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Procedure
Durham Technical Community College (Durham Tech) provides its students with an opportunity to acquire meaningful credentials and secure living-wage employment through education and training. The College awards credit to students for noncredit coursework completed at Durham Tech when there is documentation that the Continuing Education (non-credit) coursework is equivalent to a designated credit experience.
Credit for Continuing Education (non-credit) coursework differs from credit for professional credentials and credit for experiential learning. Students interested in receiving curriculum credit for professional credentials should consult the College’s Academic Credit for Professional Credentials. Students interested in credit for experiential learning should contact Student Information and Records.
The awarding of curriculum credit for completion of Continuing Education (non-credit) coursework is built upon the following mutually supporting forms:
Continuing Education (CE) Course of Study to Curriculum (CU) Credit Equivalency Form – This form* is completed by the appropriate Continuing Education/noncredit dean in collaboration with the appropriate curriculum dean for any course designated for articulation credit. Course competencies include, but are not limited to, a comprehensive demonstration of all learning outcomes and course content. *Please see the last page of the printable version of this procedure.
Employee Credentials Request and Approval Form (available via the Employees shared folder or by request from Human Resources) – This form records all courses in which the designated faculty member is credentialed to teach and must be submitted with the Continuing Education (CE) Course of Study to Curriculum (CU) Credit Equivalency Form. Parts 4 and 7 must be completed, and all relevant credentialing documentation for the designated faculty must be attached to the form.
Application Process
Students who wish to have a noncredit course considered for credit must contact Student Information and Records for referral to the appropriate program director. Employees who wish to have a noncredit course considered for credit should first contact the Continuing Education/noncredit dean. Students and employees should be aware that course articulation is not automatic, and the process typically takes as long as sixteen (16) weeks depending on whether a course has already been deemed appropriate for articulation. Please note that specific accrediting bodies may prohibit some programs from awarding credit.
Articulation Process
The Continuing Education/noncredit dean will meet with the curriculum dean to complete the equivalency form. The deans will also discuss issues such as accreditation that might impact articulation.
The Continuing Education/noncredit dean will forward the completed documentation to the Vice President, Corporate Education, Continuing Education, and Public Safety Services. He or she will review the documentation and request additional information, if necessary.
Upon approval, the Vice President, Corporate Education, Continuing Education, and Public Safety Services will forward the documentation to the Vice President, Student Learning and Instructional Services for consideration. He or she will review the documentation and request additional information, if necessary.
Upon approval, the Vice President, Student Learning and Instructional Services will forward the documentation to Student Information and Records for processing. Upon awarding of credit, Student Information and Records will return all documentation to Student Learning and Instructional Services.
The Vice President, Student Learning and Instructional Services will notify the curriculum dean and the Vice President, Corporate Education, Continuing Education, and Public Safety Services of the decision. The Vice President, Corporate Education, Continuing Education, and Public Safety Services will notify the Continuing Education/noncredit dean. If a student initiated the request, the dean will notify the student.
Continuing Education (non-credit) to credit equivalency information will be posted to the College’s website with the appropriate program plan of study. Articulated credit is applied toward the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) requirement that at least twenty-five percent (25%) of the credit hours required for a Durham Tech degree must be earned through instruction offered by the College.
Definitions
Articulation – The process by which noncredit coursework is matched with curriculum coursework for the purposes of granting students earned credit for successful completion of competencies shared by curriculum programs and Continuing Education courses.
Credit – Academic credit that appears on a student’s transcript. This credit may not necessarily be applied toward a degree.
Continuing Education (non-credit) Coursework – Continuing Education (non-credit) coursework is intended for students who want to gain general knowledge, learn a new skill, upgrade existing skills, enrich their understanding of a wide range of topics, or develop personal interests. Noncredit courses may not be applicable toward a degree. Upon completion of a noncredit course, students can earn a noncredit vocational certificate of completion or competency and may receive a grade of pass or no pass.