Course and Program (Delivery) Equivalency Policy

  • Policy Number: KC‐ACA‐3010
  • Date Issued: Spring 2019
  • Date Revised: N/A
  • Last Modified: Jul 27, 2023
  • Effective Date: Spring 2019
  • Approved By: Provost
  • Sponsor(s): Provost
  • Responsible Office(s): Academic Affairs

Policy Statement

Online education courses and programs will adhere to the same academic standards, policies and rigor as those offered on campus. The programs and courses offered via online technology must be approved through the same curriculum approval processes as campus‐based courses and programs; comparable in quality and content with the same course description and student learning outcomes; and assessed and evaluated on a regular basis. Curricula for online learning offerings should be coherent, cohesive and comparable in academic rigor to curricula offered in traditional instructional formats. Each academic unit will establish a procedure for monitoring compliance with this policy and be able to report these findings to the Provost on a semester‐by‐semester basis.

Reason for Policy

The Higher Learning Commission (HLC) has called on institutions to provide high-quality education, wherever and however its offerings are delivered. In addition, HLC Accreditation Standard 3.A.3 requires that an institutions program quality and learning goals are consistent across all modes of delivery and allocations (on campus, at additional locations, by distance delivery, etc…).

Regardless of the instructional delivery format, students are to be assured they are receiving comparable learning experiences with the same student learning outcomes for the same course. This policy was developed to support student academic success and provide consistent, quality delivery of academic programming and services.

Who Should Read this Policy?

All faculty, academic advisors, deans, Registrar’s Office personnel and all students.

Instructions, Procedures and Related Information

Registrar’s Office. 

Please see the unit academic dean’s office and/or the Office of the Provost for monitoring procedures and reports.

Contacts

UMKC Office of the Provost

Provost's website

Physical address:
Administrative Center
5115 Oak Street, Room 300G
Kansas City, MO 64110

Mailing address:
5100 Rockhill Road
Kansas City, MO 64110‐2499

Phone: 816‐235‐1107

Fax: 816‐235‐550

Exclusions

None

History and Updates

None

Appendices

None