Awarding Credit for Continuing Education Units

Awarding credit for continuing education coursework should be a transparent process that includes the assurance of applicability toward a technical degree or certificate program. Students must be at least 16 years old to participate. To that end, two issues are critical: (1) determining the comparability of the non-credit course to the credit course and (2) meeting SACS criteria.

Panola College students who have successfully completed continuing education (CEU) courses offered by Panola College Workforce and Continuing Education could be eligible for equivalent semester course credit pending appropriate Dean approval. Courses approved as workforce education courses are offered in the Workforce Education Course Manual.

• CEU coursework must be demonstrated to be substantially the same as the equivalent SCH coursework.
• SCH equivalencies for CEU courses must be fully documented to show that individual continuing education students have met the same or similar objectives, rigor, course evaluation process, and course competencies.
• Faculty qualification standards are the same as would be required in the equivalent SCH course.

In addition to the General Rules and Regulations for Credit Awards, professors must sign and submit a Continuing Education Hours (CEU) Course Equivalency Evaluation Form to the school dean of the appropriate WECM technical program in which the course(s) reside. The professor will ensure that the following required criteria are evaluated and documented prior to recommending a SCH course equivalency for CEU coursework:

1. The actual number of class/lab (contact) hours in the CEU course is comparable to the approved number of contact hours for the SCH WECM equivalent course.
2. The instructor of the CEU class holds the credentials/experience that would be required of an instructor teaching the SCH equivalent of the WECM course, as defined by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS).
3. The course tasks, competencies, and learning outcomes for the CEU course are equivalent to those of the SCH version of the WECM course.
4. The course requirements for satisfactory completion of the CEU course are equivalent to those of the SCH version of the WECM course.
5. Students in the CEU course are evaluated/assessed comparably to students in the equivalent SCH version of the WECM course.
6. The student has received a satisfactory (passing) final grade for the CEU course.

Department directors may consider additional criteria such as results from formal certification or licensure exams taken as part of or at the conclusion of the CEU course. Appropriate documentation of any additional criteria considered by the department director must be included with the Continuing Education Hours (CEU) Course Equivalency Evaluation Form.

1. In documenting the equivalency of CEU coursework to SCH coursework, the department chair may utilize any of the following to establish sufficient justification for recommending a SCH equivalency for a CEU course.
   1. Written documentation provided by the student and/or instructor of a course syllabus, lesson plans, assignments, attendance records, test scores, and final grade.
   2. Interview with student and/or instructor of record.
   3. Written documentation of instructor credentials including official transcripts, resumes, and/or work experience for the instructor of record.
   4. Written documentation from and/or interview with the provider institution of the CEU course.

Based on the documentation and evaluation of the CEU coursework, the department director may:

1. Recommend approval of equivalent SCH course credit to the appropriate director or dean or
2. Close the request with no recommendation for approval. The department chair will notify the student promptly when the request for SCH equivalent course credit is closed with no recommendation for approval.

When a school dean receives a recommendation from a department director for equivalent SCH course credit for a CEU course, the dean may:

1. Recommend approval of equivalent SCH course credit to the Vice President of Instruction or
2. Close the request with no recommendation for approval. The school dean will notify the student promptly when the request for SCH equivalent course credit is closed with no recommendation for approval.

When the Vice President for Instruction receives a recommendation from the Dean for equivalent SCH course credit for a CEU course, the Vice President of Instruction may approve the equivalent SCH course credit or close the request with no recommendation for approval. The Vice President of Instruction will notify the student promptly when the request for SCH equivalent course credit is closed with no recommendation for approval.

When the Vice President of Instruction approves an equivalent SCH course,

1. The original approved form and related documentation are submitted to the Admissions and Records Office.
2. A copy of the approval form and related documentation is forwarded to the School Dean's office and Department Director.
3. There is no charge for articulating continuing education credit earned at Panola College to credit-bearing coursework.