Distance Learning Policy

1. Purpose and Scope

1.1 Purpose

This policy establishes the framework under which Man Barbershop Academy delivers, measures, monitors, and documents distance learning instruction as a supplemental component of its Class A Barber Program. The policy protects the integrity of instructional hours, ensures student identity verification, provides for meaningful faculty-student interaction, and satisfies the record-keeping obligations imposed by the TDLR and NACCAS.

1.2 Scope

This policy applies to:

• All students enrolled in the Class A Barber Program at Man Barbershop Academy;
• All instructional staff responsible for delivering, reviewing, or approving distance learning hours;
• All distance learning activities offered through the Man Barbershop Academy Student Portal located at portal.manbarbershopacademy.com;
• All records, technology systems, and administrative processes supporting distance learning.

2. Definitions

Distance Learning (Distance Education): Instruction delivered through one or more technologies that separates the instructor from the student in location, time, or both, and that supports regular and substantive interaction between the student and the instructor. Synonymous with “distance education” as used in NACCAS Policy VI.02.

Clock Hour: A period of instructional time of not less than fifty (50) minutes in a sixty (60) minute period, consistent with 34 CFR §600.2 and TDLR 16 TAC §83.10. For distance learning purposes, a clock hour is measured as sixty (60) minutes of active, engaged instructional participation as defined in Section 6.

Active Instructional Time: Time during which the student is actively engaged with instructional content, evidenced by ongoing interaction with the platform (scrolling, keypress, mouse movement, or quiz engagement) and measured by the Student Portal's active-time timer.

Distance Learning Coordinator: The individual designated by the institution as responsible for the administration, review, and approval of all distance learning hours. At MBA, this role is held by Jonathan Villegas.

Substantive Interaction: Per NACCAS Policy VI.02 and 34 CFR §600.2, engagement between the student and an instructor that includes at least two of the following: direct instruction, assessing or providing feedback on student work, providing information or responding to questions about the content of a course, or facilitating a group discussion regarding the content of a course.

Approved Hour: A distance learning hour that has been recorded by the Student Portal, reviewed by the Distance Learning Coordinator, and approved for application toward the student's 1,000-hour program completion requirement.

3. Program Coverage and Distance Learning Hour Cap

3.1 Programs Offered via Distance Learning

Distance learning at Man Barbershop Academy is offered exclusively as a supplemental mode of instruction for the theoretical (non-practical) components of the Class A Barber Program. Practical training, clinic services, and hands-on technical instruction are delivered in person and may not be substituted with distance learning hours.

3.2 Maximum Distance Learning Hours

The maximum number of distance learning hours a student may apply toward the 1,000-hour program completion requirement is:

This cap is established by the stricter-of-both rule as follows:

• TDLR 16 TAC §83.120: Authorizes distance learning for Class A Barber Programs up to a maximum of 500 clock hours.
• NACCAS Policy VI.02: Provides that “distance education cannot be used as a mode of delivery for more than 50% of any program.” For the 1,000-hour Class A Barber Program, 50% equals 500 clock hours.

Because both authorities produce the same numeric limit, MBA enforces a hard cap of 500 distance learning hours at the platform level. The MBA Student Portal displays a progress bar indicating each student's accumulated distance learning hours against the 500-hour ceiling and prevents any student from exceeding this maximum.

3.3 Distance Learning Hour Sources

Distance learning hours may be earned through the following supervised activities offered via the Student Portal:

• Active reading of assigned chapters from the Milady Standard Barbering (7th Edition) and Milady Foundations textbooks, measured by an active-time timer with periodic engagement verification;
• Completion of interactive chapter assignments graded against official answer keys;
• Completion of chapter learning-outcome assessments reviewed by instructional staff.

Chapter exam completions do not count toward distance learning hours, as the underlying instructional time is already captured within the reading and assignment session records.

4. Technology Requirements

4.1 Required Student Technology

To participate in distance learning at Man Barbershop Academy, students must have access to:

• A personal computer, tablet, or mobile device with a modern web browser (Chrome, Safari, Firefox, or Edge — most recent two major versions supported);
• A functioning forward-facing webcam or device camera capable of capturing still images for identity verification;
• A stable internet connection capable of streaming embedded PDF content and transmitting periodic data saves to the platform;
• Ability to view PDF documents in-browser (handled automatically by all supported browsers);
• A valid Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR) student permit number, issued upon enrollment.

