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Proposal Example to Request Degree by Distance
Title Page – Include the following information:
Texas A&M University
Request for Approval to Offer the _______________degree in ____________ via Distance Education
Submitted to the Texas A&M System Board of Regents
Date of Submission
Statement of Commitment to Standards for Distance Education and Off-Campus Instruction. (See OFF-CAMPUS PROGRAMS BY DISTANCE EDUCATION at the end of this section.)
Executive Summary
Texas A&M University, Name of Degree
Summary of what, how, why.
I. Degree Granted
II. Brief Description of Degree
III. Need for the Degree to Be Offered by Distance
IV. Evidence of Institutional Capacity
V. Strategies for Adapting the Degree for Distance Delivery
Body of the Proposal – Include the following Sections. Additional information may be needed, depending on the particular degree. These segments are the basic, required elements.
- Introduction
- History and Background of the Program. Date program was approved by the CB
- Institutional Capacity. Number and Qualifications of Faculty. Be sure to state that faculty are members of the TAMU graduate faculty.
- Program Goals. Describe the mission of the program. What educational goals should students have achieved at the end of the program? How will you determine that students have achieved these goals?
- Admission Requirements. GRE, GRP, recommendations, interviews. Admissions process and selection strategy.
- Program Requirements and Required Courses. List required courses by number, title and credit hours. Include elective courses, supporting field(s) requirements, etc.
- Format for Distance Delivery. What type of distance format will be used? World Wide Web, TTVN, face-to-face, a combination of these?
- Conversion Schedule. Which courses have been converted? What is the schedule for converting other courses to be included in the program?
- Course Examinations. Explain how these will be conducted.
- Final Degree Program Examinations. Explain how these will be handled.
- Delivery Systems. Equipment and resources that will be used: software, world wide web, interactive video, CD-ROM, threaded discussion, email, etc.
- Evaluation Plan. Explain how the effectiveness of the course will be determined. For example, student evaluations which include not only instructor effectiveness but effectiveness of the distance delivery mode, comparison of the work of students in the DE sections with that of work of students in the resident sections. Describe plans to assess the program.
NOTE: The university teaching evaluation, in the bank of additional questions, has questions that apply specifically to courses delivered by distance. Faculty may select these when they order their teaching evaluations.
- Arrangements to Meet the Unique Needs of Distance Learners. This section should address plans for ADA students and deal with any needs your specific DE students will have.
- Library Resources for Distance Learners – See https://library.tamu.edu/portal/site/Library/menuitem.28913bafd1bbb52ebd078f3019008a0c/?vgnextoid=baf96bce129c0010VgnVCM1000007800a8c0RCRD. A copy of the library guides for DE students and faculty are included at the end of this section. Also contact Zao Liu, distance education library specialist (845-6281) or at zliu@tamu.edu, if you have specific information needs for your DE students.
- Student services available for distance education. Check this website and the Student Services website.
- Budget – Prepare a short narrative of the funding required for delivering the program by distance. Use budget forms (See Attachment B), which are required by the Coordinating Board. Will new faculty be necessary? What new costs will be involved?
Once the proposal has been drafted, please submit it to the Office of Distance Education, which will work with you and prepare the proposal for review by the ODE proposal committee. If you have any questions during the proposal preparation process, please contact the Office of Distance Education.