Distance Education Format 

Proposal
For A Proposed or Registered Program
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When a new or existing program is designed for a distance education format, a campus Chief Executive Officer or
Chief Academic Officer should submit a signed cover letter and this completed form to the SUNY Provost at
[Link]@[Link]. According to Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE), the 50%
standard includes only courses offered in their entirety via distance education, not courses utilizing mixed
delivery methods. Also, MSCHE requires that the first two programs for which 50% or more is offered through
distance education be submitted for Commission review and prior approval of a substantive change.

 All campuses must complete Sections 1 - 3 and Part B: Program Specific Issues.
 Part A must be completed if the proposing campus has not previously submitted this form with a completed
Part A: Institution-wide Issues, or has made significant changes to its institution-wide distance education
operations since last completing Part A. This applies even if the institution has programs registered to be
delivered at a distance.

Section 1. General Information

Item Response (type in the requested information)
a) Institutional Institution Name and Address SED Institution Code
Information

NYS Department of Labor/Regents Region:

b) Program Program Title:
Information
Award(s) (e.g., MS, MAT):
SED Program Code (for
HEGIS Code:
existing program):
New York State certificate title(s) and level to which the program leads:
Certificate Title(s) Initial, Professional, Initial/Prof

c) Distance Name: Title:

Education
Contact Telephone: E-mail:
Person
e) Chief Name and title:
Executive or
Chief Email:
Academic
Officer Date:
Approval*
*Signature affirms that the proposal has met all applicable campus administrative and shared governance procedures for consultation, and
the institution’s commitment to support the proposed program.

Section 2: Expected Enrollment

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 Expected Enrollment When Program Begins Maximum by Year 3
Number of Students:

Section 3: Program Information

a) Term length (in weeks) for the distance program:

b) Is this the same as term length for classroom program? [ ] No [ ] Yes

c) How much "instructional time" is required per week per credit for a distance course in this program? (Do not
include time spent on activities that would be done outside "class time," such as research, writing assignments,
or chat rooms.) NOTE: See SUNY policy on credit/contact hours and SED guidance.

d) What proportion or percentage of the program will be available in Distance Education format?

e) What is the maximum number of students who would be enrolled in an online course section?

f) How will field experiences, internships, practica, or student teaching placements be arranged? How will these
experiences be supervised?

Part A: Institution-wide Issues: Submit Part A only for the first Distance Education program proposed by your
institution using this form or if there have been substantial changes. SUNY and the State Education Department
will keep this in a master file so that your institution will not need to resubmit it for each new proposed online
program, unless there are significant changes, such as a new platform.

I. Organizational Commitment

a) Describe your institution’s planning process for Distance Education, including how the need for distance
access was identified, the nature and size of the intended audiences, and the provisions for serving those
audiences, including how each student’s identity will be verified.

b) Describe your institution’s resources for distance learning programs and its student and technical support
services to ensure their effectiveness. What course management system does your institution use?

c) Describe how the institution trains faculty and supports them in developing and teaching online courses,
including the pedagogical and communication strategies to function effectively. Describe the qualifications of
those who train and/or assist faculty, or are otherwise responsible for online education.

d) If your institution uses courses or academic support services from another provider, describe the process used
(with faculty participation) to evaluate their quality, academic rigor, and suitability for the award of college
credit and a degree or certificate.

e) Does your institution have a clear policy on ownership of course materials developed for its distance
education courses? How is this policy shared with faculty and staff? NOTE: You may refer to SUNY’s
statement on copyright and faculty ownership of instructional content, and/or faculty contract provisions.

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II. Learner Support

a) Describe how your institution provides distance students with clear information on:
 Program completion requirements
 The nature of the learning experience
 Any specific student background, knowledge, or technical skills needed
 Expectations of student participation and learning
 The nature of interactions among faculty and students in the courses
 Any technical equipment or software required or recommended
b) Describe how your institution provides distance learners with adequate academic and administrative support,
including academic advisement, technical support, library and information services, and other student support
services normally available on campus. Do program materials clearly define how students can access these
support services?

c) Describe how administrative processes such as admissions and registration are made available to distance
students, and how program materials inform students how to access these services.

d) What orientation opportunities and resources are available for students of distance learning?
 
Part B: Program-Specific Issues: Submit Part B for each new request to add Distance Education Format to a
proposed or registered program.

