Distance Learning

Procedures Manual

November 11, 2013

1

Table of Contents

Preface...... 2

Distance Learning Instruction at Southeastern Technical College...... 2

Regulatory Requirements...... 3

Institutional Commitment...... 4

Offering an Online Course or Hybrid Course...... 5

Attendance...... 6-7

Online Attendance

Hybrid Attendance

Technology and Training for Online Instructors...... 7-9

Curriculum and Instruction...... 9

Faculty Support...... 10

Instructional Staff Work Assignments

Instructional Staff Work Assignment Adjustments

Student Support...... 10-11

Evaluation and Assessment...... 12-13

Proctoring...... 13-14

STC Proctoring Procedure...... 15-17

STC Proctoring Policy...... 18

STC Mission Statement/Online Learning Mission Statement...... 19

STC Library Resources Available to Online Students...... 20

Distance Learning Survey of Online Faculty...... 21-22

Links to Distance Learning Forms

*STC Institutional Review Process (IRP)

*Instructional Process Evaluation Instrument (IPEI)

*Master Course Review

*Instructor Self Review

1

Preface

The primary purpose of this manual is to help ensure that a high level of quality learning and quality teaching occurs in online and other distance learning courses. The expected outcome of this effort is that students, teachers, and other affected parties can be assured that distance learning courses are consistent with the same courses offered in the traditional settingand that all courses are of the highest quality possible. SoutheasternTechnicalCollege (STC) has well defined programs of study with well defined courses within the programs. However, in this document, the reader may notice the terms programs and courses being used interchangeably. This is commonplace in educational literature. While in a limited number of programs many courses are available online over a given period of time, courses are also available in a traditional setting.

Distance Learning Instruction at Southeastern TechnicalCollege

Distance learning is defined, for the purposes of this manual, as a formal educational process in which the majority of the instruction occurs when student and instructor are not in the same physical location. Instruction may be synchronous or asynchronous. Distance learning instruction can include instruction over Polycom, or web-based instruction (online, hybrid, and web-enhanced instruction) using the Internet.

A number of traditionalcourses are offered in a synchronous manner through utilization of a distance learning system known as Polycom. Polycom is a two-way interactive video and audio network and is primarily utilized to offer courses from the main campus in Vidalia to the Swainsboro campususing a dedicated T-1 line. With Polycom, the instructor can be physically located on either campus. Since the students on both campuses are receiving the same information simultaneously, and the instructor can interact with students on both campuses, the instruction (content, interaction, etc.) is the same. However, the focus of this manual is on asynchronous courses, namely online.

Web-based instruction can be delivered in three ways: online classes, web-enhanced classes, and hybrid classes. Online classes refers to students who complete 100% of the required contact hours completely online without classroom visits—except for proctored events, or a required class meeting. Web-enhanced courses require students to complete 100% of the contact hours traditionally by attending classes on campus while being introduced to the Angel platform or other Learning Management Systemas part of the course requirements. The advantage to web-enhanced classes is that students have access to the instructor, and they may also have access to recorded lectures, videos, discussion boards, online tests, presentations, and many other resources that will enhance student learning. Hybrid classes require students to completeaminimum of 60%of the required contact hours traditionally by attending classes on campus while completing the remaining portion online at the student’s convenience with respect to the instructor’s requirements. Hybrid courses foster increased interaction and contact among students and between the instructor and the students.

As a participating member of the Georgia Virtual Technical Connection(GVTC), a statewide consortium of technical colleges, STC offers online courses (also known as web courses). TheGeorgia Virtual Technical Connection (GVTC) works in a collaborative mannerwith TCSG to create occupational courses and programs using a standardized curriculum delivered over the Internet and through local centers.

GVTC brings together the resources of25technical colleges to expand online program offerings giving students more technical education options. STC’s relationship with GVTC can be likened to a group of colleges that work together to undertake an enterprise which could be very cost prohibitive for an individual college working alone.

GVTC serves as a clearinghouse in some ways and a resource in other ways. Aside from shared efforts to ensure quality assurance and maximize the quality of teaching and learning, STC operates as a separate entity unto itself. All curriculum-related decisions are made by STC instructors and academic administrators. Program and curriculum standards established by the Technical College System of Georgia (TCSG) are adhered to by STC. STC awards credentials such as degrees, diplomas, and technical certificates of credit.

Online students get the same high quality instruction and course content that are provided to traditional students, minus the barriers of time and place that prevent so many from pursuing educational opportunities. STC has twodesignated distance education representatives who serve as the Online Academic Activities Coordinator, Angel Point of Contact, and the GVTC Coordinatorwho attendGVTC meetings along with peer coordinators from around the state.

A platform is needed to facilitate the development, adoption, and implementation for online courses. ANGEL is the comprehensive and flexible e-learning platform developed for educators to enhance their teaching and learning environments through the use of the Internet.

The ANGEL system is maintained by GVTC and updated as new and better versions become available. Reference to GVTC, ANGEL, Online Academic Activities Coordinator, Angel Point of Contact, and the GVTC Coordinator will be made throughout this manual.

Regulatory Requirements

SoutheasternTechnicalCollege adheres to the legal and regulatory requirements of the jurisdictions in which it operates, e.g., requirements for service to those with disabilities, copyright law, state and national requirements for institutions offering educational programs, international restrictions such as export of sensitive information or technologies, etc. The STC Catalog and Handbook and Website provide evidence of an awareness of these requirements. The Student Affairs Division, which includes twoSpecial Needs Specialists, addresses requirements for service to those with disabilities. The College maintains a policies and procedures manual which addresses legal and regulatory requirements of the jurisdictions in which the College operates. All divisions are fully aware of copyright laws and adhere strictly to the letter of said laws.