4.2 Required Institutional Technology

Man Barbershop Academy maintains the following institutional technology to deliver and administer distance learning:

• A dedicated Student Portal at portal.manbarbershopacademy.com, hosted on a redundant cloud infrastructure with automated backups;
• A PostgreSQL database for storing student records, distance learning session logs, and administrative approvals, with a minimum 5-year retention policy;
• A curriculum content delivery system providing access to the Milady Standard Barbering 7th Edition and Foundations textbooks;
• An administrative interface used by the Distance Learning Coordinator for session review, identity confirmation, and hour approval.

4.3 Technology Failure Contingency

If a student experiences a technology failure during an active distance learning session, the Student Portal automatically saves the session state every two minutes to the server and simultaneously to the student's local browser storage. Upon the student's next successful login, any incomplete sessions are recovered and submitted. Students who are unable to recover a lost session may request manual review by the Distance Learning Coordinator within seven (7) calendar days of the failure.

5. Identity Verification and Authentication

5.1 Federal Compliance

This section establishes Man Barbershop Academy's compliance with the identity verification requirements of 34 CFR §602.17(g), which requires accredited institutions offering distance education to verify the identity of each student who registers, participates, and receives credit for coursework.

5.2 Initial Identity Verification at Enrollment

At the time of enrollment, each student presents to the institution in person:

• A government-issued photo identification document (driver's license, state ID, or passport);
• Proof of TDLR student permit application or issuance;
• A signed enrollment agreement including acknowledgment of this Distance Learning Policy.

The institution photocopies and retains these documents as part of the student's permanent academic file.

5.3 Per-Session Identity Verification

For each distance learning session, the Student Portal requires the student to complete a two-step identity verification gate before instructional time begins accruing:

1. Step 1 — Credential Verification: The student enters their first name, last name, and TDLR student permit number. The portal validates these against the student's enrollment record.
2. Step 2 — Biometric Capture: The student captures a live webcam photograph of themselves. The photograph is stored with the session record and made available to the Distance Learning Coordinator during session review.

Sessions cannot begin — and no instructional time is counted — until both steps are completed successfully. A session lacking a valid webcam photograph is automatically flagged and is not approved for distance learning credit.

5.4 Identity Confirmation During Review

The Distance Learning Coordinator reviews the webcam photograph attached to each session against the student's enrollment-file photo identification before approving the session. Any apparent discrepancy results in the session being rejected and the student being contacted for clarification before hours are credited.

6. Measurement of Instructional Time

6.1 Active-Time Methodology

Man Barbershop Academy measures distance learning instructional time using an active-time-only methodology. Passive presence on the platform — including idle browser windows, background tabs, and inactive sessions — does not accrue instructional time. The platform samples student activity continuously and applies the following rules:

• Activity Sampling: Every one (1) second during an active session, the platform records whether the student is actively engaged. Qualifying activity includes keyboard input, mouse movement, scrolling, and on-screen tapping.
• Inactivity Pause: If no qualifying activity is detected for five (5) consecutive minutes, the session timer automatically pauses. A visible modal notifies the student that the timer has paused and requires explicit acknowledgment to resume. Paused time does not count toward instructional hours.
• Tab Focus Requirement: The session is recorded as active only when the Student Portal tab holds browser focus. Switching to another tab or application does not accrue instructional time.

6.2 Engagement Verification

In addition to active-time measurement, the platform verifies meaningful engagement through periodic in-session quizzes (“engagement checks”):

• First engagement check: Occurs after approximately ten (10) minutes of active reading.
• Subsequent engagement checks: Occur at random intervals between eight (8) and twelve (12) minutes of additional active reading to prevent predictability.
• Content: Each engagement check consists of two multiple-choice questions drawn from the chapter being studied, presented in randomized order with randomized answer positions.
• Logging: Every question shown, the student's selected answer, the correct answer, and the response time are logged to the session record and available for Distance Learning Coordinator review.
• Abandonment: If a student closes the browser or exits the session while an engagement check is open, the session is flagged as “quiz abandoned” for Distance Learning Coordinator review. Such sessions may be invalidated at the Coordinator's discretion.

6.3 Session Record

Each distance learning session generates a permanent record containing, at minimum:

• Student first name, last name, and TDLR permit number;
• Chapter or content unit studied;
• Start timestamp, end timestamp, and total active seconds;
• Webcam identity photograph;
• All engagement-check questions and responses;
• Abandonment flag, if applicable;
• Autosave timestamps demonstrating continuous persistence;
• Approval status (Pending, Approved for DL, Approved as In-Class, Rejected) and the identity and timestamp of the reviewer.

