[Adopted by the Commission on Accrediting, January 2002]

Guidelines for Petitioning the Board of Commissioners Regarding Multiple Locations (Extension Sites) and Distance Education

The Board of Commissioners ("Board") has established guidelines to assist member institutions in preparing petitions to the Board regarding graduate credit through extension education or distance education or both. Commission action is required for the following: (a) offering of complete degrees in extension, (b) the offering of courses on an ongoing basis (but not a complete degree), (c) the conduct of distance education courses and programs, and (d) combinations of extension and distance education. The procedures for review and approval vary. An institution seeking to begin an extension education program, to initiate an additional site for an existing extension education program, or to offer distance education should review the following sections of Part 1 of the current ATS Bulletin: Procedures Related to Accreditation and Membership (Section V), General Institutional Standards (especially Standard 10: Multiple Locations and Distance Education), and the appropriate Degree Program Standard(s). An institution that proposes a substantive change in the method of delivery of its extension or distance education activity (e.g., from an instructor present at the site to instruction mediated by technology) must also petition for the Board's approval. The Board should be informed, through the annual report forms, if occasional or experimental courses are offered. This notification is for information, and approval of the Board is not required.

Multiple Locations (Extension Sites)

The Board of Commissioners considers the following areas, which the institution's petition should specifically address, in decisions regarding the approval of any program of extension education at which complete degrees will be offered or where courses will offered on an ongoing basis:

1. The purpose of the proposed extension education program and its appropriateness to the institution's stated purpose and educational goals, including identification of the program's appropriateness also for the students and context being served (10.2.2);
2. A statement of the need that the institution proposes to address with the extension program and documentary evidence of institutional efforts to assess that need (10.2.2.3);
3. The design and requirements of the educational program offered at the extension site, demonstrating the adequacy of the program for the granting of graduate credits in the institution's approved degree programs, as well as the number, diversity, and sequence of courses to be available at the site (10.2.3);
4. The educational resources required and available to implement the extension program, including faculty, administrative support, student services, library and information services, and technological support (10.2.4, 10.2.5, 10.2.6, 10.2.7, and 10.2.8);
5. Formal agreements with other entities, if the institution proposes to support the program by means of shared resources (10.2.2.2 and 10.2.4.3);
6. The financial, operational, and physical resources required and available to implement the extension program. Schools must (a) identify anticipated revenue and expenditures for the extension site, including start-up and continuing costs, (b) provide a cash-flow analysis for the support of the program of extension education, within the context of the overall institutional budget, and (c) describe the facilities that will be available at the extension site. The school must also describe the operation of the extension site, including its fiscal management and operational oversight;
7. The impact of the extension activity on the existing degrees and resources of the institution; and
8. The ways that the proposed program meets the Commission standards for the individual degree program(s) toward which credit in the extension offering can be applied. If a complete degree is to be offered at the extension site, the petition should demonstrate the availability of all the educational and formational opportunities necessary to achieve the goals identified in the standards for the degree program.

Site Visits. In addition to the petition (and supporting documentation), the Board of Commissioners will require a site visit if a member institution proposes either an extension site offering a full degree program or an extension site offering ongoing courses where half or more of the credits required for an Board-approved degree may be completed. This site visit will be conducted before the Board takes action on the institution's petition, and the institution may not commence ongoing extension activity at this level before the Board's written approval has been received.

Deadlines. Petitions should be of adequate length to provide a full description of the proposed program and must be received by April 1 for consideration in the Board's spring meeting or by November 1 for consideration in the January meeting. Institutions accredited both by the Board and by a regional association should note that the requirements of the two associations for approval may differ.

Exception. An exception to this process of approval applies to the offering of occasional courses. When an institution offers a course at a site away from its approved location less frequently than on an annual basis, this offering does not require the Board's approval. These occasional offerings may include the following: a course offered in the context of a special event, such as the annual meeting of a denomination; a course offered at a location because of special resources available there; a course offered to a sufficient number of students, gathering at a site for this single offering; or a course offered as a pilot, to assess the feasibility of the institution's ongoing offering of courses at the site. The Board requests that member institutions report these occasional course offerings on the annual report form.

International Extension Programs. Institutions proposing to conduct international extension programs should prepare a petition according to the separate "Guidelines for Evaluation of Proposals for Programs of International Theological Education."

Distance Education

The credit that can be earned toward an approved Commission degree program by distance education is limited by the residence requirement for each degree, found in the "Location" section in specific degree standards (10.3.4.2)

Standard 10 defines distance education as a mode of education in which major components of the program, including course work, occur when students and instructors are not in the same location. The Board recognizes that experimentation is a necessary and appropriate element for member schools in this area. The Board encourages consultation with Commission staff as schools explore different applications and delivery systems.

1. The Procedures (Section V) related to distance education distinguish three circumstances in which distance education courses may be offered: new courses, courses offered more than once, and a program, when as many as six courses offered for any Commission approved degree may be taken through distance education.
2. A new distance education course does not require Board approval. Institutions are required to notify the Board of such courses on the annual report form.
3. When a distance education course is offered more than once, Board approval is required, based on the design and requirements of the proposed course. The petition for approval is normally one or two pages outlining the structure, bibliographic support, and the technical and participatory requirements of the course. When an institution has received approval for two distance education courses, it may offer four additional courses in a given degree program by notifying the Board on the annual report form.
4. When as many as six courses in any Commission approved degree may be taken through distance education, this will be considered a comprehensive distance education program, and the institution must petition the Board for approval. The Board will evaluate the program according to the following eight guidelines:
   1. The purpose of the proposed distance education program and its appropriateness to the institution's stated purpose and educational goals, including identification of the program's appropriateness also for the students and context being served (10.3.2)
   2. The need that the institution proposes to address with the distance education program and documentary evidence of institutional efforts to assess that need (10.3.2.2);
   3. The design and requirements of the proposed educational program, demonstrating the adequacy of the program for the granting of graduate credits in the institution's approved degree programs, as well as the number, diversity, and sequence of courses to be offered (10.3.3 and 10.3.4);
   4. The educational resources required and available to implement the distance program, including faculty, administrative support, student services, library and information services, and technological support (10.3.5; 10.3.6, 10.3.7, 10.3.8, and 10.3.9);
   5. Formal agreements with other entities, if the institution proposes to support the program by means of shared resources (10.3.4.4 and 10.3.5.2); and
   6. The financial, operational, and physical resources required and available to implement the distance program. Institutions must (a) identify anticipated revenue and expenditures for the distance education program, including start-up and continuing costs and (b) provide a cash-flow analysis for the support of the program of distance education, within the context of the overall institutional budget.
   7. The relationship to and the impact of the distance education program on the existing degrees and resources of the institution;
   8. The ways that the proposed program meets the Commission standards for the individual degree program(s) toward which credit in the distance education program can be applied.
   9. Site Visits. In addition to the petition (and supporting documentation), the Board may require a site visit if a member institution proposes offering a substantial number of the credits required to complete a degree program.
   10. International Distance Education. Institutions proposing to conduct international distance education programs should prepare petitions according to the separate "Guidelines for Evaluation of Proposals for Programs of International Theological Education."
   11. Deadlines. Petitions should be of adequate length to provide a full description of the proposed program and must be received by April 1 for consideration in the Board's spring meeting or by November 1 for consideration in the January meeting. Institutions accredited both by the Board and by a regional association should note that the requirements of the two associations for approval may differ. Institutions are encouraged to submit petitions or drafts well in advance of the deadlines in order to allow for revision prior to Board action.

Please send two copies of your petition or report single-spaced, single-sided, and unbound (to help facilitate their reproduction).