7. LSC-Online
B.7.01 Coordinating Board Approval:
The System may offer a LSC-Online course approved by the Coordinating Board with no in-state geographic restrictions if the course is within the approved curriculum of the System. The System's LSC-Online Program will comply with all Coordinating Board conditions and requirements as well as those established by accrediting agencies.
B.7.02 LSC-Online Definitions:
A "LSC-Online course" refers to instruction in which the majority of the instruction occurs when the students and instructor are not in the same physical setting. For Coordinating Board reporting purposes, a class is considered a LSC-Online class if students receive more than one-half of the instruction at a different location than the instructor. The System's LSC-Online program includes online and hybrid instruction which are clarified in the credit schedules and on the Lone Star College–Online website.
Instruction may be synchronous or asynchronous, delivered to any single or multiple location(s) through electronic, correspondence, or other means outside the boundaries of the taxing authority of the System, or via instructional telecommunications to any other distance location.
B.7.03 Standards for LSC-Online:
LSC-Online instruction is comparable to on-campus instruction and meets all of the quality standards which the System provides through on-campus instruction.
LSC-Online courses offered through either college credit or Continuing Education Units (CEUs) are provided in accordance with the standards of the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS), the Coordinating Board rules and regulations, the Guidelines for Institutional Reports for Distance Education and Off-Campus Instruction and other accrediting bodies as appropriate.
Students enrolled in LSC-Online must satisfy the same requirements for admission to the institution, to the program of which the course is a part, and to the class/section, as are required of on-campus students.
Faculty providing LSC-Online instruction are selected and evaluated by the same standards, review and approval procedures used to select and assess faculty responsible for on-campus instruction. The System provides training and support to enhance the added skills required of faculty teaching classes via instructional technology.
The instructor of record is responsible for the delivery of instruction and evaluation of student progress.
LSC-Online instruction is administered under the authority of the same office or person administering the corresponding on-campus instruction.
B.7.04 LSC-Online Master Plan:
The System, shall develop a master plan for providing LSC-Online and other applications of instructional technology according to requirements specified by the Coordinating Board and the System.
B.7.05 Institutional Report for LSC-Online:
Prior to offering any LSC-Online, off-campus, or on-campus extension courses or programs for the first time, the System shall submit its Institutional Report for LSC-Online, and Off-Campus and On-Campus Extension Instruction to the Coordinating Board for approval. The Report, and any updated Reports, shall conform to Coordinating Board guidelines and criteria of the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools in effect at the time of the Report's approval.
The System's academic and administrative policies shall reflect a commitment to maintain the quality of LSC-Online, off-campus, and on-campus extension courses and programs in accordance with the provisions of 19 TAC Chapter 4, Subchapter E.
B.7.06 Out-of-State or Out-of-Country Courses:
The System will not submit LSC-Online courses delivered outside the state to non-Texas residents for formula funding. The System will report fees received for extension and out-of-state/country courses in accordance with general institutional accounting practices.
B.7.07 Reporting to Commissioner:
The System will report enrollments, courses and graduates associated with extension offerings to the Commissioner as required by the Coordinating Board.
LSCS Policy Manual Section adopted by the Board of Trustees on August 7, 2008