Title

Policy 3.25

Subtitle

Distance Education

Body

Part 1. Purpose

The purpose of this policy is to set expectations for faculty and students in synchronous and asynchronous online courses to ensure that Minneapolis College remains in compliance with:

  1. Federal regulations governing distance education including:
    • Ensuring all online courses offered by the College meet the federal definition of distance education courses; and
    • Setting expectations for weekly student engagement in all distance education courses offered by the College.
  2. Accreditation standards set by the College’s institutional accreditor, the Higher Learning Commission, which has incorporated the federal definition of distance education courses into its policies.

Part 2. Definitions

Week: As defined in Code of Federal Regulations: 34 CFR 668.3, a “week” is a consecutive seven-day period.

Correspondence Course: As defined in U.S. Code of Federal Regulations: 34 CFR 600.2, correspondence courses are those in which an institution provides instructional materials, by mail or electronic transmission, including examinations on the materials, to students who are separated from the instructors. Interaction between instructors and students in a correspondence course is limited, is not regular and substantive, and is primarily initiated by the student.

Distance Education Course: As defined in U.S. Code of Federal Regulations: 34 CFR 600.2, distance education is education that uses one or more of the technologies listed in Subpart A to deliver instruction to students who are separated from the instructor or instructors and to support regular and substantive interaction between the students and the instructor or instructors, either synchronously or asynchronously.

Faculty/Instructor: An individual responsible for delivering course content and who meets the qualifications for instruction established by the College's accrediting agency, the Higher Learning Commission (HLC).

Part 3. Responsibilities

Subpart A. Administration

The institution is responsible for developing systems to ensure its online courses meet the federal definition of distance education courses.

Subpart B. Faculty/Instructors

Instructors who teach asynchronous online courses at Minneapolis College are responsible for:

  1. Meeting federal requirements for regular and substantive interaction in each online course section they teach; and
  2. Creating opportunities and expectations for weekly academic activity by students in distance education courses and articulating these opportunities and expectations in their syllabi.

Subpart C. Students

Students enrolled in distance education courses at Minneapolis College are responsible for actively engaging in online courses weekly.

Part 4. Correspondence Courses

Correspondence courses do not meet the federal definition of distance education courses, and they are not eligible for federal financial aid. Minneapolis College does not offer correspondence courses.

Part 5. Distance Education Courses

Distance education courses are eligible for federal financial aid.

Subpart A. Types of Distance Education Technologies.

U.S. Code 34 CFR 600.2, the technologies that may be used to offer distance education include:

  1. The internet;
  2. One-way and two-way transmissions through open broadcast, closed circuit, cable, microwave, broadband lines, fiber optics, satellite, or wireless communications devices;
  3. Audio conference; or
  4. Other media used in a course in conjunction with any of the above three technologies.

Subpart B. Substantive Interaction Between Instructors and Students in Distance Education Courses

Under U.S. Code of Federal Regulations: 34 CFR 600.2, substantive interaction is defined as engaging students in teaching, learning, and assessment, consistent with the content of the course, and also includes at least two of the following:

  1. Providing direct instruction (e.g., in synchronous online courses; recorded videos made available asynchronously do not qualify as direct instruction under federal regulations);
  2. Assessing or providing feedback on a student's coursework;
  3. Providing information or responding to questions about the content of a course;
  4. Facilitating a group discussion regarding the content of a course or competency; or
  5. Other instructional activities approved by the institution's or program's accrediting agency.

Subpart C. Regular Interaction Between Instructors and Students in Distance Education Courses

Under U.S. Code of Federal Regulations: 34 CFR 600.2, an institution is responsible for ensuring regular interaction between a student and an instructor or instructors in distance education courses, prior to the student's completion of a course or competency, including:

  1. Providing the opportunity for substantive interactions with the student on a predictable and scheduled basis commensurate with the length of time and the amount of content in the course or competency; and
  2. Monitoring the student's academic engagement and success and ensuring that an instructor is responsible for promptly and proactively engaging in substantive interaction with the student when needed on the basis of such monitoring, or upon request by the student.

Subpart D. Regular Academic Engagement by Students in Distance Education Courses

Per U.S. Code of Federal Regulations: 34 CFR 668.3, Minneapolis College expects students enrolled in distance education courses to perform educational activities demonstrating academic engagement during each week of the academic term, excluding weeks when there is a break on the academic calendar.

As defined in U.S. Code of Federal Regulations: 34 CFR 600.2, student academic engagement includes but is not limited to:

  1. Attending a synchronous class, lecture, recitation, or field or laboratory activity, physically or online, where there is an opportunity for interaction between the instructor and students;
  2. Submitting an academic assignment;
  3. Taking an assessment or an exam;
  4. Participating in an interactive tutorial, webinar, or other interactive computer-assisted instruction;
  5. Participating in a study group, group project, or an online discussion that is assigned by the institution; or
  6. Interacting with an instructor about academic matters.

Logging into a distance education class without any further participation does not constitute academic engagement for purposes of this policy nor the Last Date of Attendance Policy 4.16 and Procedure 4.16.01.

Owner(s) Title: Vice President of Academic Affairs

Date of Adoption: 7/9/2025

Date of Implementation (if different from adoption date): 08/25/2025

Date Last Reviewed: N/A

Regulatory Authority (e.g. Minnesota State policy, federal or state law):  U.S. Code of Federal Regulations: 34 CFR 600.2 – Institutional Eligibility Under the Higher Education Act of 1965, As Amended; U.S. Code of Federal Regulations: 34 CFR 668.3 – Academic Year; Higher Learning Commission (HLC) – Glossary of HLC Terminology

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