Terminology

Award: Award is the credential granted to a student for successful completion of a set curriculum such as a degree or certificate.

BAT: BAT is the acronym for Bachelor of Applied Technology.

Census Date: Census Date is the official day of record that public higher education institutions must determine the enrollments that qualify to be reported to the Coordinating Board for state reimbursement. It is also referred to as Official Reporting Date (ORD). For fall and spring semesters (16-week sessions), it is the 12th class day. For summer semesters (6-week sessions), it is the 4th class day. The count of class days begins on the first day that classes are held in the term and includes each calendar day on which classes are normally held at the institution (e.g., Monday through Friday) until the official census date is reached. The official census day must be on a day that the Registrar’s office is scheduled to be open so that a student will be able to drop or withdraw from class.

Certificate-Level One: Certificate – Level One (Cert1) is a program comprised of at least 15 SCH and no more than 42 SCH (or 23-63 quarter hours or 360-779 contact hours). Certificate programs of one year or less, which contain in excess of 42 semester credit hours or the equivalent, that require external accreditation and licensing examinations (e.g., Licensed Vocational Nursing, LVN), may be approved by the Coordinating Board staff as CERT1 certificates.

Certificate-Level Two: Certificate – Level Two (CERT2) is a program comprised of at least 30 and no more than 51 SCH (or 45-76 quarter hours).

Clinical: Clinical is a type of instruction. Clinical experiences provide workplace settings in which students learn and apply program theory and management of the workflow. Clinical experiences must take place in a health care setting and students must not be paid for the learning experiences.

Contact Hour: Contact Hour is a unit of measure that represents an hour of scheduled instruction given to students of which 50 minutes must be of direct instruction.

Contact Hour Value: Contact Hour Value is the number of contact hours for which the course is actually scheduled.

Contract or Appointment Length: Contract or Appointment Length is the number of months, or portion thereof, of a faculty member’s contract during the fiscal year. The appointment length is based on the number of months contracted for, not the number of installments in which salaries are paid.

Core Curriculum: Core Curriculum is the common part of every undergraduate curriculum that introduces students to a broad range of knowledge areas beyond their major and helps students develop basic skills in critical thinking, communication, empirical and quantitative, teamwork, social responsibility and personal responsibility. In Texas, the core curriculum consists of 42 semester credit hours of course work distributed among nine (9) foundational component areas. State law mandates the transfer of core curriculum courses between all public institutions of higher education.

Distance Education: Distance Education, as defined in Texas Administrative Code, Chapter 21, §2.202, is the formal educational process that occurs when students and instructors are in separate physical locations for the majority (more than 50 percent) of instruction.

Distance Education Course: Distance Education Course, as defined in Texas Administrative Code, Chapter 21, §2.202, is a course in which a majority (more than 50 percent) of the instruction occurs when the student(s) and instructor(s) are in separate physical locations. The definition of distance education course does not include courses with 50 percent or less instruction when the student(s) and instructor(s) are in separate physical locations. Two categories of distance education courses are defined:

• 100-Percent Online Course--A distance education course in which 100 percent of instructional activity takes place when the student(s) and instructor(s) are in separate physical locations. Requirements for on-campus or in-person orientation, testing, academic support services, internships/fieldwork, or other non-instructional activities do not exclude a course from this category.
• Hybrid Course--A distance education course in which more than 50 percent but less than 100 percent of instructional activity takes place when the student(s) and instructor(s) are in separate physical locations.

Distance Education Degree or Certificate Program: Distance Education Degree or Certificate Program, as defined in Texas Administrative Code, Chapter 21, §2.202, is a program in which a student may complete a majority (more than 50 percent) of the credit hours required for the program through distance education courses. The definition of a Distance Education Degree or Certificate Program does not include programs in which 50 percent or less of the required credit hours are offered through distance education. Two categories of distance education programs are defined:

• 100-Percent Online Program--A degree program in which students complete 100 percent of the credit hours required for the program through 100-Percent Online Courses. Requirements for on-campus or in-person orientation, testing, academic support services, internships/fieldwork, or other non-instructional activities do not exclude a program from this category.
• Hybrid Program--A degree program in which students complete 50 percent or more and less than 100 percent of the credit hours required for the program through Distance Education Courses.