Guidelines For Undergraduate Online Instruction Courses And Submission Of

guidelines for undergraduate online instruction courses and submission of proposals the following guidelines pertain to new and existing co

Guidelines for Undergraduate Online Instruction Courses and Submission
of Proposals
The following guidelines pertain to new and existing courses for which
the instructor wishes to change the mode of instruction to “online.”
What online courses are:
Online instruction courses are those courses whose sole or primary
mode of instruction is via the web; syllabus, “lectures” and other
lessons are placed on the web; student-teacher or student-student
interaction is conducted either asynchronously or synchronously.
What online courses are not:
Instructors may not simply post lecture notes on a website and call it
online instruction. Further, online courses are not the same as
computer-assisted courses. Online courses presume interaction between
an instructor and the students. Computer-assisted courses presume
interaction between a student and a computer program. These guidelines
do not address computer-assisted or correspondence courses.
All courses:
Platform
Courses should use a technology platform that is supported by the
University (i.e., Blackboard, Google Apps, Digication, SBYou, etc.)
See TLT for information on course platforms that are currently
supported.
Course Format options and definitions
*
Hybrid/Blended/Partial – requiring part of direct instruction
(0.01%- 99.9%) to be completed on-line, while the remainder is
completed in person.
*
On-line – requiring all direct instruction to be completed
on-line. There are three types of online course formats:
*
Synchronous – Direct instruction occurs in real time without time
delay
*
Asynchronous – Direct instruction occurs under time delay; that
is, direct instruction is recorded/stored and accessed later.
*
Combined On-line – Direct instruction combines both Synchronous
and Asynchronous types.
Credit hour requirement:
Courses must cover the same amount of material as a comparable
in-person course. Since credit hours cannot correspond to meeting
hours in determining how many credits a course bears, faculty should
use the amount of material to be covered as a gauge of credit hours.
If the amount of material to be covered is comparable to the amount of
material in terms of readings and “lecture materials” in an in-person
3-credit class, this would be a 3-credit course.
Students are expected to be “on task” for 40-45 clock hours per
credit, per semester. “On task” pertains to all instructional
activities (exams, homework, lectures, discussions, etc.).
Interaction:
Best practices dictate that online courses should have an interactive
component. Either the course can be conducted seminar-style using
online “discussions” or, if it is conducted lecture style, it must
include provisions for significant student-student and student-teacher
interaction.
Instructors may wish to consider incorporating suggested learning
activities into their online course. See
http://www.brown.edu/about/administration/sheridan-center/teaching-learning/course-design/learning-technology/resources-online-assignments
for examples.
Method of evaluation:
1. Exams and quizzes:
While there are no fool-proof methods to prevent cheating in any
course, instructors often feel less confident about academic integrity
when teaching online courses. There are several suggestions to ensure
that the student registered for the course is the same student who
completes the work and receives credit:
a.
Require exams be taken in a proctored testing center. Students may
find a local testing center by using this link:
https://www.asa.stonybrook.edu/suny/eps
b.
Place less weight on online quizzes and exams to discourage
cheating;
c.
Use more frequent quizzes or exams;
d.
Use varied assessments including written assignments and graded
discussion posts. This allows you to compare the students’
performance on objective assessments with written assessments.
e.
See TLT consultants to learn about Blackboard features that allow
for:
Randomized questions and question answers
Timed questions
Not allowing students to go back to previous questions or skip ahead
2. Papers, reports and “presentations”:
a) To further safeguard academic integrity, require students to submit
written work through the Blackboard SafeAssign feature;
b) Use collaboration tools that track student participation and
contribution. See a TLT consultant to learn more about which tools
might be appropriate for your course.
In-Person Meetings and Real-Time Communication:
In-person meetings or real-time communication in online courses help
to create a stronger sense of community between the student and
his/her instructor, classmates and institution. While requirements for
an in-person meeting should be at the discretion of the instructor and
department, any and all synchronous real-time meetings or exam
requirements should be scheduled in advance and noted in both the
syllabus and in PeopleSoft when students register.
Any additional software or hardware (headphones, webcam, lab kits,
etc.) that may be needed in order for the student to participate
should also be noted in the syllabus in advance of the student
registering for the course.
Technology Requirements:
If courses utilize videos or streaming lectures, students should be
notified in the syllabus of any enhanced technology requirements
needed to be successful in the course. It is good practice to always
include the minimum technology requirements a student will need to
participate fully in the course.
Student requirements
====================
Students registered for online courses are subject to the same rules
and regulations, as set forth in the University’s official
publications, including the Undergraduate Bulletin, Student Handbook,
and semester Class Schedules as students registered for traditional,
in-person courses.
Instructor Requirements
Any instructor who wishes to teach in an online or hybrid delivery
mode should take advantage of the training opportunities available
within the University and SUNY around online teaching pedagogy and the
new technologies available to facilitate online learning. Teaching
online is a very different instructional strategy that is governed by
decades of research in best practices to ensure students are provided
a rigorous, equivalent course experience as they would if they were
taking the course in a traditional classroom format. Instructors
should plan to meet with a TLT consultant about their online course
proposal before submission of this form and allow for at least one
semester of development time for the first online course offering.
Teaching online courses does not relieve instructors from campus
responsibilities or from being available in person.
Although TAs may not be the primary course contact, the lead
instructor(s) may delegate primary responsibility to the TAs under
their supervision.
