Distance Education Resources

Distance Education

The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board provides information and guidance to public institutions of higher education regarding Distance Education, Higher Education Regional Councils, and Programs of Study.

Distance Education, Rules, Modification & Requests

Coordinating Board rules define distance education as “the formal educational process that occurs when students and instructors are not in the same physical setting for the majority (more than 50%) of instruction.” Distance education can include courses and programs offered online, off-campus face-to-face, and electronic-to-groups. Coordinating Board rules recognize two categories of distance education courses: fully distance education courses and hybrid/blended courses. A fully distance education course is defined as “a course which may have mandatory face-to-face sessions totaling no more than 15% of the instructional time. Examples of face-to-face sessions include orientation, laboratory, exam review, or an in-person test.” A hybrid/blended course is defined as “a course in which a majority (more than 50% but less than 85%) of the planned instruction occurs when the students and instructor(s) are not in the same place.”

Note: Revised definitions will went into effect on December 1, 2023.

Rules

Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board rules governing the offering of distance, off-campus, and self-sustaining education:

• Chapter 2, Subchapter J (rules governing approval of distance education for public institutions)
• Chapter 4, Subchapter Q (rules governing off-campus face-to-face, out-of-country, out-of-state)
• Chapter 7 (rules governing degree-granting colleges and universities other than Texas public institutions)

Modifications & Requests

Study Abroad and Study-in-America Courses

The Coordinating Board defines study abroad courses as “off-campus, academic credit instruction which is delivered outside the United States primarily to regular on-campus students.” Study-in-America courses are defined as “off-campus, academic credit instruction which is delivered outside Texas but in the United States primarily to regular on-campus students.” Institutions are required to certify that all courses meet the Coordinating Board’s Standards for Out-of-State and Out-of-Country Courses. Institutions certify compliance with those standards through an online reporting system. Links to the standards and the reporting system are below.

• Standards for New Out-of-State and Out-of-Country Courses
• Reporting Site for Out-of-Country and Out-of-State Programs

Off-Campus Educational Units

An Off-Campus Educational Unit is defined in Chapter 5, Subchapter D of Board rules as a subdivision under the management and control of an existing public university, university system, health-related institution, or a combination of these units, hereinafter referred to as the parent institution(s), in a geographic setting separate from the parent institution(s). Off-campus education units include teaching sites, higher education centers, university system centers, Multi-Institutional Teaching Centers, regional academic health centers, branch campuses, and all other off-campus educational endeavors.

Request Form for Establishing a Multi-Institution Teaching Center (MITC), Single Institution Center (SIC), or University System Center (USC)

Institutional Report Information

• Education Unit Designation Policy
• Education Unit Designation Table

Higher Education Regional Councils (HERCs)