Sec. 61.0771. DISTANCE LEARNING MASTER PLAN. (a) The board, in cooperation with institutions of higher education, shall develop a master plan for the development of distance learning and other applications of instructional electronic technology by institutions of higher education and as necessary may revise the plan. The plan shall include recommendations for:

(1) the coordination and integration of distance learning and related telecommunications activities among institutions of higher education and other public or private entities to achieve optimum efficiency and effectiveness in providing necessary services, including identification of the costs and any cost savings to be achieved by the use of distance learning and related activities such as teleconferencing or sharing resources by telecommunications;

(2) the development and acquisition of distance learning infrastructure and equipment, including its functions and capabilities, within and among institutions of higher education consistent with the missions of those institutions and the recipients of their services;

(3) the establishment of uniform or compatible standards and technologies for distance learning;

(4) the training of faculty and staff in the use and operation of distance learning facilities;

(5) appropriate applications of distance learning, including the identification of the needs of the student populations to be served;

(6) policies relating to the funding for implementation and administering of distance learning, including interinstitutional funds transfers among institutions providing and receiving distance learning services and formula funding allocations, and recommendations for the appropriate fees for services offered through distance learning;

(7) revising regulatory policy relating to public utilities to facilitate distance learning; and

(8) any statutory or regulatory changes desirable to promote distance learning or to implement the master plan.

(b) The board may include in the plan any related recommendation the board considers appropriate, including recommendations for coordination of distance learning with other telecommunications activities and services conducted by government agencies or private entities.

(c) To assist in the development of the plan, the board shall create an advisory committee consisting of experts in distance learning, including school administrators and faculty and lay persons. The board shall include on the committee a representative of each university system and each public senior college or university under a separate governing board, and representatives of public junior colleges, public health science centers, centers created under Chapter 106, Health and Safety Code, medical schools, public technical institutes, and independent institutions of higher education. The advisory committee shall include at least three faculty members who teach a distance learning course. The appointment of an employee of an institution of higher education to the committee must be approved by the president or chancellor of that institution.

(d) The advisory committee may request the cooperation or participation of state agencies, public broadcasting stations, representatives of the local and long-distance telecommunications industries, representatives of federally qualified health centers, and representatives providing distance learning equipment or services, including computer hardware and software, in preparing the master plan.

(e) Repealed by Acts 2003, 78th Leg., ch. 820, Sec. 53.

Added by Acts 1995, 74th Leg., ch. 133, Sec. 1, eff. Aug. 28, 1995. Amended by Acts 2003, 78th Leg., ch. 820, Sec. 18, 53, eff. Sept. 1, 2003.