all enrolled students have completed their program of study. This applies to the closure of an institution, a site, or a program. Such a teach-out agreement requires SACSCOC approval in advance of implementation.

Teach-out plan – a written plan developed by an institution that provides for the equitable treatment of students if an institution, or an institutional location that provides 50% or more of at least one program, ceases to operate before all students have completed their program of study, and may include, if required by the institution’s accrediting agency, a teach-out agreement between institutions. This applies to the closure of an institution, a site, or a program. Teach-out plans must be approved by SACSCOC in advance of implementation.

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