with contracted Instructional Designers during the course development process on matters requiring academic expertise and faculty involvement.

The second form of a SME’s relationship to an online course follows the conclusion of the development process. Once course development is completed, the initial SME or newly designated SME manages the content in the primary course shell thereafter,13 collaborating with faculty, Faculty Mentors, and the Office of Online Education on course edits, revisions, and redevelopments. SMEs report to the Office of Online Education concerning the online course(s).

In addition to contributing to the development and maintenance of online courses, SMEs often teach in the online sections of those courses once the course launches, working separately as the online faculty in assigned sections. Instructional course load is separate from SME involvement in course development, so the Office of Online Education does not require that initial SMEs accept course load as online faculty after course development is complete.

See Section 3.1 – Subject Matter Expert (SME) Model for Online Courses. See also the document, KYSU Online SME Model for Online Courses, and the document, KYSU Online Course Content Management Procedures.

The Office of Online Education often utilizes Instructional Designers (IDs) alongside SMEs in the process of developing online courses. This can include IDs within the Office of Online Education or embedded IDs whose roles have been tied to specific departments and programs. Additionally, KYSU Online/Global contracts IDs to support the ambitious course development plan needed to launch online programs according to schedule in conjunction with student recruiting initiatives.

Instructional Designers work with SMEs to design and develop effective online courses. SMEs provide each course's academic expertise and instructional content, while the IDs build the primary course shell in the Learning Management System and optimize the content for the student experience. This helps showcase the SMEs' academic expertise without requiring them to become experts in instructional design and LMS functionality.

KYSU Online/Global offers courses in the asynchronous online modality. As asynchronous, the courses do not require students to remotely participate in learning activities at specified times. This accommodates the needs of online students and their general preference for flexibility. Asynchronous requirements further support the ability of students in various time zones to engage academically with the course material. Exceptions to the asynchronous requirements of courses must be formally requested from the Office of Online Education at the outset of the course development process. The Office of Online Education will review the request and consult with the Online Advisory Committee as needed. Consideration will be given to the request's impact on the educational experience of students, the delivery of learning outcomes, and the logistics of the proposed synchronous requirements. This process serves as an internal control to prevent differences in advertised and actual requirements.