III. Learning Design

a) How does your institution ensure that the same academic standards and requirements are applied to the
program on campus and through distance learning? If the curriculum in the Distance Education program
differs from that of the on-ground program, please identify the differences.

b) Are the courses that make up the distance learning program offered in a sequence or configuration that allows
timely completion of requirements?

c) Describe how your institution provides distance students with clear information on:
 Program completion requirements, including clinical placements
 Process for selecting clinical placement sites
 Program policies for clinical placements
 Testing requirements for certification
d) How do faculty and others ensure that the technological tools used in the program are appropriate for the
content and intended learning outcomes?

e) How does the program provide for appropriate and flexible interaction between faculty and students, and
among students?

f) How do faculty teaching online courses verify that the student who registers in a distance education course or
program is the same student who participates in and completes the course or program and receives the
academic credit?

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IV. Field Experience and Student Teaching: Teacher Preparation Programs

a) Field experiences, student teaching and practica must be consistent with the program's philosophy, purposes
and objectives and carefully selected and planned by program faculty, with learning outcomes specified and
their achievement regularly evaluated. How is this requirement met in a distance education format?

b) Field experiences, student teaching and practica must be accompanied by coursework or seminars and
supervised by one or more faculty who participate actively in the program and in program development,
and who have training and skills in supervision and the expertise to provide supervision related to
content and pedagogy. Full-time faculty shall participate in supervising students during their student-
teaching or practica experiences. How are the coursework and seminar designed to support teaching
candidates during their field experiences and student teaching placements?

c) How frequently will the student teacher be observed by the IHE faculty supervisor?

d) If IHE faculty observations include a voice over internet protocol service and/or electronic video
observations, please state the number of face-to-face classroom-based observations and electronic
observations. Include a description of technological resources at the IHE and P-12 school district levels
and preparation/training of faculty, cooperating teachers and candidates to successfully implement an
electronic candidate assessment model. Describe the responsibilities of institutional faculty and
cooperating teachers in the observation, supervision and assessment of candidates’ field experiences and
student teaching.

e) Field experiences, student teaching and practica must provide candidates with experiences in a variety of
communities and across the range of student developmental levels of the certificate, experiences
practicing skills for interacting with parents or caregivers, experiences in high need schools, and
experiences with each of the following student populations: socioeconomically disadvantaged students,
students who are English language learners, and students with disabilities. How does the institution
arrange candidates’ field experiences to meet these requirements?

V. Leadership Experiences: Educational Leadership Programs

a) Programs must ensure that leadership experiences are in districts serving students at different developmental
levels and with a variety of characteristics and socioeconomic backgrounds. How does the institution arrange
candidates’ leadership experiences to meet these requirements?

b) Leadership experiences must be carefully selected and planned by program faculty in collaboration with
school leaders, with learning outcomes specified that are connected to program competencies and with the
achievement of those outcomes regularly evaluated by program faculty.

1. Describe how the institution selected and planned the leadership experience ensuring the collaboration
between program faculty and supervising school district leaders.

2. How frequently will the educational leadership candidate meet with the IHE faculty supervisor?

c) If IHE faculty observations include a voice over internet protocol service and/or electronic video
observations, please state the number of face to face classroom-based observations and electronic
observations. Include a description of technological resources at the IHE and P-12 school district levels and

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 preparation/training of faculty, cooperating teachers and candidates to successfully implement an electronic
candidate assessment model.

d) Leadership experiences must be supervised by certified school leaders and by program faculty who have
preparation and expertise in supervision related to school leadership. Describe the responsibilities of
institutional faculty and supervising educational leaders in the observation, supervision and assessment of
candidates’ educational leadership experiences.

VI. Outcomes and Assessment

a) Distance learning programs are expected to produce the same learning outcomes as comparable classroom-
based programs. How are these learning outcomes identified – in terms of knowledge, skills, or credentials –
in course and program materials?

b) Describe how the means chosen for assessing student learning in this program are appropriate to the content,
learning design, technologies, and characteristics of the learners.

VII. Program Evaluation

a) What process is in place to monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of this particular distance education
program on a regular basis?
b) How will the evaluation results will be used for continuous program improvement?

c) How will the evaluation process assure that the program results in learning outcomes are appropriate to the
rigor and breadth of the college degree or certificate awarded?

VIII. Students Residing Outside New York State

SUNY programs must comply with all "authorization to operate" regulations that are in place in other U.S. states
where the institution has enrolled students or is otherwise active, based on each state’s definitions.
a) What processes are in place to monitor the U.S. state of residency of students enrolled in any distance
education course in this program while residing in their home state?

b) Federal regulations require institutions delivering courses by distance education to provide students or
prospective students with contact information for filing complaints with the state approval or licensing entity
in the student’s state of residency and any other relevant state official or agency that would appropriately
handle a student's complaint. What is the URL on your institution’s website where contact information for
filing complaints for students in this program is posted?

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