ARTS AND SCIENCES SENATE
CURRICULUM COMMITTEE
NEW or REVISED ONLINE COURSE SUPPLEMENTAL PROPOSAL FORM
(Revised October 2014)
(BETA format)
Submitted by Department_______________________________________
Date:_____________________
Chairperson's
Approval:______________________________________________________________________________
Undergraduate
Director’s
Approval:_____________________________________________________________________
*************************************************************************************
INSTRUCTIONS: Please respond fully to the questions below using this
form or separate paper and attach a copy of a planned syllabus and a
list of assigned readings. The syllabus should indicate the topics of
the course as they are laid out in the course, whether week-by-week,
by module or topical basis. The syllabus must provide a detailed
account of time on task. Submit the proposal electronically to the
Secretary of the Curriculum Committee, Kane Gillespie, by email:
[email protected].
For existing courses, proposed changes to courses other than the
online delivery mode must be specified and justified in a separate
memo from the Chair.
For new courses, authors must also complete the new course proposal
form.
Change of class size:
Instructors should indicate their preferred enrollment in the first
course offering. Initial offerings may be limited to a smaller number
of students (approx. 20-25), but will be approved at a higher number
based on the following factors;
*
Course level
*
Instructor experience teaching in this instructional mode
*
Subject
*
Level of student-to-instructor interaction required
*
Use of TAs
Instructors seeking to increase the number of enrollments after
teaching the course at least one time should submit an addendum to
this proposal indicating:
How the instructional methods will support a greater number of
students;
Explanation of methods of assessment that ensure against cheating;
Explanation of how student-student and instructor-student contact
will be maintained.
Change of instruction method:
If the instructor proposes to teach an existing course, or section of
a course, in an online environment, this is considered a change in
mode of instruction and must be reviewed by the curriculum committee.
The instructor should address all the issues below as though it were a
new course.
*************************************************************************************
1. Designator:_______ Number:_______ SBC &/or DEC Category (see
question 16)_____
Full Title:_______________________________________________________________
2. Course Description (Enter exactly as it is to appear in the
Undergraduate Bulletin. If the course is repeatable or not for credit
in addition to any others, this should be noted.):
2. Purpose Statement: Indicate the rationale or intent behind the
proposal to teach this course online. How will this mode of
instruction benefit the student, department or university?
3. Learning Outcomes: Identify the learning outcomes of the course and
how these outcomes will be achieved.
4. Assessment: How will students be assessed as having met the
learning outcomes.
5. Pre- or Corequisite(s), if any:
Advisory Prerequisite(s), if any:
6. Credits: _________
7. Initial term offered: ______________. Initial instructor:___________________________
If designated instructor is unavailable, are there others who can
teach the course?
8. When will the course usually be offered? (Check as appropriate.)
Fall _____ Spring _____ Summer I _____ Summer II _____.Winter ______
9. Frequency of offering, e.g. every semester, annually, alternate
years, etc.: __________________________________
10. Preferred initial enrollment: __________
11. Interaction: Please outline how student/student and
student/faculty interaction will be conducted. Most courses expect
direct or indirect student/faculty interaction. If the course does not
provide student/faculty interaction, please explain how students will
receive feedback on their performance.
12. Computer Use: List any applications that students will be required
to use in addition to the online system.
13. Minimal Student Skills: Provide a statement from your syllabus
about the technical requirements (computer OS, internet requirements,
hardware/software needed). See:
http://nursing.stonybrookmedicine.edu/technical for help in writing a
technology requirement for your course.
14. Instructional Experience: Please indicate your experience with
online distance instruction or how you have gone about acquiring the
skills and knowledge needed to design a course to be offered online.
(Inexperienced instructors should seek the assistance of TLT and
instructional design staff, as well as others who have experience with
online instruction.)
15. TA Use: Note: TAs may be used in the same ways they are used in
in-person classes. Note that although TAs may not be the primary
course contact, the lead instructor(s) may delegate primary
responsibility to the TAs under supervision.
Will teaching assistants be used in the course? Yes____ No____. If
yes, please indicate whether graduate or undergraduate and explain how
each will be used:
16. DEC/SBC Credit:
Is the course being submitted for inclusion in the DEC? Yes_____
No_____. If yes, which category?_____ Please explain how the course
fulfills the objectives of the DEC category (note that a course may
satisfy only one DEC category).
Is the course being submitted for inclusion in the Stony Brook
Curriculum? Yes_____ No_____. If yes, which learning outcome or
outcomes?_____ Please explain how the course fulfills the objectives
of the SBC learning outcome or outcomes.
17. Course Level.
a. For what level and type of students is this course primarily
intended, i.e., freshmen, sophomores, upper-division students, majors,
non-majors, or pre-professional students?
b. If the course is primarily for upper-division students, explain why
it is an upper-division course, e.g., its format, difficulty of
assignments, and required level of preparation.
18. Relation to department offerings: How does the course relate to
the department’s undergraduate and/or graduate programs? Does it
replace any existing course? How does it complement other courses in
the department's curriculum or integrate material from them?
19. Relation to major or minor requirements: The instructor should
consider how the course relates to the department’s undergraduate
and/or graduate programs. Does the course replace an existing course?
How does it complement other courses in the department's curriculum or
integrate material from them? The chair of the department and
undergraduate director of the major or director of the minor should
request that the course be allowed toward the major or minor.
20. Relation to the institution: Please consider the new course's
relation to undergraduate (or graduate) offerings in other programs
throughout the University. Consider, for example, whether the course
duplicates or overlaps with existing courses? Would the course
appropriately be crosslisted with another department? Might it serve
as a prerequisite for courses in other departments? Might it compete
for resources now used for other purposes? Does the course affect
major or minor requirements in any other department?
Note: If other departments are affected (e.g., the course will change
a prerequisite or a major requirement or considers material typically
considered the domain of another department), the committee requires
that the department consult with the affected departments about the
proposed course and its ramifications and that the affected
departments agree to the offering of the course.
Note: If the proposed course duplicates an existing course, the
instructor should offer the online class as another section of the
existing course. (This information should be clearly communicated to
students in the schedule.) See “Change in instruction method” above.