The same spirit of collegiality and collaboration undergirds the online programs. However, the online modality of courses, the subterm schedule, and the unique needs of online students require a more formalized approach to faculty collaboration than what might occur less formally in a residential department.
The SME model formalizes faculty collaboration by designating one credentialed faculty member as the SME for one online course. The SME collaborates with the Office of Online Education, program coordinators, online faculty, and instructional designers to select content, arrange modules, develop assignments, write the syllabus, and ensure alignment with learning outcomes.
The SME of a course has access to a development shell of a course in the Learning Management System. This development course shell is where content updates are made, and input from other faculty is incorporated. Once changes are completed in the development course shell, the Office of Online Education reflects the changes in a primary course shell. The primary course shell is the official version of the online course that is copied to create the appropriate number of sections needed each subterm. Therefore, each section of the course is identical upon copy and reflects the work of the SME in the primary course shell. After the course copy occurs, credentialed online faculty are assigned to each section as the online instructors. They may supplement the course materials with optional instructional materials and activities, but they may not alter the course content. Nor can online faculty change the assignments in their section. Online instructors cannot add or remove course requirements.
See also the document, KYSU Online SME Model for Online Courses, and the document, KYSU Online Course Content Management Procedures.
KYSU’s Office of Online Education oversees the appointment of credentialed faculty as SMEs for specific courses. This process involves collaboration with the academic department, faculty, and other relevant parties engaged in course development. Some full-time faculty will be appointed as SMEs, and their service in this role is included within the scope of their full-time faculty contracts with Kentucky State University. In some cases, adjunct faculty will serve as SMEs. Full-time and adjunct faculty can serve as SMEs for multiple classes simultaneously, contingent upon other workload. Depending on the nature and extent of the workload represented by a SME assignment, the Director of Online Education can submit a proposal to the Provost to formulate a SME agreement detailing the rationale for additional compensation for a SME’s scope of services.
The SME for each course is the primary representative of the Office of Online Education at the course level. As directed, the SME will work with program coordinators, the Director of Online Education, and the Online Advisory Committee to maintain sufficient parity between the online course and other modalities. For example, assessments of learning outcomes may require coordination between faculty teaching residential and online modalities. The academic department and the Director of Online Education should ensure that the SME has appropriate involvement in department meetings and assessment planning to ensure efficient coordination of objectives in online sections. Additionally, if the residential faculty votes to modify a learning outcome shared by multiple courses, they should ensure effective coordination with the Director Commented [JM58]: Revise and develop to ensure that online faculty do not change the course.
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Commented [JM58]: Revise and develop to ensure that online faculty do not change the course.