N.M. Code R. § 5.3.12.7 – Definitions

A. “Academic credit” means student credit hours for courses that through institutional policy and academic convention are determined to have the academic resources and support to meet traditional expectations for certificate and degree credit in academic and vocational programs.
B. “Department” means the New Mexico higher education department.
C. “Course file” is the department’s data file containing one record for each course-section at a given public post-secondary educational institution per academic term.
D. “Developmental credit” means student credit hours for courses which provide preparatory work (basic skills) that is prerequisite to the level of work expected for college.
E. “Extended learning” means the full range of available and developing modes for bringing instruction to learners, including live instructor delivery, instructional television, computer conferencing, video conferencing, audio conferencing, etc.
F. “Extension, correspondence, or self-study credits “ are student credit hours for courses that are limited in academic content, academic resources and/or setting (such as formal and regular student-instructor contact), or are so specialized that they do not meet traditional standards of applicability to degree program requirements. These courses are marked by the label, “extension,” “correspondence,” “self-study,” or “home study” so that their special nature is considered in evaluation for degree credit.
G. “Off-campus credits” are student credit hours earned from courses offered that do not meet the definition of on-campus credits but are offered for regular academic credit and are applicable to an approved degree or certification program, taught by regular faculty or equivalent and delivered via extended learning instruction. Off-campus credits are reported in separate extended services data files to generate funding and include additional data fields to indicate the delivery location(s) of the instruction.
H. “On-campus credits” are student credit hours earned from courses that are offered within the geographical boundaries of the campus or via institutional web-based delivery systems for academic credit and for which regular main campus tuition is charged.
I. “Registrar file” is the department’s data file containing summary data of enrollments and residency of students at a given public post-secondary educational institution for fall term only.
J. “Restricted credits” are student credit hours earned in a course offered for academic credit for which the expenses of delivery are covered by funds from restricted sources (i.e., grants or contracts), by direct third-party payment (e.g., ROTC), or by the pooling of tuition and fees (i.e., self support).
K. “Right of first refusal” means that an institution assigned a service area must first decline to provide requested educational services before another New Mexico public post-secondary institution may offer those services in that service area.
L. “Service area” is an assigned geographic region where the local two-year higher education institution has the exclusive right to meet the lower division post-secondary educational needs of the area, subject only to limitations imposed by its enabling legislation, and consistent with the provisions of this policy. An institution may utilize its right of first refusal to allow other public higher education institutions to deliver offerings within its designated service area.
M. “Student file” is the department’s data file containing one record for each student taking courses at a given public post-secondary educational institution per academic term.
N. “Student-course file” is the department’s data file containing one record for each course that each student at a given public post-secondary educational institution is enrolled in each academic term.
O. “Student credit hours” are instructional time units derived from the structure of academic degrees and programs. Generally, one student credit hour is considered to require no less than fifteen contact hours between the student and instructor and thirty hours of independent effort by the student in course preparations per academic term.
P. “Tuition credit base” means the base revenue anticipated to be available from tuition sources to assist in funding the cost of instruction at New Mexico’s public post-secondary educational institutions.
Q. “Unrestricted credits” are student credit hours earned in a course offered for academic credit for which the faculty salary is paid by funds from the regular instruction and general sources and for which the student cost is the regular, on-campus tuition.
R. “Web-based courses” are courses offered for academic credit and delivered synchronously or asynchronously over the Internet to students located at sites other than the classroom, including sites that may be off-campus. A web-based course may include the requirement that a student meet in a physical setting for lecture, laboratory, examination or other purposes as long as the required student presence in the physical setting does not exceed 25% of the total course time.
[2/27/85, 1/10/91, 9/30/96, 5.3.12.7 NMAC - Rn & A, 5 NMAC 3.12.7, 11/30/01; A, 7/31/05]