- Created by Justin Lytle - Admin, last modified by Tapley-Booth, Julie on Nov 03, 2022
Policy identification number: To come... | ||
File: Academic Policies > Curriculum Policies | ||
Distance Education Policy and Process | ||
Policy Summary This policy applies to all academic programs and departments involved in creating distance education (DE) learning programs and/or courses for students across Fort Lewis College (FLC). | ||
Policy Owner Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs | Approval Date October 12, 2022 | Effective Date October 12, 2022 |
Search Terms pvpaa, d, distance, education | Scheduled for Review Fall 2024 |
I. Policy StatementThe Distance Education Policy and Process is part of a comprehensive approach to faculty support, professional development, and online/hybrid course quality design to support FLC’s mission and commitment to providing high-quality educational opportunities. Inherent in this commitment to quality is a recognition of the responsibility to support, in a systematic way, the professional development needs of faculty relative to teaching and learning at a distance. Any exceptions to this policy should be requested through the appropriate Dean. Final approval of any requested exception rests with the Provost in consultation with the Dean and Teaching and Learning Center, and if approved, must be stated in writing. |
II. Scope and Purpose
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III. Course Delivery
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IV. Modes of Delivery“Distance Education” refers to the following modes of delivery:
The college schedule of classes indicates what courses are being offered via distance education and the delivery format. Distance Education courses are designated as:
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V. The Teaching and Learning CenterThe Teaching and Learning Center works closely with faculty and departments on the infrastructure, design, development and delivery of distance education courses. The Teaching and Learning Center provides support in the area of distance education by providing the following services:
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VI. Requirements and Expectations for Distance Education Faculty and CoursesAs with traditional courses, FLC’s faculty assumes primary responsibility for and exercises oversight over distance education curricula, ensuring both the rigor of courses and the quality of instruction. With noted differences between teaching distance education courses and teaching courses using “traditional” methodologies, the decision to use distance learning must be made on a course-by-course basis, with consideration given to the content of the course, the needs of the learners, and the interest of the faculty member. All distance education courses at Fort Lewis College are considered comparable to traditional courses and must adhere to the Credit Hour Policy, Policy on Rigor, the Learning Management System policy, and Course Syllabus Policy. Furthermore, all DE courses must go through the standard curriculum approval process as established by FLC, requiring course proposal approval from the department supervisor, Dean (or designee), Curriculum Committee, Faculty Senate, and the Provost. FLC’s goal of offering high-quality distance education experiences taught by highly-trained faculty entails additional requirements and expectations. All courses will meet FLC’s quality standards based on the Higher Learning Commission’s Guidelines for Quality Distance Education Programs and the FLC Course Quality Review (CQR) Rubric. Furthermore, course developers will originally develop the majority of the course content (it is acceptable to select online course materials from publisher content, OERs, or other online resources; however, these are considered supplemental to instructor-created content). Course caps in DE courses should reflect the course caps for traditional courses. DE course caps may not vary from departmental course caps unless approved by the chair, dean, and provost. |
VII. QualificationsThe Higher Learning Commission and NC-SARA require that “Educational quality is supported through continuing investment in technology and professional development for faculty as well as other academic, technical, and student support staff. Professional development is ongoing and includes attention to: technology, instructional design, learning science, pedagogy, assessment, and methods of using data for improvement." (21 CenturyDistance Education Guidelines, 2021) All faculty to develop or teach an existing distance education course are required to show competence in online instruction by (1) participating in the FLC distance education training with the Teaching and Learning Center, or (2) providing evidence of another online course delivery training (e.g. certificate of completion) deemed equivalent to the FLC course development process as recommended by the Teaching & Learning Center and the faculty member’s department chair and as approved by the faculty member’s dean. The Teaching and Learning Center provides professional development regarding course design and implementation and supports the SME (subject matter expert, or instructor) in aspects of course design and delivery. This support is provided through a combination of online training and individual consultations in a format that prepares faculty to develop courses that are in accordance with FLC’s Course Quality Review. |
VIII. Course Quality ReviewBased on national standards of best practice, as well as research and instructional design principles, FLC uses an adapted version of the Course Quality Review (CQR) rubric to support continuous improvements to distance education courses. CQR is designed to certify the quality and accessibility of distance education courses. CQR is used as a guide throughout the course development process, addressing course quality in the following categories:
Each course will be evaluated collaboratively with the CQR Rubric by both the SME and the Teaching and Learning Center. |
IX. Evaluation of Faculty Teaching Distance Education CoursesIt is the responsibility of department chairs and academic deans to perform annual evaluations of their faculty whether they teach using a traditional format or a distance delivery format. Faculty are evaluated in accordance with the guidelines and procedures outlined in the Faculty Handbook. In 2019, FLC Faculty Senate approved the inclusion of 7 additional questions to be added to all distance education course evaluations. These questions focus on students’ perceptions of the effectiveness of the online / hybrid learning environment. These responses are used to improve course delivery. |
X. Course Load, Compensation, Ownership of Course Materials and CopyrightDE courses are typically part of the faculty member’s regular teaching load, with the same rate of compensation as traditional courses. DE courses may also be taught as an overload, at the same rate of compensation as traditional courses taught as an overload. Any exceptions (e.g., reassigned time for developing courses using new distance technologies) are reviewed on a case-by-case basis, and as per current procedure, must be approved by the department chair, the dean, and the provost. The ownership rights to course materials for DE courses follows Fort Lewis College's Intellectual Property Policy. |
XI. Course Development and Delivery ProcessDepartments or individual faculty members (with department approval) may propose new DE courses for development. To encourage high quality course offerings, proposals for creating new DE courses and programs and proposals for converting existing courses to a distance format are given careful review by Curriculum Committee, Faculty Senate, and Academic Affairs. Courses that align with new program development, and/or with a high-demand (fulfilling a GT Pathway requirement) will be given priority. DE courses should be approved at least one semester prior to the semester of delivery to allow for sufficient instructor training and course development. The process for developing and delivering existing DE courses is outlined below:
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XII. Course and Program ReviewCourses After three years, all DE courses will participate in a course review process using course data as well as data from the DE-specific questions in the course evaluations. This is a collaborative revision process based on feedback from the instructor, the assessment coordinator, and Teaching and Learning Center. Review consists of completing DE course development training if faculty has not already done so and working with the Teaching and Learning Center to explore new instructional techniques to revise and improve the course. Courses will be reviewed using the following three areas:
Programs All DE courses and programs are subject to the program review as required by state statute. In addition to the requirements of the Academic Program Review, programs with significant online presence (over 75%) need to provide evidence of the following four criteria:
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XIII. Definitions
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XIV. Contacts
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XV. Related Resources
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XVI. ResponsibilitiesFor following the policy: Fort Lewis College Faculty and Deans For enforcement of the policy: Director of Teaching and Learning Center For oversight of the policy: Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs For notification of policy: Policy Librarian For procedures implementing the policy: Director of Teaching and Learning Center |