BACKGROUND

The Credit Hour Policy is intended to reflect Reach University’s commitment to best practices in higher education and demonstrate consistency with credit hour requirements dictated by federal law (600.2 and 600.4), updated July 1, 2020, to shift responsibility for compliance to the accreditation agency and/or state. This updated policy is in compliance with WSCUC guidelines (implementation date of June 2021) and the Reach Institute for School Leadership Credit Hour Policy originating in 2016.

PURPOSE

The purpose of this policy is to define the amount of instruction and candidate work equivalent to a credit hour or one unit of class. This policy also establishes a mechanism for periodic review of credit hour assignments to courses to ensure accuracy and consistency as well as adherence to standard higher education practices.

Reach University is pioneering a new era in higher education where a job leads to a degree instead of the other way around. Through job-embedded learning, Reach’s unique undergraduate and graduate degree programs leverage candidates’ workplaces as learning spaces, allowing employers to grow their own talent pipelines and working adults to earn a degree and/or a credential. Our approach and definition of Academic Instruction, Academic Preparation and Applied Practica reflect our approach to job-embedded degree and credential attainment.

DEFINITIONS

Academic Instruction (class time): Defined course activities related to the academic subject that may include but are not limited to: submitting an academic assignment, engaging in or listening to class seminars or discussions (synchronous or asynchronous), taking an exam, participating in interactive Oxford Tutorials, contributing to academic online discussions, or similar academic activity.
Academic Preparation (out-of-class preparation): Course activities related to preparation for academic instruction including but are not limited to: subject-matter research, reading, conducting research, reviewing course content, and completing practice-based assignments and projects.
Applied Practica (job-embedded learning): Practica assignments are course activities that are embedded in the candidate’s actual work responsibilities. Practica are designed to integrate with the candidate’s regular teaching, leadership or other ‘on-the-job’ related tasks and assignments. Residency hours, applied assignments, participation in coaching and formative assessment, peer collaboration, observation of work practices, and performance assessments are examples of job-embedded course activities.

Credit Hour: WSCUC defines a credit hour as an amount of work represented in stated learning outcomes and verified by evidence of candidate achievement. Reach University defines a credit hour as follows:

1 Credit Hour = 45 hours of combined Academic Instruction (class time), Academic Preparation (out-of-class preparation), and Applied Practica (job-embedded)

Credit Hour Policy

Transferring Credit into Liberal Arts BA Program

The transfer policy for the Oxford Teachers College at Reach is designed to honor incoming candidates’ previously-earned course credits from accredited institutions while maintaining the standards of the job-embedded Liberal Studies BA degree. Because of the intentional design of the program, all candidates transferring into Reach OTC will complete general education requirements in a timely manner prior to graduation.

Candidates may transfer 30 credits from an accredited institution to be admitted to the OTC program at Reach University.

To apply 30 transfer units, candidates must have completed the following courses or their equivalent from an accredited institution:

Process for Transferring Credit

Applicants may request a review of previously transcripted coursework for equivalencies or transfer credit by submitting a Transfer Request Form, official transcripts, and course syllabi (or official course catalog descriptions at a minimum) to Candidate Services. The request will be reviewed by the Dean of Undergraduate Studies and must be approved (or not) prior to the student’s start in the program.

Recognized Prior Experience

Candidates transferring into the BA degree program in Liberal Studies may be eligible to receive credit for documented work experience. Candidates may count up to 150 hours of work experience (the equivalent of 3 credits). Previous experience is cumulative and can be from multiple places of employment. Proof of a minimum of 150 hours of previous work experience with experience/ recommendation/ endorsement from employer(s).

Articulation Agreements with Partner Schools

In addition to our effort to simplify transfer policies to alleviate the burden students often face when determining transfer credit, Reach is in the process of developing articulation agreements with several institutions in the areas we serve.

By focusing on the core competencies that candidates must cover in order to begin the program in the appropriate pathway, we are able to accept a wider range of courses as transfer credit to minimize the loss transfer students face when entering the Liberal Arts undergraduate program. The course areas we require give incoming transfers a sufficient foundation for success.

In accordance with the mission, Reach is prioritizing articulation agreements with colleges near our school partners in Louisiana, Alabama, Arkansas, and California.

