Program Delivery Modes Policy

Ref. No.	Executive sponsor	Policy steward	Approval authority	First approved	Last reviewed	Effective date	Next review
13.31	Vice President, Academic	Director, Operations & Planning and Director, Centre for Teaching & Learning	Executive Council	Mar. 8, 2022		Aug. 15, 2022	Aug. 2023

Purpose
1. NSCC is committed to broadening access to higher education through program delivery that delivers on academic excellence that is flexible, utilizes evolving technology, and meets the needs of students and the NSCC community.
2. The purpose of this policy is:
  1. to define program delivery modes; and,
  2. to outline the principles that guide the decision-making process for program delivery modes.

Scope
1. This policy applies to all employees making and implementing program delivery mode decisions.

Definitions

Practical learning in programs that includes field experience, co-operative education, internship, mandatory professional practice and / or service learning that is a program or course outcome. Work Integrated Learning could require on-site or virtual participation.

Term	Definition
Academic School	A College division responsible for oversight of programming within identified academic subject areas or disciplines also referred to as program clusters. These include: Access, Education and Language, Business and Creative Industries, Health and Human Services, Technology and Environment, and Trades and Transportation.
Asynchronous Delivery	Learning that does not have scheduled class meeting times.
Asynchronous Online Course	Course learning, including evaluation, is fully online with no scheduled classes. Students can complete course requirements from any location and will not have required class meetings.
Course	A unit of teaching and learning that is led by one or more faculty and has a roster of students.
Delivery Mode	The method learning is delivered to support and enable the learning process.
Distributed Course	Course learning is delivered to students on-site at one NSCC location and virtually to students at one or more other NSCC locations.
Faculty	Any person who performs instructional and related professional responsibilities with NSCC.
Hybrid Course	Course learning includes a combination of in-person and online learning. Online learning could include synchronous and / or asynchronous learning.
In-person Course	Course learning is delivered to students on a campus or learning site.
Online Learning	A form of distance education where the primary delivery mechanism is via the Internet. Instruction is delivered synchronously or asynchronously, and the course and materials are intentionally designed in advance to be delivered fully online. Faculty use pedagogical strategies for instruction, student engagement, and assessment that are specific to learning in a virtual environment online.
Program	An approved combination of courses and requirements leading to a College credential.
Program Section	An offering of a specific program, including location and / or delivery mode. There may be multiple sections of a program delivered at the same time.
Student	Anyone who is active in a program and / or enrolled in courses.
Synchronous Delivery	Learning that has scheduled class meeting times.
Synchronous Online Course	Course learning, including evaluation, is fully online with scheduled classes. A minimum of 50% of the course is delivered synchronously. Students can complete course requirements from any location during scheduled class meetings.
Work Integrated Learning Course	Practical learning in programs that includes field experience, co-operative education, internship, mandatory professional practice and / or service learning that is a program or course outcome. Work Integrated Learning could require on-site or virtual participation.

