The following words and terms, when used in this chapter, shall
have the following meanings, unless the context clearly indicates
otherwise.
(1) Academic associate degree--An associate degree
that will satisfy the lower-division requirements for a baccalaureate
degree in a specific discipline.
(2) Academic courses--Semester credit courses included
or allowed under the provisions of the Lower-Division Academic Course
Guide Manual designed for college transfer to institutions of higher
education in completion of associate and baccalaureate degree programs.
(3) Applied associate degree--An associate degree intended
to lead directly to employment following graduation and may satisfy
the lower-division requirements for a baccalaureate degree in a specific
discipline.
(4) Associate degree program--A grouping of courses
designed to lead the individual directly to employment in a specific
career or to transfer to an upper-level baccalaureate program. This
specifically refers to the associate of arts (AA), associate of science
(AS), associate of applied arts (AAA), associate of applied science
(AAS), and the associate of occupational studies (AOS) degrees. The
term "applied" in an associate degree name indicates a program designed
to qualify students for immediate employment.
(5) Career Technical/Workforce program--An applied
associate degree program or a certificate program for which semester
credit hours, quarter credit hours, or continuing education units
are awarded and which is intended to prepare students for immediate
employment or a job upgrade in a specific occupation.
(6) Board or Coordinating Board--The Texas Higher Education
Coordinating Board.
(7) Certificate program--Workforce programs designed
for entry-level employment or for upgrading skills and knowledge within
an occupation. Certificate programs serve as building blocks and exit
points for AAS degree programs.
(8) Commissioner of Higher Education or Commissioner--The
chief executive officer of the Texas Higher Education Coordinating
Board.
(9) Compelling Academic Reason--A justification for
an associate's degree program consisting of more than 60 semester
credit hours. Acceptable justifications may include, but are not limited
to, programmatic accreditation requirements, statutory requirements,
and requirements for licensure/certification of graduates.
(10) Concurrent course credit--See "Dual credit."
(11) Continuing education unit or CEU--Ten (10) contact
hours of participation in an organized continuing education experience
under responsible sponsorship, capable direction, and qualified instruction,
as outlined in the Guidelines for Instructional Programs in Workforce
Education.
(12) Contract instruction--Postsecondary workforce
education and training in which specific instruction is provided by
a public two-year college or a non-Southern Association of Colleges
and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC)-accredited organization
to a contracting entity. This arrangement is utilized when conventional
methodology or instructional systems are difficult or impossible to
obtain.
(13) Contractual agreements--Agreements or contracts
between public two-year colleges and one of the following:
(A) a non-SACSCOC-accredited organization, for postsecondary
instructional services that could not be offered otherwise;
(B) a public secondary school, for instructional services
that could not be offered otherwise; or
(C) another SACSCOC-accredited institution of higher
education, whether public or independent.
(14) Developmental courses--Courses designed to correct
academic deficiencies and bring students' skills to an appropriate
level for entry into college.
(15) Distance education--Classes in which the majority
of the instruction occurs when the student and instructor are not
in the same physical setting. A class is considered a distance education
class if students receive more than one-half of the instruction at
a distance. Distance education can be delivered synchronously or asynchronously
to any single or multiple location(s):
(A) other than the main campus of a senior institution
(or "on campus"), where the primary office of the chief executive
officer of the campus is located;
(B) outside the boundaries of the taxing authority
of a community college district; or
(C) via instructional telecommunications to any other
distance location, including electronic delivery of all types.
(16) Dual credit--A process by which a high school
student enrolls in a college course and receives simultaneous academic
credit for the course from both the college and the high school. While
dual credit courses are often taught on the secondary school campus
to high school students only, §4.84 of this title (relating to
Institutional Agreements) and §4.85 of this title (relating to
Dual Credit Requirements), also apply when a high school student takes
a course on the college campus and receives both high school and college
credit. Dual credit is also referred to as concurrent course credit;
the terms are equivalent. However, dual (or concurrent) enrollment
refers to a circumstance in which a student is enrolled in more than
one educational institution (including a high school and a college).
(17) Governing board--The body charged with policy
direction of any public community college district, the technical
college system, public state college, public senior college or university,
career school or college, or other educational agency including but
not limited to boards of directors, boards of regents, boards of trustees,
and independent school district boards.
(18) Governing board, Tech-Prep consortium--Consists
at a minimum of representatives of each educational entity that participates
in a Tech-Prep consortium which determines the policies and operations
of the Tech-Prep consortium in accordance with its written by-laws
and fiscal agency and personnel agreements. A representative may represent
multiple entities as agreed upon by the participating consortium members.
(19) Guidelines for Instructional Programs in Workforce
Education (GIPWE)--A Coordinating Board-approved publication containing
policies and procedures related to the design, development, proposal,
approval, operation, and evaluation of career technical/workforce
education courses and programs for Texas public institutions of higher
education and career schools and colleges.
(20) Independent institution of higher education--A
private or independent college or university that is:
(A) organized under the Texas Non-Profit Corporation
Act;
(B) exempt from taxation under Article V, §2,
of the Texas Constitution and §501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue
Code; and
(C) accredited by the SACSCOC.
(21) Lower-Division Academic Course Guide Manual (ACGM)--A
Coordinating Board-approved publication listing academic courses that
public two-year colleges can teach and report for contact hour reimbursement
from state appropriations without special approval from the Board.
(22) Public community college--Any public junior college
or public community college as defined in Texas Education Code, §61.003
and §130.005, and whose role, mission, and purpose is outlined
in Texas Education Code, §130.0011 and §130.003.
(23) Public two-year college--Any public junior college,
public community college, public technical institute, or public state
college as defined in Texas Education Code, §61.003.
(24) Related-instruction--Relates to §9.27 of
this title (relating to Related-Instruction for Apprenticeship Programs),
organized off-the-job classroom instruction in theoretical or technical
subjects required for the completion of an apprenticeship program.
(25) Remedial and compensatory--All courses designated
as developmental or remedial in the Lower-Division Academic Course
Guide Manual. These courses are designed to address academic deficiencies
and may not be offered for college degree credit.
(26) Remedial courses--Courses for high school students
designed to correct academic deficiencies and bring students' skills
to an appropriate level for graduation from high school.
(27) Voluntary statewide transfer compact--A set of
courses, up to the level of an academic associate degree, that will
satisfy the lower-division requirements of a baccalaureate degree
in a specific discipline. A voluntary statewide transfer compact must:
(A) have the same rigor and content as the equivalent
course work in the baccalaureate program offered at a general academic
teaching institution;
(B) minimize the time and course work required to complete
a baccalaureate degree;
Cont'd... |