Please check back soon for a complete list of our current partnership institutions.

OTC Transfer Credit Policies

Policies

Grievances and Appeals

Informal Grievance Procedure

A candidate who has problems arising from conflicts with faculty, evaluation results, advancement, degree/credential requirements, policies, probation conditions, or disqualification should discuss them first with either a Candidate Success Advisor or a faculty member. If a candidate wishes to review a problem or to appeal a decision, s/he should then consult with the Dean of Undergraduate Studies. Should questions arise beyond this point with respect to where or to whom a specific appeal should be directed, the Candidate Services lead may be consulted for advice. After all of the informal procedures for grievances and appeals have been exhausted, the formal grievance procedures may be initiated.

Formal Grievance Procedures

Upon request made in writing to the Dean of Undergraduate Studies, or should the program director deem it necessary, a disciplinary/grievance committee will be assembled. Prior to assembling the committee, the Dean of Undergraduate Studies will determine whether the informal grievance procedure has been exhausted and may require additional steps be taken through the informal grievance process, and a new written notice be given, prior to convening a committee. Once it is determined that a disciplinary/grievance committee is appropriate, the committee will be assembled within 30 calendar days of receiving the written request, and members will include, but are not limited to a member from the executive leadership at Reach and a Reach faculty member. Findings of the disciplinary committee may be appealed to the full Board of Directors as necessary. The decisions of the Board of Directors are final.

Equal Opportunity and Non-Discrimination

It is the policy of Reach University and its Board of Directors to maintain an organizational working and learning environment free of all forms of unlawful discrimination and all forms of harassment, exploitation, or intimidation, including sexual harassment.

Equal Opportunity

Reach University affords equal opportunity to all employees and prospective employees, volunteers, candidates, and other participants without regard to race, color, religion, citizenship, political activity or affiliation, marital status, age, national origin, ancestry, physical or mental disability, medical condition (as defined under California law), veteran status, family care status, sexual orientation, sex (which includes gender and gender identity, pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), taking or requesting statutorily protected leave, or any other basis protected by law.

Complaint Procedure

Any candidate who believes that she/he/they has been discriminated against, should bring their concerns to the attention of appropriate Reach personnel consistent with the grievance procedures outlined in these policies.

Consequences

Reach University will not tolerate any form of discrimination and will take appropriate disciplinary action, including possible termination, of any person determined to have engaged in unlawful conduct under this policy.

No Retaliation

Retaliation (including intimidation, threats, coercion or discrimination) against an individual for raising an allegation of sexual harassment or discrimination is prohibited.

Academic Freedom

“Institutions of higher education are conducted for the common good and not to further the interest of either the individual teacher or the institution as a whole. The common good depends upon the free search for truth and its free exposition.”

American Association of University Professors (AAUP) 1940 Statement of Principles of Academic Freedom

The Reach Academic Freedom Policy values the intellectual dynamism that comes from the free flow of ideas while simultaneously providing for the need to have a cohesive and coherent academic program that is consistent with accreditation requirements and other public commitments. Nothing in this policy supersedes any policy outlined in the personnel policies.

Individual Faculty Academic Freedom Principle

Faculty members are expected to work collaboratively, as a whole faculty and in work groups, to establish communities of practice that negotiate pedagogical and curricular decisions. At the same time, Reach faculty should feel empowered to respond appropriately to their candidates’ needs and to proceed in the best interests of their candidates. The “Reach way” is simultaneously intended to provide focus, cohesion and guidance AND to be continuously reinvented as part of ongoing collaboration. Faculty members work with supervising Deans and the University Provost to develop their courses and approaches consistent with policy.

Collective Faculty Academic Freedom Principle

Issues of academic quality and program integrity affect all faculty and staff. Reach believes that all faculty members should have input into decisions that affect them, and program directors are required to develop work teams and make decisions on this basis. Reach University has adopted the Academic Freedom Policy of the American Association of Graduate School Professors:

Faculty are entitled to full freedom in research and in the publication of the results, subject to the adequate performance of their other academic duties; research for pecuniary return should be based upon an understanding with the authorities of the institution.

