Distance Education Student Classification and Admissions

To set forth campus-level policy under which students shall be admitted and classified as “Distance Education student.”

1. “Distance education” is instruction delivered synchronously or asynchronously using one or more technologies that support regular and substantive interaction between students who are separated from the instructor.
2. “Distance Learning” and “Online Learning” may be used synonymously to mean Distance education.
3. “Distance Education programs” are those degree and certificate programs that have secured formal approval from the WASC Senior Colleges and University Commission to be delivered by UH West Oʻahu in distance education modalities.
4. “Distance Education students” are those students who reside in the United States and are accepted for enrollment in any UHWO Distance Education program as defined above and further defined as to not include in-person contact hours nor hybrid instructional methods.

1. Students who are admitted and classified as Distance Education (DE) students are eligible to enroll only in courses offered through distance education modalities. This does not include those offered via hybrid instructional methods.
2. DE students shall have priority registration for select DE-designated courses. Instructional divisions shall endeavor to identify and prioritize sections of courses for the registration of DE students.
3. Prospective applicants with sixty (60) transferable college-level semester credits from a regionally-accredited institution with a minimum 2.0 GPA are eligible to apply to a Distance Education (DE) degree program at UH West O‘ahu. Prospective applicants applying to Distance Education (DE) certificate programs are advised to check with the program for prerequiste and transfer requirements.
   1. Prospective applicants shall be advised of any unfulfilled lower-division course requirements for their particular DE program at initial entry or transfer into UHWO and be made aware that these requirements are not guaranteed to be offered online through UH West O‘ahu
   2. Prospective applicants shall be individually notified whether the selected degree (or certificate) program leads to professional licensure or certification in the state where the prospective student is currently located. A list of selected DE program(s) of study leading to state professional licensure or certification shall be maintained by the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs.
4. Newly admitted students shall be classified as a DE student by selecting a concentration (or certificate) in an approved DE program.
5. Current UH West O‘ahu students may contact their College Success Advisors for assistance with changing their enrollment student status (i.e., DE Student to non-DE Student and vice versa) via the University’s Change of Major form and process. However, for the change to be processed, the student’s request must be submitted for the following term no later than the day prior to the first day of registration for that term.
6. The manner by which DE student designation is established and maintained shall be done to facilitate accurate reporting of all students completing their course of study fully online at UHWO.

The UH West O‘ahu Chancellor delegates to the Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs the responsibility of faithfully executing this policy through the Office of Distance Learning and in consultation with the Office of Enrollment Services.

Office of the Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs, 689-2300.

RP 5.211, “Admissions”
RP 5.214, “Student and Credit Transfer within the University”
WASC Senior and College and University Commission website for UH West O‘ahu

None.