7. Substantive Interaction and Instructor Oversight

7.1 Requirement for Regular and Substantive Interaction

Consistent with NACCAS Policy VI.02 and 34 CFR §600.2, every distance learning activity at Man Barbershop Academy is designed to support regular and substantive interaction between the student and a qualified instructor.

7.2 Instructor Review Workflow

Every distance learning session recorded by the Student Portal enters a review queue accessible to the Distance Learning Coordinator through the administrative interface. For each pending session, the Coordinator:

1. Reviews the session record, including the webcam identity photograph, active-time duration, and engagement-check responses;
2. Compares the photograph against the student's enrollment-file identification;
3. Evaluates the engagement-check responses to confirm meaningful participation;
4. Assigns one of four statuses to the session: (a) Approved for Distance Learning Hours, (b) Approved as In-Class Hours (when the session was completed under on-site supervision), (c) Rejected with written explanation, or (d) Held pending further student input.

7.3 Substantive Faculty-Student Interaction

Beyond session review, instructors provide substantive interaction through:

• Written feedback on interactive chapter assignments, delivered through the Student Portal assignment-review interface;
• Direct response to student questions submitted through the Portal's contact mechanism;
• In-person clarification during the student's next scheduled on-site class session, particularly for concepts where the student's engagement-check responses indicate difficulty;
• Remediation plans developed by the Distance Learning Coordinator for students whose engagement-check performance or rejection rate trends indicate the need for additional support.

8. Academic Integrity

8.1 Student Responsibilities

Students participating in distance learning are required to:

• Complete all distance learning activities personally, without assistance from any other individual;
• Refrain from sharing login credentials, session screens, or platform access with any other person;
• Complete engagement-check questions to the best of their ability without reference to outside materials;
• Report any technology or platform concerns to the Distance Learning Coordinator promptly rather than attempting to bypass them.

8.2 Institutional Safeguards

The institution maintains the following academic integrity safeguards:

• Per-session webcam identity verification (see Section 5);
• Active-time measurement with idle-pause and tab-focus detection (see Section 6);
• Random-interval engagement checks with randomized question order and answer positions;
• Distance Learning Coordinator review of every session before hours are approved;
• Logging of all session activity including autosave timestamps, providing a complete audit trail.

8.3 Consequences of Violations

Any student found to have violated academic integrity in connection with distance learning activities is subject to:

• Invalidation of the affected distance learning hours;
• Additional invalidation of prior distance learning hours if a pattern is established;
• Remediation requirements at the Distance Learning Coordinator's discretion;
• In serious or repeated cases, disciplinary action up to and including dismissal from the program, consistent with the institution's published Student Conduct Policy.

Students have the right to appeal any invalidation under Section 13 of this policy.

9. Records Retention

9.1 Retention Period

All distance learning records — including session logs, identity photographs, engagement-check responses, approval audit trails, and related administrative data — are retained for a minimum of five (5) years from the date of session completion, in accordance with TDLR 16 TAC §83.126 and NACCAS Standards and Criteria record-retention requirements.

9.2 Records Retained

The following categories of distance learning records are retained:

• Individual session records (content of Section 6.3 above);
• Approval audit trails identifying the reviewer, timestamp, and any notes entered by the Distance Learning Coordinator;
• Student-specific aggregate hour totals, including the running distance-learning-hour balance;
• Technology failure and recovery logs;
• Appeals records (content of Section 13 below).

9.3 Record Access and Export

All distance learning records are accessible through the administrative interface of the Student Portal. Upon request by an authorized state or accrediting agency representative — including TDLR auditors and NACCAS site-visit teams — the Distance Learning Coordinator can produce:

• Individual session records, exportable as single-page printable audit records;
• Bulk session exports filtered by date range, student, chapter, or status;
• Aggregate reports summarizing distance learning hours and approval patterns.

10. Student Support Services

10.1 Technical Support

Students experiencing technical difficulties with the Student Portal may contact the institution during regular business hours by visiting the school office at 1418 Pecan Blvd, McAllen, TX 78501. The Distance Learning Coordinator provides technical troubleshooting and, when necessary, manual session reconstruction or crediting.

