1. (a) The following words and terms, when used in this chapter extracted from rules promulgated by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, shall have the following meanings, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.

   1. (1) "Accelerated courses" means courses delivered in shortened semesters which are expected to have the same number of contact hours and the same requirement for out-of-class learning as courses taught in a normal semester.
   2. (2) "Contact hour" means a time unit of instruction used by institutions of higher education consisting of 60 minutes, of which 50 minutes must be direct instruction.
   3. (3) "Distance education" means the formal educational process that occurs when students and instructors are not in the same physical setting for the majority (more than 50 percent) of instruction.

   4. (4) "Distance education course" means a course in which a majority (more than 50 percent) of the instruction occurs when the student(s) and instructor(s) are not in the same place. Two categories of distance education courses are defined:

      1. (A) "Fully distance education course" means a course which may have mandatory face-to-face sessions totaling no more than 15 percent of the instruction time. Examples of face-to-face sessions include orientation, laboratory, exam review, or an in-person test.
      2. (B) "Hybrid/Blended course" means a course in which a majority (more than 50 percent but less than 85 percent), of the planned instruction occurs when the students and the instructor(s) are not in the same place.
   5. (5) "Non-traditionally-delivered course" means a course that is offered in a non-traditional way (for example, over the internet, or through a shortened, intensive format) that does not meet the definition of contact hours, the course may be considered if it has been reviewed and approved through a formal, institutional faculty review process that evaluates the course and its learning outcomes and determines that the course does, in fact, have equivalent learning outcomes to an equivalent, traditionally delivered course.
   6. (6) "Semester" means and normally shall include 15 weeks for instruction and one week for final examination or a total of 16 weeks instruction and examinations combined.
   7. (7) "Semester credit hour" means a unit of measure of instruction consisting of 60 minutes, of which 50 minutes must be direct instruction, over a 15-week period in a semester system or a 10-week period in a quarter system.
   8. (8) "Traditionally-delivered three semester-credit-hour course" or "traditional course" means a course containing 15 weeks of instruction (45 contact hours) plus a week for final examinations so that such a course contains 45-48 contact hours depending on whether there is a final exam.

2. (b) The following words and terms, when used in this chapter shall have the following meanings, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise and shall be considered substantially equivalent to definitions and references in rules promulgated by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board.

   1. (1) "AACSB-International" means the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business-International.
   2. (2) "ACBSP" means the Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs.
   3. (3) "Accredited community college" means a board-recognized Texas community college that holds the designation 'Qualifying Educational Credit for the CPA Examination' awarded by the board.
   4. (4) "CHEA" means the Council for Higher Education Accreditation.
   5. (5) "Institution" or "Institution of Higher Education" means any U.S. public or private senior college or university which confers a baccalaureate or higher degree to its students completing a program of study required for the degree.
   6. (6) "Quarter credit hour" is the unit of measurement based upon an institution of higher education system that divides the academic year into three equal sessions of 10 to 11 weeks. A quarter hour represents proportionately less work than a semester hour because of the shorter session and is counted as 2/3 of a semester hour for each hour of credit.
   7. (7) "Reporting institution" means the institution of higher education in the state that serves as the clearinghouse for educational institutions of higher education in Texas. Currently, the University of Texas-Austin is the reporting institution for the state of Texas.
   8. (8) "SACS" means the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools-Commission on Colleges.
   9. (9) "Self-paced course" means a course in which a student earns semester/quarter hour credit that is completed in less or more than the time required in subsection (a)(5) of this section.
   10. (10) "THECB" means the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board.
   11. (11) "UCPAE" means the Uniform Certified Public Accountant Examination prepared and graded by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants.

Source Note:The provisions of this §511.51 adopted to be effective April 11, 2012, 37 TexReg 2405.