Policy
1. Guiding Principles
  1. Student Success
    We will select and clearly articulate delivery modes and technological requirements for all programs and courses with a clear goal of supporting student success.
  2. Accessibility and Educational Equity
    We will intentionally make decisions grounded in the College’s commitment to accessibility and educational equity.
  3. Academic Quality
    We are committed to excellence in teaching and learning and ensuring academic quality in all programs and program delivery modes.
  4. Flexibility
    We are committed to building program delivery mode options that incorporate technology and online learning as integral components of flexible teaching and learning.
  5. Teaching and Learning Excellence
    We are committed to ensuring all faculty are prepared to effectively support learning, to ensure all students have a comparable learning experience regardless of delivery format or location.
2. Program Delivery Modes
  1. NSCC has approved the following program delivery modes that apply to all programs offered at all campuses:
    1. In-person Program - program learning takes place primarily in a classroom, shop, or lab on a campus or at a learning site. In-person programs are comprised of in-person courses and can include one hybrid or fully online course per term. Work Integrated Learning (WIL) experiences may require students to participate in person.
    2. Asynchronous Online Program - program learning is fully online using only asynchronous delivery with no scheduled class requirements. Optional synchronous events such as online “drop-in” sessions may be scheduled. Work Integrated Learning (WIL) experiences may require students to participate in person.
    3. Synchronous Online Program - program learning takes place primarily online. Synchronous Online programs are comprised of synchronous online courses. Work Integrated Learning (WIL) experiences may require students to participate in person.
    4. Blended Program - a minimum of 50% of program learning occurs on a campus or learning site per term. Blended programs are comprised of a combination of online (synchronous and/or asynchronous), hybrid and in-person courses. Work Integrated Learning (WIL) experiences may require students to participate in person.
    5. Blended Flex Program - less than 50% of program learning occurs on a campus or learning site. Blended Flex programs are comprised of a combination of online (synchronous and/or asynchronous), hybrid and in-person courses with a minimum of one in-person or hybrid course. Work Integrated Learning (WIL) experiences may require students to participate in person.
    6. Blended Distributed Program - program delivery aligns with Blended program delivery; however, in-person courses are delivered to students in-person at one NSCC location and virtually to students at other NSCC locations. Work Integrated Learning (WIL) experiences may require students to participate in person.
    7. Distributed Program - program delivery aligns with In-person program delivery; however, it is delivered to students in-person at one NSCC location and virtually to students at other NSCC locations. Work Integrated Learning (WIL) experiences may require students to participate in person.
    8. ALP Blended Program - ALP is a course-based program, and courses offered from campuses and learning centers, except for eCampus, are comprised of a combination of online (synchronous and/or asynchronous), hybrid and in-person courses.
  2. Delivery modes are approved at the program level. Scheduling for each section of the program must adhere to the approved delivery mode over the duration of the program.
  3. Academic Schools will establish the approved delivery mode for each program. Program delivery may differ from campus to campus and will be established annually at the section level during program mix planning.
  4. Delivery mode is evaluated at the program level by the Academic Schools in consultation with Campus Management Teams based on:
    1. Program and course learning outcomes
    2. Teaching and learning requirements,
    3. Instructional approaches and technologies,
    4. Student needs and demographics, and,
    5. Resource capacity.
  5. Delivery mode for each program must be approved by the NSCC Board of Governors and the Department of Advanced Education.
  6. Technical training apprenticeship programs will be guided by definitions and guidelines jointly defined and stewarded by NSAA and NSCC.
3. Program Delivery Exceptions and Considerations
  1. Faculty members or Departments do not have the discretion to make changes to program delivery modes once they’ve been finalized and approved.
  2. In the event of exceptional circumstances that prevent delivery or attendance in the approved delivery mode, accommodations may be made if approved by the Academic Dean.
  3. Accommodations and the process for approving requests are outlined in the NSCC Remote Attendance Guidelines.
4. Roles and Responsibilities
  1. Academic School Deans
    1. Set direction for School program delivery mode options.
    2. Review and approve requests for changes to existing program delivery modes or assignment of delivery mode to new programs.
  2. Campus Teams
    1. Academic Chairs and faculty may inform or make recommendations to program delivery modes.
    2. With a campus and provincial perspective, Campus Principals in collaboration with Deans will review and approve program delivery modes for each section at the campus.
  3. Academic Development
    1. Assess program curriculum and make recommendations for program delivery modes to Deans.
  4. Centre for Teaching and Learning
    1. Develop resources to support Academic Schools and Campus teams to make informed decisions and prepare for course delivery.
  5. Academic Operations and Planning
    1. Steward the Program Delivery Policy in collaboration with the Centre for Teaching and Learning.
    2. Support the planning process with Academic, and Campuses and Communities, to establish the program mix which is inclusive of program delivery type and supporting materials.

Policy Supports

11.01 Work Integrated Learning Policy
22.01 Evaluation Policy
23.11 Grading Policy
41.21 Educational Equity Policy