10.2 Academic Support

Students who require academic support with distance learning content may:

• Request one-on-one or small-group review during scheduled on-site instructional time with a qualified instructor;
• Submit questions through the Student Portal's contact mechanism, with a guaranteed response within two (2) business days;
• Schedule remediation meetings with the Distance Learning Coordinator when engagement-check performance suggests the need for additional support.

11. Faculty Roles and Responsibilities

11.1 Distance Learning Coordinator

Jonathan Villegas serves as the Distance Learning Coordinator. Responsibilities include:

• Reviewing and approving or rejecting every distance learning session;
• Confirming identity through photograph comparison against enrollment records;
• Monitoring student distance-learning-hour totals against the 500-hour cap;
• Responding to technology issues and student appeals;
• Conducting the annual policy review (Section 14);
• Maintaining all distance learning records in compliance with Section 9.

11.2 Lead Instructor

Francisco Alvarado serves as Lead Instructor. Responsibilities related to distance learning include:

• Grading interactive chapter assignments completed through the Student Portal;
• Providing written feedback on student work;
• Coordinating in-person remediation for students whose distance learning performance indicates need;
• Ensuring continuity between distance learning content and in-person theoretical instruction.

11.3 Instructor

Fernando Medina serves as Instructor, with responsibilities including:

• Assisting with the grading of interactive chapter assignments;
• Providing in-person instructional support for topics addressed via distance learning;
• Substituting for the Lead Instructor in the above duties as needed.

11.4 Instructor Qualifications

All instructional staff involved in distance learning review and approval hold a current Texas Barber Instructor license issued by TDLR, consistent with NACCAS Standards for Instructional Staff and 16 TAC §83.22.

12. Student Acknowledgment and Consent

12.1 Enrollment Acknowledgment

As part of the enrollment agreement, every student signs an acknowledgment confirming receipt and understanding of this Distance Learning Policy. The acknowledgment is retained in the student's permanent academic file.

12.2 Per-Session Consent

At the beginning of every distance learning session, the Student Portal displays an engagement notice informing the student that: (a) periodic engagement checks will occur during the session; (b) skipping or abandoning an engagement check may result in invalidation of the session's hours at the Distance Learning Coordinator's discretion; (c) all session activity including the identity photograph is monitored, recorded, and reviewed. The student's continuation past this notice constitutes acknowledgment of these terms.

12.3 FERPA Compliance

All distance learning records are treated as educational records under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA, 20 U.S.C. §1232g). Records are accessible only to the student, designated institutional personnel, and authorized state or accrediting agency representatives.

13. Appeals Process

13.1 Right to Appeal

Any student whose distance learning session has been rejected or invalidated has the right to appeal the decision.

13.2 Appeal Procedure

1. The student submits a written appeal to the Distance Learning Coordinator within fourteen (14) calendar days of being notified of the rejection or invalidation. The appeal must identify the specific session(s) in dispute and the basis for the appeal.
2. The Distance Learning Coordinator reviews the appeal, including the session record, engagement-check data, and any additional evidence provided by the student, and issues a written decision within ten (10) business days.
3. If the Distance Learning Coordinator upholds the original rejection, the student may submit a second-level appeal to the School Owner (in cases where the Distance Learning Coordinator is not also the Owner). When those roles are held by the same individual, as is currently the case at MBA, a second-level appeal is referred to a qualified outside instructor or advisor designated in advance by the institution.
4. The second-level decision is final at the institutional level. Students retain all rights of appeal to TDLR and NACCAS as provided by those authorities' respective published grievance procedures.

13.3 Relationship to Student Grievance Procedure

This appeals process operates in addition to, and does not replace, the institution's general Student Grievance Procedure. Students may pursue either or both processes as appropriate to the circumstances.

14. Policy Review and Amendment

14.1 Annual Review

This Distance Learning Policy is reviewed at least annually by the Distance Learning Coordinator. Review considers:

• Changes to TDLR regulations, NACCAS Standards, or applicable federal law;
• Technology changes affecting platform functionality or student experience;
• Patterns observed in session approval, rejection, and appeal data;
• Feedback from students, instructional staff, and external reviewers.

14.2 Amendment

Amendments to this policy are documented with an effective date and archived versions are retained alongside current records. Students are notified of any amendment that materially changes their rights or obligations.

15. Effective Date and Signatures

This Distance Learning Policy becomes effective on the date signed below and supersedes any prior distance learning policy of Man Barbershop Academy.