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Guidelines for Extension-Site Instructional Activity

Guidelines for Extension-Site Instructional Activity

In order to promote Stony Brook University’s missions of education, research, public service and health care and to provide the citizens of New York State greater access to quality public higher education within the realm of those missions, the University will consider proposals for off-campus credit-bearing instruction consistent with the NY SED definition of extension site activity. This Policy describes the University approval process for extension site activity proposals and is consistent with the guidelines stated in the SUNY Memorandum to Presidents, vol. 88, No. 9, dated Dec. 12, 1988.3

  1. Off-campus credit-bearing instructional activity refers to credit-bearing courses and/or programs which are taught off-campus. It does not refer to field trips, internships, student teaching, cooperative education, international programs or the like, which are supervised by on-campus faculty for students enrolled primarily in on-campus programs.
  2. As defined by the New York State Education Department, Regulations of the Commissioner 50.1 (t).
  3. This policy does not apply to SUTRA Contract Course Programs. For guidelines on SUTRA programs, consult the Administrative Procedures under Policies and Guidelines on the Stony Brook University Budget Office web page.

 

I. The Office of the Provost shall approve extension site activity proposals, and will coordinate and supervise such off-campus credit-bearing activity. The Provost’s Office will be responsible for maintaining the list of sites where all such instructional activity takes place.

II. Extension site proposals must:

  1. involve the delivery of courses for an existing, approved, University program;
  2. involve 15 or fewer courses to be delivered at the off-site location;
  3. involve no more than 350 course registrations at the off-site location for the entire year.

III. The complete program may not be delivered at the off-site location. Completion of the program by each student must involve at least one course being taken at the University’s main campus (Stony Brook) or its additional location (SB Southampton). For simplicity of reference throughout the rest of this policy, these two campuses shall be referred to as “on-campus”. Note that web-based delivery of an on-campus course does not satisfy this “at least one course” requirement.

IV. If the number of courses offered comprise more than 50% of a program, the Middle States Commission on Higher Education may require a site visit.

V. Any proposal for extension site activity must address the following points before approval will be considered:

  1. the community need for delivery of the courses off-site, rather than on-campus;
  2. the appropriateness of the facilities to be used for instruction;
  3. a plan for providing accessible and adequate library facilities for the courses offered off-site;
  4. a plan for providing adequate academic advising, financial aid information, counseling services and other necessary student support services;
  5. a plan for advising students of the availability of the resources and services offered in item 4.

Once an extension site activity is approved, no change in off-site location can occur without approval from the Office of the Provost. A proposal for a location change must address points 2-5.

VI. Any part-time faculty employed in extension site course teaching must be hired according to the policies and procedures used for part-time faculty hired on-campus. The policies and procedures used shall be those of the School in which the program resides.

VII. Courses will be eligible for teaching off-site only if they have been approved through the normal course approval process for on-campus courses, e.g. the curriculum committee of the school in which a given course is taught.

VIII. The evaluation of faculty who teach extension site courses shall be done according to the policies and procedures used for faculty who teach on-campus. The policies and procedures used shall be those of the School in which the program resides. All extension site courses are required to run course evaluation surveys using the same instrument utilized on the main campus.

IX. Any part-time faculty employed in extension site course teaching must be provided with an orientation on the policies and procedures that govern their responsibilities. The policies and procedures shall be those of the School in which the program resides and the orientation must be consistent with that given to part-time faculty who teach on-campus.

X. Any part-time faculty employed in extension site course teaching must be provided with the opportunity to interact with their full-time faculty colleagues in the program. (eg. faculty meetings). Such opportunities shall be consistent with opportunities provided to part-time faculty who teach on-campus.

XI. If an extension-site activity falls within the geographic region of another SUNY unit, it shall be the responsibility of the University’s Office of the Provost to notify, in writing, the Presidents of all SUNY units within this geographic area. This written notification shall take place even if the other SUNY unit/units cannot offer the proposed off-campus activity. If the proposed off-campus activity is one that the other SUNY unit/units has/have the capacity to offer and would be willing to offer, the Office of the Provost shall obtain the approval of its plans from the other SUNY unit/units prior to scheduling the activity. If an agreement cannot be reached between two SUNY units about the offering of an off-campus activity, the conflict shall be submitted to the SUNY Provost for final resolution.


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