SECTION 4.228. Internet Access to Course Information

(a) Each public institution of higher education, other than a medical and dental unit, shall make available to the public on the institution's Internet website the following information for each undergraduate classroom course offered for credit by the institution: a syllabus, a curriculum vitae for the instructor(s) of record, and (if available) a departmental operating budget from the most recent semester or other academic term during which the institution offered the course. Links to existing data that meet legislative requirements may suffice.

(b) If multiple sections of a course use an identical syllabus with identical assignments and readings, only one syllabus shall be posted. The curriculum vitae of each instructor(s) of record for each section shall be posted.

(c) All course information described in subsection (a) of this section must be:

(1) accessible from the institution's Internet website home page by use of not more than three links;

(2) searchable by keywords and phrases;

(3) accessible to the public without requiring registration or use of a user name, a password, or another user identification;

(4) available not later than the seventh day after the first day of classes for the semester or other academic term during which the course is offered; and

(5) updated as soon as practicable after the information changes, at least once for every semester in which the course is offered.

(d) The institution shall continue to make the information available on the institution's Internet website until at least the second anniversary of the date on which the institution initially posted the information. An up-to-date curriculum vitae must be available for each instructor of each course for two years after the course is taught.

(e) Institutions shall conduct end-of-course student evaluations of faculty for each undergraduate classroom course as defined in §4.227(10) of this title, and develop a plan to make evaluations publicly available on the institution's website.

(f) The governing body of the institution shall designate an administrator to be responsible for ensuring implementation of this section. Not later than January 1 of each odd-numbered year, each institution of higher education shall submit a written report regarding the institution's compliance with this section to the governor, the lieutenant governor, the speaker of the house of representatives, and the presiding officer of each legislative standing committee with primary jurisdiction over higher education.

(g) Institutions must begin compliance with these rules no later than August 15, 2010.

Source Note: The provisions of this §4.228 adopted to be effective December 3, 2009, 34 TexReg 8508