• The policy should have at least these foci: 1. First year student involvement in online learning; 2. Process for effective delivery of the online modality by faculty, and 3. Assessment of teaching and learning and using the results to make adjustments to the course content.
• Where needed, provide more face-to-face/traditional sections for first-year/in-demand courses (e.g. ENG 101, HIS 101, and MUS 130) should be considered.
• Registration markers should be instituted to alert first year students and advisors of online courses. First-year residential students should not be allowed to register for online courses.
• Registration codes for online courses either 100% online or hybrid-blended should be implemented to provide clear expectations and knowledge of the courses.
• Online faculty training and course development should be mandated and more closely monitored.

IV. Update on Substantive Change SACSCOC Visit

The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) arrived on September 29, 2015, and departed on October 1, 2015. The purpose was to determine if KSU as a Level V institution continued to meet the standards for Level V institutions with its new Doctorate of Nursing Practice (DNP) program. Visits of this nature are standard when any university has sought a substantive level change. According to SACSCOC, a substantive change is a significant modification or expansion of the nature and scope of an accredited institution. As part of the process in reviewing the DNP program, that required a change from a Level 3 (Masters) to a Level 5 (limited Professional Doctorate) institution, the committee met with President Burse, Regent Bearden, selected faculty and students from the DNP program, and other campus officials including the Offices of Academic Affairs, Business Affairs, Institutional Research, Title IX Coordinator, Campus Safety, and Information Technology.

Much work went into ensuring the university was prepared for the visit. A committee, that consisted of Mark Shale, SACSCOC Liaison, Melinda Impellizzeri, Special Assistant to the President for Strategic Planning, Lorna Shaw, Dean of the University, and Lynda Brown-Wright, Vice President for Academic Affairs, was responsible for obtaining the necessary documents and preparing the university for the visit. It was necessary to gather a host of policies, procedures and other documents to create an electronic library that would ensure easy accessibility of the documents for the SACSCOC team. It was also necessary to meet with groups of individuals from the university community to provide further information and to answer questions. Additionally, the SACSCOC committee often requested supplemental documents for review, which were made available to them by committee members in a very timely manner.

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