Graduate Catalog 2024-2025

Instructional Methods

The University of Northern Colorado delivers courses through various instructional methods as prescribed by the Department of Education. The following list provides a description of the delivery methods of course offerings at UNC:

  1. Face to Face: Students meet with the instructor at regularly scheduled times (synchronous learning), primarily in a classroom. Students in face-to-face courses will normally be expected to be physically present for all or part of the term/semester (will have classroom and day/times) Instructors and students are in same physical space for greater than 75% of contact hours
  2. Mixed Face to Face: A course where a portion of traditional face-to-face instruction is replaced with web-based online learning (e.g., video lectures, online discussions, or activities). The amount of face-to-face instruction that is replaced by online coursework in these classes varies greatly by institution, class, discipline, and learning objectives. Instructors and students are in same physical space between 25 and 75% of contact hours.
  3. Online Synchronous: Education delivered exclusively via the internet to students who are separated from the instructor or instructors but meet at regularly scheduled times to support regular and substantive interaction between the students and the instructor or instructors. No classroom is required.
  4. Online Asynchronous: Education delivered exclusively via the internet to students who are separated from the instructor or instructors. Regular and substantive interaction between students and the instructor or instructors is required, but students are not required to be online at a regularly scheduled time.
  5. Individualized Instruction: An individualized investigation under the direct supervision of a current UNC Faculty member. 
  6. Internship/Practica/Clinical: Students engage in practical or experiential hands-on learning as the primary component of the course.