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Faculty and Academic Staff Handbook

Faculty and Academic Staff Handbook

19th Edition, 2008

Chapter VIII - Academic Standards, Procedures and Policies

8.3. Outreach (Extension) Courses

The following policies, as administered by the Director of University Outreach, govern the development and offering of Outreach (Extension) courses:

a. Outreach courses are offered in response to the needs of citizens in the St. Croix Valley, the region and beyond. The primary audience for Outreach courses are adult learners unable to reach campus during the typical day. Offerings focus on programs and courses presented in a nontraditional manner, including alternative delivery methods, and innovative, experimental, and collaborative programs.
b. Outreach classes offered for credit require the same approval as residence classes. Since approval for the course and the instructor are the same for both Outreach and residence classes, there should be no distinction between sections of a course offered on or off campus, by alternative delivery, or as independent study. All students must consult with their advisor concerning the applicability of each course to their program.
c. Instructors for Outreach classes (full-time, part-time, or ad hoc) must meet all qualifications as established by the University of Wisconsin-River Falls and be appointed through the regular approval process. No faculty member can earn more than $12,000 (per WI Statute 16.417) in overload (excluding summer session) above his or her base salary (annual or academic year) in a calendar year from all UWRF sources.
d. Outreach classes must meet the same or equivalent standards of sequence, prerequisites, hours of class work, assignments, library or laboratory equipment, final examinations, adaptations to the needs of students, and supervision as are maintained for residence courses in the same subject.
e. Because Outreach programs must be self-supporting, there is a minimum number of students required for an Outreach course to be taught. The number required varies by program.
f. All Outreach courses must receive the approval of the department chair, College Dean, and the Director of University Outreach. In addition, the Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs must approve new courses. If an overload payment is involved, approval must also be obtained from Human Resources and the Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs.