Educational Initiatives and Innovation

Educational Initiatives and Innovation

Regulatory Compliance and Online Learning Policies at UM

Information about state authorization, regulatory compliance and online education policies at the Montana University System (MUS) and the University of Montana (UM) can be found below. 

State Authorization Compliance

  • STATE AUTHORIZATION RECIPROCITY AGREEMENT (SARA) 

    The State Authorization Reciprocity Agreement (SARA) is a national initiative to provide more access to online courses while maintaining compliance standards with state regulatory agencies. SARA allows institutions to provide online courses outside of their own state borders by seeking and maintaining state approvals via a streamlined process. To learn more about SARA, please visit: nc-sara.org

    A "State Authorization Reciprocity Agreement" is an agreement among its member states, districts and U.S. territories that establishes comparable standards for offering postsecondary distance education courses and programs. Participation in SARA provides UM with authorization to provide postsecondary distance education to students in other States and territories covered by the agreement.

    Limitations: SARA applies only to distance education activities conducted across state lines. SARA does not affect the applicability of general-purpose state laws such as business registries, general-purpose consumer protection laws, worker’s compensation laws and the like. SARA also does not affect the applicability of state professional licensing or other regulatory agency requirements. 

    UM Designated NCSARA Contact 

    The University of Montana is a member of NC-SARA. If you have questions about NC-SARA please reach out to Eric Vorkoeper.

Professional Licensure

In compliance with U.S. Department of Education regulations and as an institution participating in the State Authorization and Reciprocity Agreement (SARA), the University of Montana is required to maintain specific information regarding its programs designed to meet the educational requirements for a specific professional licensure or certification required for employment in an occupation. UM is also required to disclose this information to prospective and current students about whether program completion would meet state and/ or state licensing board requirements in any given U.S. state or territory, for each of its programs designed to meet the educational requirements for a specific professional licensure or certification required for employment in an occupation. 

If you plan to pursue employment in a licensed profession, it is important to understand state and/or state licensing board requirements. Please consult our Professional Licensure website for more information 

Student Location Procedure

  • The Student Location Determination Policy can be reviewed on the UM Operating Policies website. 

    Institutional Procedures  

    1. Professional Licensure/ Certification Cohorts: UM will determine the location of a student for the purposes of providing professional licensure disclosures in the following ways: 
      1. Prospective Students: The Permanent Address§ submitted by students via the Customer Relationship Management (CRM) admissions platform will be used for the purposes of determining a prospective student’s physical location. 
      2. Current Students/ Relocating Students: The Permanent Address on record will be used as a default for the purposes of determining a current student’s physical location. The Registrar’s Office sends regular notifications to all students prior to census or the end of the third week of instruction in any given semester, reminding students to update their physical location data in GrizPortal (a web-based portal integrated with the UM SIS). The aforementioned default physical location will be used until such time that the University receives a student’s formal request to update their physical location address. Upon a student’s request to change their address, the new “physical location” address will be used as the default for determining the student’s physical location. 
    2. State Authorization and Reciprocity Agreement (SARA): UM will determine the location of students for the purposes of reporting the number of distance education enrollments and out-of-state learning placements (OOSLP) to the National Council for State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements (NC-SARA). No identifying information of the student is reported to NC-SARA other than the student’s physical location.  
      1. Distance Education Enrollments: The physical location of students will be reported to NC-SARA for students who are enrolled exclusively in distance education courses. The Registrar’s Office sends regular notifications to all students prior to census or the end of the third week of instruction each semester. This notification reminds students to update their physical location data in GrizPortal if it changes at any time during the semester. 
      2. Out-of-State Learning Placements: The physical location of students participating in OOSLPs will be reported to NC-SARA. The Experiential Learning and Career Success (ELCS) office at UM is responsible for collecting this information. OOSLPs are tracked through a digital platform used to facilitate internships and other experiential learning activities by units on campus. ELCS works on an individual basis to collect OOSLP information for units that have opted out of using the digital platform. 

Student Identity Verification Procedure for Distance Education

  • This document outlines the processes and procedures regarding student identity verification at the University of Montana.

    Institutional Procedures

    • Instructors shall require students in distance education courses and programs to verify their identity when necessary to support academic integrity and student authentication.
    • The University of Montana facilitates identity verification via the learning management system (LMS) used to administer distance education courses and programs.
    • Any electronic identity verification software must be reviewed and approved through appropriate University information technology and procurement processes prior to implementation.
    • Students must be notified of any projected additional student charges associated with the verification of student identity at the time of registration or enrollment.
    • Students who are unable to use electronic identity verification software must be provided a reasonable alternative method of verifying their identity by the course instructor.
    • Courses requiring student identity verification processes must disclose this requirement in their course syllabus.
    • The University of Montana will provide reasonable accommodations in accordance with applicable disability laws, university policies, and approved academic accommodation processes.

    Responsibilities

    • Academic units are responsible for ensuring compliance with University of Montana policy 1901 Student Identity Verification Policy for Distance Education. 
    • Academic departments are responsible for ensuring required identity verification notices are included in course syllabi
    • Instructors are responsible for providing required notifications and implementing student identity verification practices consistent with this procedure.
    • Students are responsible for complying with the University of Montana Student Code of Conduct.

E-Learning Quality Policies