NCAA Madness

NCAA Madness

It’s March! The time of year, when NCAA steps into our living rooms and we are reminded of the madness. At the high school level, it’s important to know the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) guidelines when designing a digital learning program, as NCAA targets nontraditional courses through very strict governance.   Nontraditional courses are defined as classes taught online or through distance learning, independent study, individualized instruction or correspondence methods. Knowing the requirements and application questions below can help you design a NCAA-approved nontraditional program.   Requirements There are five very clear requirements to meet NCAA-approved nontraditional core course: The course must prepare students for academic work at a four-year college. Students must complete the course in its entirety, without testing out of course content. Courses must have subject area certified teachers supporting the learning environment. The course must be comparable in length, content and rigor to courses taught in a traditional classroom setting. Maintaining the credit hour of the Carnegie Unit, half-credit semester courses should be designed to include sixty hours of instruction. Courses must include teacher-based instruction, with a full balanced set of formal assessments. A student in the course must have regular interaction with the teacher for instruction, evaluation and assistance for the duration of the course. The digital learning program must require regular and ongoing interaction between the student and teacher for instruction, evaluation and assistance. Access to an instructor is not enough. Subject area teachers must engage the student in individual instruction. Interaction must be regularly scheduled, which can be conducted in a face-to-face environment or from a distance; exchanging emails, online chats,...