learning management system like Blackboard or Canvas. Email may also be used only as a supplement to communication, not instruction. Hybrid courses are also known as “blended courses.” Hybrid courses should be designated on the course schedule with an “H” prefixed to the section number (Example: H01).

Courses in the virtual modality have no face-to-face meetings, but they are offered in the residential degree programs. The entire delivery of course content and assessment of student learning is distributed through a learning management system, such as Blackboard or Canvas. However, virtual courses require synchronous class meetings. Instructors of virtual courses should set aside time to communicate with students via discussion boards, email, Teams, Zoom, or some other method. Virtual courses should be designated on the course schedule with a “V” prefixed to the section number (Example: V01).

Before the launch of KYSU Online in the 2023-24 academic year, virtual courses were synonymously called “online courses.” However, based on this policy and beginning in the 2024-25 academic year course listings, “virtual courses” are distinct from “online courses,” as explained below.

KYSU Online offers distance learning programs, also called online programs, delivered primarily by online faculty not necessarily located on the campus of Kentucky State University in Frankfort, Kentucky. Students enrolled in online programs do not live in the dormitories on campus. Likewise, they are not considered commuter students, which presupposes a location near the campus in Frankfort, Kentucky. Courses in the online programs are delivered in the online modality, which is distinct from the virtual modality.

Online courses are offered entirely (100%) through the learning management system (LMS) and do not require students to travel to specific locations. KYSU Online courses are asynchronous, so the courses do not require students to participate remotely in learning activities at specified times, apart from rarely approved exceptions. This asynchronous aspect of the online modality 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. This fully asynchronous aspect of the online modality differs from the delivery of a virtual course, which requires synchronous elements and serves different student populations.

All course materials are housed within the course pages of the LMS. Textbooks are integrated directly into the LMS as well. Students submit their assignments for grading through the LMS. Faculty instructors also grade assignments and provide substantive feedback to students in the LMS. Although the LMS has messaging features, faculty and students may communicate through email and Microsoft Teams using their official KYSU accounts.

Since online courses are asynchronous, the course content is developed by a faculty Subject Matter Expert (SME), often in consultation with an Instructional Designer (ID). Individual sections of the course are consistent even when a faculty member other than the SME serves as the instructor of record.

Online courses are designated in university systems and literature with the letter “A,” “B,” or “C” prefixed to the course section number. These letters refer to the online academic calendar's online