Syllabus is easily accessible on website through button menu.
Syllabus explains the purpose and structure of the course.
Syllabus explains and/or links to relevant institutional policies.
Syllabus describes the course's objectives and suitable learning outcomes.
Syllabus describes and quantifies how objectives/assignments will be assessed.
Syllabus states the instructor's response time for e-mail inquiries and for assessment of assignments.
Syllabus states instructor's academic honesty/plagiarism policy, including penalty for violation.
Syllabus or course link contains a listing of assignments and deadlines.
Syllabus states instructor's policy regarding deadlines and (non-)acceptance of late assignments, including penalties for late assignments.
Course navigation facilitates ease of use.
All assignments and supporting documentation are clearly linked to on button menu.
Any grading rubric used to evaluate assignments is accessible to students.
The tools used in the course support the learning objectives.
The course site is structured to promote learner engagement.
The student’s grades are accessible and progress/average in class easy to understand.
The course contains a link for Course Signals to keep students aware of their progress.
The overall design of the course site conforms to best practices.
The recommendations proposed above are driven by a need to define what the University means by virtual and hybrid courses. The committee determined that the best way to create a consistency of quality in online instruction is to be sure courses are developed and reviewed by a defined process. The proposed Director of Online Programs would work as a “quality assurance” individual who would review courses and make suggestions for revisions according to best practices. In identifying these best practices, the Director would be aided by the Distance Education Committee. In general, the Director would be facilitating online courses; the actual content of the courses would be evaluated within the department or division when a course is being offered virtually or as a hybrid course for the first time. The Director would oversee the training of faculty for teaching online, as well as provide ongoing professional development opportunities for online faculty.