Here are the answers to some Frequently Asked Questions concerning distance education at UH:
What is distance education?What is distance education?
Distance education at the University of Houston is any instruction that takes place outside the main campus classroom setting. DE classes are regular UH classes taught by UH faculty and have the same prerequisites and requirements as classes taken on campus.
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Please visit our Degrees & Programs section for a list of certificates and degrees currently available through complete either partially or completely through DE.
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DE classes are available via online, hybrid (i.e. half face-to-face, half online), interactive television, or an off-campus teaching center. Please visit our Class Formats page for more information.
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Most DE classes use Blackboard as the primary course management system. Some history classes use CourseCompass, and some math classes use CourseWare.
Coursework usually includes reading lectures and/or supplemental material/required texts, completing homework assignments, taking exams, submitting assignments, and interacting with the instructor and other students online. Some courses may also include real-time chat sessions, however, most of the coursework is not conducted in real-time.
Once the course begins, students usually log on at least every other day to see if any new messages have been sent to their mailbox or posted to their virtual classroom. Students can access coursework 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
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No. Currently, UH doesn’t offer enough undergraduate core curriculum classes online for a student to complete an entire degree from start to finish. Many DE students finish their core curriculum at a community college, and then finish their degree. Please contact a DE Academic Advisor for more information.
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No, UH currently doesn’t offer doctorate degrees via DE.
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Currently, while there are a few individual courses offered online or hybrid, UH doesn’t offer any undergraduate or graduate degrees via DE through the Bauer College of Business. Students can earn a Corporate Entrepreneurship Certificate by completing two selected ENTR courses, and these are also typically offered online.
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At UH, distance education classes are for-credit classes used to complete degrees in an academic program. Continuing education classes are used for professional development and personal enrichment, but classes don’t count towards an academic degree.
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Yes, the Pathway to Distance Education is our online orientation for DE.
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Most online classes don’t require a face-to-face orientation, but there are exceptions. In order to find out, view the “Class Notes” in PeopleSoft, complete the Pathway to DE, or contact your instructor.
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Read the FAQs section on the Pathway. If you still have problems, call 713-743-3327 or e-mail pathway@uh.edu.
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The technical requirements for online classes are minimal: basic computer skills, access to a computer, access to the Internet, an e-mail address, Java capable web browser (i.e. Internet Explorer or Firefox), and speakers/headphones.
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WebCT used to be UH’s primary web-based course management system, but Blackboard is now the main system. Blackboard is very similar to WebCT, and is designed to be user-friendly for those with novice computer skills. Also, please keep in mind that some math class use CourseWare, some history classes use CourseCompass, and a few instructors will simply use their own site.
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For help with Blackboard, visit the Student Help section on UH’s Blackboard site.
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To see if your instructor will be using Blackboard, use the Blackboard Section Finder.
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It usually takes 2-3 business days for your Blackboard class access to work once you’ve registered for a class. Please check back again after that time, and if you’re still having problems, go to the Student Help section on UH’s Blackboard site.
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The username is your PeopleSoft ID, and the initial password is your birthdate as mmddyyx! where x is first initial of last name in lower case followed by an exclamation point. On first log in, you will have to change your password and log in again with the new password.
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Online classes cost the same as regular face-to-face classes. For more information on costs, please visit the Costs & Financial Aid site.
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Please visit Distance Education Academic Advisor for more information.
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The deadlines for enrolling, adding, or dropping DE classes are the same as for any other UH class. View the Academic Calendar for the specific deadlines.
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No, you can’t add any classes after the deadline.
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Procedure for Undergraduate Students in DE Classes
Beginning in Fall 2009, undergraduate students are now able to drop their classes through their myUH. For more information on the dates for dropping courses, please visit the UH Academic Calendar. Please click here for more information about this procedure.
Procedure for Graduate Students in DE Classes
Note: This procedure is designed for DE graduate students that are unable to come to campus to initiate drops or because the instructors are unavailable via face-to-face. If possible, students can still begin and finish the drop procedures for DE classes while on campus.
The following steps outline the process for distance education students to drop a class or withdraw with a W without coming to campus. During the Fall and Spring semesters, students can drop classes or withdraw without receiving a grade prior to the twelfth class day through PeopleSoft, or myUH. During the Summer, students only have until the fourth class day to drop classes or withdraw without receiving a grade.
For more information on the dates for dropping courses, please visit the UH Academic Calendar.
No, in order to enroll in a DE class, you must apply and be accepted into UH.
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In order to register for DE classes, you’ll use myUH, or PeopleSoft.
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Exam formats depend on the instructor. Some instructors will conduct exams entirely online via Blackboard, while others may require that students come to campus a few times during the semester to complete exams in a classroom or in a testing center. Most DE instructors will allow students to have their exams proctored if they’re unable to come to campus. The instructor may decide to work out the proctoring arrangements with the student, or instead contact DE Student Services to setup proctoring at a location suitable for the student. Please visit our Exam Proctoring section for more information.
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An instructor may decide to coordinate exam proctoring with the student. However, other instructors will work with DE Student Services.
Please visit our Exam Proctoring section for more information.
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Online classes generally don’t have any on-campus requirements, although some instructor may require minimal class meetings for an orientation or exams. Classes taught at the off-campus teaching centers and through interactive television are held face-to-face.
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Please visit our DE Instructor Directory for contact information.
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UH used to offer distance education courses via tape purchase (DVD and VHS) and broadcast (i.e. KUHT, HCCTV, and Cougar Cable). In an effort to reduce student costs and enhance online course availabilities, UH stopped offering classes through these formats beginning in Fall 2009. Courses that were previously offered by tape purchase or broadcast will instead be offered through other formats.
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No, UH DE classes follow the same academic calendar as any other class.
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No, UH currently doesn’t offer concurrent credit for high school students. However, most of the community colleges in the area do offer concurrent credit which can then be transferred to UH.
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UH is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award baccalaureate, masters, professional, and doctoral degrees.
In addition, the university is a member of the Association of Texas Colleges and Universities, the American Council on Education, the Association of American Colleges, and the National Association of State Universities and Land-Grant Colleges.
Individual colleges and programs may hold memberships or accreditations by additional agencies.
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No, your transcript will not mention this.
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Distance Education Student Services is located in Room 101 in the west wing of the C. N. Hilton College of Hotel & Restaurant Management Building.
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Yes they do.
Due to Homeland Security requirements, international students are limited in the number of hours they can take through DE each semester.
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No more than the equivalent of one DE class or 3 credits per session may count towards the “full course of study” (12 hours per semester) requirement. If the student's course of study is in a language study program, no DE classes may be counted toward the full course of study requirement.
For example, an undergraduate that is required to register for 12 credits per semester to maintain a “full course of study” could take 3 of those credits through DE each semester. If the student registers for an overload of 15 credits, 6 of which were done via DE, all 6 credits might be counted.
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The DE provision does not limit the number of DE credits that can be used towards a degree's requirements, but rather the number of such credits that can be used to satisfy the “full course of study” requirement.
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