2.3.5lp Substantive Change Procedure

Reviewed: August 2014, February 2024
Modified: June 2012, August 2014, October 2023, February 2024
Scope: Faculty & Staff
Contact: Vice President of Institutional Effectiveness
Owner: President
References: SBTCSG Policy 2.3.5, SACSCOC The Principles of Accreditation, p. 10
Forms: Program-Course Crosswalk Form, No-Action Memo Form

Procedure Descriptor:

The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) defines substantive change as "a significant modification or expansion of the nature or scope of an accredited institution."

Lanier Technical College (LTC) is responsible for compliance with the SACSCOC Substantive Change Policy as a condition of its continued accreditation. Substantive changes may include, but are not limited to, the addition of courses or programs that represent a significant departure — either in content or method of delivery — from those that were offered when the institution was last evaluated, establishing a new site at which students can earn 50% or more of the credits toward a LTC program, and distance education delivery of 50% or more of an educational program.

Additional substantive changes include, but are not limited to, the following:

Initiating coursework or programs at a more advanced level than currently approved
Expanding a current degree level
Initiating a branch campus
Initiating a certificate program at employer's request and on short notice (typically for workforce development)
Initiating other certificate programs
Altering significantly the educational mission or objectives of the institution
Initiating joint or dual degrees (or other collaborative academic arrangement) with another institution
Initiating off-campus sites (including Early College High School programs offered at the high school)
Expanding program offerings at previously approved off-campus sites
Altering significantly the length of a program
Initiating distance learning
Initiating programs/courses offered through contractual agreement or consortium
Entering into a contract with an entity not certified to participate in USDOE Title IV programs
Initiating a merger/consolidation with another institution
Changing governance, ownership, control, or legal status
Relocating a main or branch campus
Moving an off-campus instructional site
Changing from clock hours to credit hours
Initiating degree completion programs
Closing a program, approved off-campus site, branch campus, or institution
Acquiring any program or site from another institution
Adding a permanent location at a site where the institution is conducting a teach-out for students from another institution that is closing

The LTC Substantive Change Procedure is published in LTC's Policy and Procedure Manual. In addition, the Vice President of Institutional Effectiveness shares the procedure and/or changes to the procedure as needed with the college Leadership Team and reviews with college faculty and staff on an annual basis.

LTC must notify SACSCOC of potential or actual substantive change in a timely fashion, and in many cases must receive approval for such change from the Commission before the initiative is implemented. SACSCOC is required by the federal government to monitor its constituents' compliance with the substantive change policy and to grant permission for major changes to occur. In order to ensure LTC's compliance, anyone proposing to change the list of programs offered by LTC or to implement other major initiatives should review the substantive change policy for LTC as well as the relevant portion of the SACSCOC website: http://www.sacscoc.org/SubstantiveChange.asp.

Administrative Responsibility

The President, Vice President of Academic Affairs, Academic Deans, and Director of Curriculum, Instruction, and Professional Development have the fundamental responsibility to be generally aware of SACSCOC's substantive change policy and to inform LTC's SACSCOC Liaison at the earliest point possible of proposals that may be considered a substantive change for the college.

For changes to an existing program, the Academic Dean and Director of Curriculum, Instruction, and Professional Devvelopment, snd the Program Director must provide the SACSCOC Liaison with a crosswalk form that shows the relationship between the existing and proposed revised curricula. The Institutional Effectiveness Office will use this form to determine the amount of new or changed course content and make a determination of whether the revision constitutes a substantive change and form of notification, if any, should be submitted to SACSCOC. In the event that no notification to SACSCOC is required, the Institutional Effectiveness Office will create and archive a memo to file, recording this internal decision. A copy of the memo will be forwarded to Academic Affairs.

The President or SACSCOC Liaison is responsible for notifying the Commission of any substantive changes. The President must review and sign all substantive change notification letters.

All substantive changes and internal decisisions will be recorded and published on LTC's Substantive Change Log.

SACSCOC Liaison Responsibility

Every SACSCOC member institution has an accreditation liaison whose charge is to ensure compliance with accreditation requirements. Responsibilities include:

Providing the President, Vice Presidents, Assistant Vice Presidents, and Academic Deans with information about the SACSCOC Substantive Change Policy. This includes, but is not limited to, maintaining a section of the Office of Institutional Effectiveness page on the college intranet concerning substantive change.
Providing a list of examples of substantive changes on the Office of Institutional Effectiveness intranet page.
Working with the President, Vice Presidents, Assistant Vice Presidents, and Academic Deans to determine whether a proposed change is substantive.
Filing the appropriate notices or prospecti with SACSCOC and providing required supporting documentation.
Preparing documentation for and organizing any onsite substantive change committee visits with assistance from other departments as needed.
Coordinating with SACSCOC and the President, Vice Presidents, Assistant Vice Presidents, Academic Deans, and director-level staff about any required follow-up action.
Ensuring the policy is reviewed by Leadership Team and distributed to faculty and staff on an annual basis.

Attention to Distance Education

Issues related to distance education that might be considered substantive change tend to be gradual in nature; thus this area requires special monitoring.

In order to ensure distance-education related substantive change is identified and acted upon in a timely way, the College must consistently:

Monitor the percentage of credit courses in any degree, diploma, or certificate program offered via distance education and regularly informing the SACSCOC Liaison of the percentage of distance education courses offered in each educational program
Regularly inform the SACSCOC Liaison of all educational awards that can be earned solely through distance education coursework
Ensure that any course offered via distance education, whether fully online, hybrid, or web-enhanced, is the equivalent of the same traditional classroom course in terms of course competencies and course learning outcomes
Ensure that there is evidence of collaboration among program administration, traditional classroom instructors, and instructors of distance education courses in determining course materials, and
Ensure that resources available for distance education courses are the equivalent of resources available to students in traditional classroom courses.

Monitoring is to be done by the Assistant Vice President of Academic Affairs or other designee of the VP of Academic Affairs.

Procedure and Time of Notification

The SACSCOC policy statement for reporting substantive change, as specified in the Commission's document Substantive Change for Accredited Institutions of the Commission on Colleges, is the fundamental resource for reporting substantive change. The policy statement can be found at the following address: http://www.sacscoc.org/pdf/081705/Substantive%20Change%20policy.pdf.

Notification to SACSCOC Liaison of Proposed Changes:

If a change is substantive, SACSCOC must be notified as much as 12 months in advance of implementing the change. LTC must provide written notification of the change to the President of the Commission. Upon becoming aware of a proposed change that may be substantive, the President, Vice Presidents, Assistant Vice Presidents, and Academic Deans proposing the change should notify the SACSCOC Liaison utilizing the SACSCOC Checklist.

Late Notification to SACSCOC Liaison:

If it is discovered that a program or site which may be considered a substantive change has been implemented without notifying the Commission, the President, Vice Presidents, Assistant Vice Presidents, or Academic Deans have responsibility to notify the SACSCOC Liaison immediately. It is then the responsibility of the President to notify SACSCOC as provided in the SACSCOC Policy.