Section 1009.30  Institution Approval Requirements

a)         In order to be approved to offer dual credit courses in Illinois, an institution must maintain the following standards:

1)         State Laws and Regulations and Accreditation Standards 

A)        Institutions must have operating authority, in the Higher Education Region in which coursework will be offered, under BHE rules (23 Ill. Adm. Code 1030 (Program Review (Private Colleges and Universities)) for private colleges and universities and 23 Ill. Adm. Code 1050 (Approval of New Units of Instruction, Research and Public Service at Public Institutions) for public universities).

B)        Institutions must provide evidence of accreditation by a body recognized by the U.S. Department of Education and/or the Council for Higher Education Accreditation. 

C)        Institutions must comply with all State laws, State agency regulations, accreditation standards, and institution policies that apply to courses and instructional procedures. 

D)        All academic standards at the college or university must apply to college-level courses offered by the institution on campus, at off-campus sites, and at secondary schools.

E)        These policies, regulations, instructional procedures and academic standards apply to students, faculty and staff associated with these courses.

2)         Faculty

A)        The instructors for these courses shall be selected, assigned and evaluated by the college or university.  They shall be selected from individuals with appropriate credentials and demonstrated teaching competencies at the college level. 

i)          For transfer courses, these qualifications include a minimum of a Master's degree with 18 graduate hours appropriate to the academic field or discipline in which they are teaching. 

ii)         For Career and Technical Education (CTE) courses, these qualifications include 2,000 hours of work experience and the appropriate recognizable credential depending on the specific field.

iii)        Exceptions may be made for professional experience, equivalent training and other qualifications; however, these should be the exceptions and not the rule in meeting faculty qualification requirements.  These exceptions for faculty may be reviewed by the Board staff.

B)        Institutions shall provide high school instructors with an orientation in course curriculum, assessment methods, and administrative requirements before high school instructors are permitted to teach dual credit courses (Section 20 of the Act).

C)        Dual credit instructors must be given the opportunity to participate in all activities available to other adjunct faculty, including professional development, seminars, site visits, and internal communication, provided that such opportunities do not interfere with an instructor's regular teaching duties (Section 20 of the Act). 

3)         Qualification of Students

A)        Students accepted for enrollment in college-level courses must have appropriate academic qualifications, a high level of motivation, and adequate time to devote to studying a college-level course.

B)        Students shall select dual credit courses in consultation with high school counselors and/or principals and participation is restricted to those who are able to demonstrate readiness for college-level work, as determined by placement procedures consistent with those that would be used with college-level students at the offering institution of higher education.

C)        Students shall meet all college criteria and follow all college or university procedures for enrolling in courses.

4)         Placement Testing and Prerequisites

High school students enrolling in college-level courses must satisfy course placement tests or course prerequisites established and administered by the college or university, when applicable, to ensure that they have the same qualifications and preparation as other college students.

5)         Course Offerings

Institutions shall offer for dual credit only coursework that is also offered on campus.  Courses must have been articulated with at least three regionally-accredited Illinois universities.

6)         Course Requirements

A)        The content of each dual credit course shall be the same as courses offered on campus and at other off-campus sites and shall contain the same content as the master course that has been articulated with coursework at Illinois institutions.

B)        Course prerequisites, descriptions, outlines, requirements, learning outcomes and methods of evaluating students shall be the same as for on-campus offerings.

C)        Every dual credit course must be reviewed annually by faculty through the appropriate college or university department to ensure consistency with campus courses (Section 20 of the Act).

7)         Publications and Information  

Higher education institutions offering dual credit courses must provide students with catalog information including: course descriptions, course prerequisites, enrollment and admissions processes, course costs, fail and repeatability policies, transcripts and records information, and information about situations in which earned credits will be accepted.

8)         Distance Education

A)        The institution must provide students, faculty and staff with effective technical support and training for any educational technology hardware, software and delivery system that will be used.

B)        The help desk function must be available to students during hours when it is likely to be needed, which shall be, at a minimum, 18 hours a day.

C)        Appropriate admissions processes, policies and assessments must be used to ensure that students are capable of succeeding in an online environment and that students are adequately informed of the nature and expectations of online learning. 

D)        Appropriate measures of security systems must be maintained. 

E)        Assessments of student learning, especially exams, must take place in circumstances that include student identification and assurance of the integrity of student work.

(Source:  Amended at 42 Ill. Reg. 59, effective December 19, 2017)