Faculty are entitled to freedom in the classroom in discussing their subject, but they should be careful not to introduce into their teaching controversial matter, which has no relation to their subject.

Reach University faculty are citizens, members of a learned profession, and officers of an educational institution. When they speak or write as citizens, they should be free from institutional censorship or discipline, but their special position in the community imposes special obligations. As scholars and educational officers, they should remember that the public might judge their profession and their institution by their utterances. Hence they should at all times be accurate, should exercise appropriate restraint, should show respect for the opinions of others, and should make every effort to indicate that they are not speaking for the university.

Educational Program Alignment

In order to maintain quality and consistency of the education program, individual faculty members may not do the following:

Modify or adjust core outcomes and core assessments (which are defined by the program narratives and interpreted by the program directors and the supervising Deans).
Modify the amount of the scope of candidate engagement in learning for a defined course (combining seminar time, online collaboration, and individual practicum & coaching).

Modify a course in such a way as to jeopardize accreditation.

Faculty have the freedom to:

Make adjustments and modifications to non-core outcomes and assessments for either the whole cohort or individual candidates with extenuating circumstances.
Make decisions about what grades will be awarded, including whether individual candidates pass the course.
Make adjustments to the content and sequence of the course concepts in response to emergent candidate needs, consistent with agreed upon learning objectives.
Make decisions about pedagogical approaches consistent with these policies.
Create new courses, following the Reach University Decision-Making protocol and requisite approvals.
Adapt the course syllabus to reflect their priorities and interests consistent with the program’s learning objectives.
Design and supervise courses of individualized study with the approval of the supervising dean and university Provost.
Research, publish and present at academic conferences
Freely express their ideas as they pertain to their course.

Institutional Review Board (IRB)

IRB Policy

General Complaint Procedures

Reach University takes very seriously complaints and concerns regarding the institution. If you have a complaint regarding Reach University, you may present your complaint to:

The Dean of Students for your respective program

These contacts will provide you with an explanation of the campus process for addressing your particular complaint(s) and answer any questions you may have to assure you a fair process. If you believe that your complaint warrants further attention after exhausting all the steps outlined in the writing given to you by the Dean of Students, you may contact:

The Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) if your complaint is about the institution’s compliance with academic program quality and accrediting standards. WASC is the academic accrediting body for Reach University.

If you believe that your complaint continues to warrant further consideration after exhausting the review of either WASC or the investigative team representing Reach University, you may submit a complaint to the Attorney General of the State of California by filing a complaint form with the Public Inquiry Unit of the California State Department of Justice at:

Public Inquiry Unit: 916-322-3360; 800-952-5225; fax: 916-323-5341, or
Online form to submit a complaint to the Attorney General of California

The Attorney General’s Office will review the process through which the campus attempted to resolve your complaint. If the process complies with the written outline, the Attorney General’s Office will, for the purposes of state oversight, consider the matter closed. If the Attorney General determines that the process through which the campus attempted to resolve your complaint did not comply with its published process, the Attorney General may request reconsideration by Reach University. The Attorney General’s Office also has oversight of Reach University as authorized through the “Supervision of Trustees and Fundraisers for Charitable Purposes Act” [Cal. Gov’t Code § 12598], which provides public means to submit complaints regarding non-profit colleges and universities that abuse their status under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (23 U.S.C. §501(c)(3). The California Attorney General is given broad powers to undertake law enforcement investigations and legal actions to protect the public interest under Cal. Gov’t Code § 12598.

Nothing in this disclosure limits any right that you may have to seek civil or criminal legal action to resolve your complaints. Reach University has provided this disclosure to you in compliance with the requirements of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended, as regulated in CFR 34, Sections 600.9 (b) (3) and 668.43(b). If anything in this disclosure is out of date, please notify the Dean of Students.

Pursuant to Section 600.9 of Title 34 of the Code of Federal Regulations and in accord with California Education Code Agreement 94878.9, an individual may contact the Bureau for Private Postsecondary Education for review of a complaint. The bureau may be contacted at:

Address: 2535 Capitol Oaks Drive, Suite 400

Sacramento CA 95833

Telephone: 916-431-6924

FAX: 916-26-1897

Website: Bureau for Private Postsecondary Education