Professional Graduate Programs

1. Face-to-Face (F): Instruction and assessments are conducted through in-person sessions. Instruction and assessments may be enhanced with technology or even periodically “flipped” for asynchronous instruction, but there is no formal, consistent reduction in “seat time.” (This definition is not applicable to independent studies, internships, externships, practica, study abroad, or dissertation/research courses.) Instructional activities may include in-person class instruction and assessments supported by technology.
2. Blended (B): Required instruction and assessments are conducted through a scheduled combination of in-person and remote learning technology. Differentiated from a technology-enhanced in-person course, the “seat time” in a blended course is formally and consistently reduced for all students. (This does not include ad hoc situations when remote sessions are employed due to special circumstances.) Instructional activities may include scheduled in-person class time, alternating with online activity (synchronous or asynchronous).
3. Online (O): The majority of the required instruction and assessments are conducted with distance learning technology, whether synchronously or asynchronously. Students are not required to be in the same location as the instructor, although exceptions can be made for exams that must be taken on campus or at regionally located testing centers. Any in-person, or live session dates and times should be clearly indicated in the course notes prior to registration. 

• Examples:
  • Delivery Mode: 100% Online: 
    • A fully online synchronous course with online sessions.
    • A fully online asynchronous course with self-paced learning.
  • Delivery Mode: 80-99% Online:
    • A fully online course that requires limited in-person participation (e.g. instruction, presentations, field trips, or assessments).

For more information regarding these definitions, refer to the resources provided by the Teaching and Learning Transformation Center.

Professional Graduate Programs (PGP) are approved to offer courses using one of the academic calendar options below. The University Calendar governs meeting times for each calendar format, and each has specific start, refund, withdrawal, and end dates.

1. Traditional 16-week semester that includes fall and spring only.
2. Traditional 16-week semester that includes fall, spring, and the 12-week summer session (or the two 6-week sessions).
3. The standard 12-week calendar (i.e., quarters) that includes fall, winter, spring, summer.

Additional Scheduling Guidelines for Programs Using the 12-Week Calendar

1. Courses should be scheduled and given room priority in their own department's classroom spaces (if these exist).
   1. If space within the department is not available, the department should reach out to the College for other departmental classrooms within the College.
   2. If there are no available rooms within the College, a General Purpose Classroom (GPC) can be requested from Course and Classroom Scheduling Services (CCSS) in the Office of the University Registrar. The request must include a note from the Dean's office stating that there is no room availability within the College's departmentally-owned rooms.
2. Courses will be accommodated in GPC to the extent possible and must adhere to Provost Scheduling Guidelines. When there is a conflict between academic classes, priority will be given to standard semester courses.
   1. CCSS will do its best to accommodate the instructors’ classroom preferences but no specific GPC assignment is guaranteed. Instructional design may be adjusted for optimal classroom learning in the assigned rooms.
   2. To facilitate better classroom scheduling, course offerings should be spaced out during the week and not clustered only on particular days.
   3. Winter and Spring 12-week term courses scheduled in GPC may be assigned to another GPC during Fall and Spring Final Exams week to accommodate final exams of semester courses.