SoutheasternTechnicalCollege is committed to ensuring an environment for all students and employees that is fair, humane, and respectful; an environment that supports and rewards students and employees on the basis of relevant considerations, and that is free from illegal or inappropriate conduct.

In an instance of perceived violation of Department or TechnicalCollege policies, standards of professional conduct or state or federal law, a member of the TechnicalCollege community may file a complaint. The following are links to the Technical College System of Georgia policy, procedure, and STC’s local procedure, which are located within the STC Policy Guide:

Policy/Purpose:

Local Procedure:

Institutional Commitment

Electronically offered programs both support and extend the roles of educational institutions. Increasingly, they are integral to academic organizations, with growing implications for institutional infrastructure.

At Southeastern Technical College (STC), all online courses offered are part of existing programs of study. STC has a mission statement which was developed utilizing input of both internal and external stakeholders. The Advisory Committee for each program of study has approved the College’s mission statement. Each program of study also has its own mission statement(also known as purpose), which was developed through input from and approved by the Advisory Committee for that program. Each program’s mission statement reflects the mission statement of the College and the occupational educational needs of the population it serves. In October 2003, STC instituted an Online Learning Department to oversee all of the school’s online programs and courses. A Director of Online Learning was hired as the administrator of this department. In July 2006, STC transitioned to utilizing an Online Academic Activities Coordinator who, in conjunction with the Deans of Academic Affairs,oversees all online activities. STC’s Online Academic Activities Coordinator also served as the GVTC Coordinator. In July 2009, Southeastern Technical College and Swainsboro Technical College merged to form one college. Southeastern Technical College was retained as the name of the merged colleges. The Vidalia and Swainsboro campuses each have distance education representatives who serve as the Online Academic Activities Coordinator and the GVTC Coordinator. STC’s Online Learning Department has developed its own mission statement (see related forms), which reflects the mission statement of the College and the occupational and educational needs of the population it serves. The goals of the College with respect to student access are met whether traditionally or in an online course. In many instances, online classes are more accessible for students living further away than are traditional classes.

Traditional programs of study which have or may add online courses do not represent a change to SoutheasternTechnicalCollege’s stated mission and objectives. Although online courses allow the College to reach student populations beyond the local geographic area, the focus of instruction, curriculum offered, and institutional focus does not change. Since online courses that are available through programs of study are primarily within the College’s geographic area, and the online courses are qualitatively consistent with traditional courses, there is no truly significant change.

Students enrolling in a program of study at Southeastern Technical College (STC) can be assured that the program of study they are entering will be sustained long enough for the student to complete the program. If a student’s program of study undergoes change through theTechnical College System of Georgia (TCSG)’s Instructional Faculty Consortium Committee (IFCC ) process that results in program courses being changed, students are “grandfathered in”, meaning theywill be able to complete the program by meeting the original standards under which they entered the program. However, if students miss one or more semestersand reenter the program, they may be expected to complete the program under the new standards.

Courses within a given program of study are offered with sufficient frequency so that students can complete a program within a reasonable time frame as stated in the STC Catalog and Student Handbook. Some courses within individual programs are offered every semester, making it possible for students to enter the program everysemester. The inclusion of online courses within a given program of study often facilitates a student’s abilityto finish the programwithin a reasonable time frame since the students are not limited to specific times and days as with traditional classes.

Offering an Online Course or Hybrid Course

Before an instructor can offer an onlinecourse or a hybrid course, he/she must submit an Institutional Review Process Form to the Online Academic Activities Coordinator who forwards the form to a review committee comprised of key administrators familiar with online courses. Online and hybridcourses must be approved by the Institutional Review Process (IRP) committee in advance of the semesterin which they are to be offered. Faculty must complete and submit an Institutional Review Form (IRP) for new online and hybridcourses and for online courses they had not previously offered, even if the courses were previously offered by another faculty member. The instructor must have a reason for offering the course onlineor hybrid (i.e. student demand, instructor interest) and note any special hardware/software needs/requirements.

Faculty and/or the appropriate Dean of Academic Affairs, in consultation with the Online Academic Activities Coordinator, will indicate expected costs on the IRP form whether for new hardware/software or for technology aids. The Vice President for Academic Affairs, with input from Deans of Academic Affairs and the Online Academic Activities Coordinator, budgets projected expenses in equipment, supplies, and/or adjunct budgets.

The Online Academic Activities Coordinator, with the assistance of other IRP committee members, reviews the information and completes Section 2 of the IRP (Institutional ReviewProcess Checklist) for the proposed course. If the Online Academic Activities Coordinator is able to answer all criteria items affirmatively, s/he presents the proposed course to other IRP committee members for their consideration and signatures. Three committee member signatures are required. However, final approval of the Vice President for Academic Affairs is also required. These signatures of approval complete Section 2 of the IRP.

Assistance in the implementation of new online courses is available from the Online Academic Activities Coordinator, GVTC Coordinator, or peer online instructor(s), and Georgia Virtual Technical Connectionpersonnel. [See IRP and IPEI forms included in the Links to Forms section at the end of this document]. Reliability, privacy, safety, and security for online ANGEL courses are provided by Georgia Virtual Technical Connection(GVTC). All the courses are loaded onto a server that ANGEL maintains for privacy, reliability, and security. GVTC is the contact for any “server” level administrative changes.

At the end of each semester, the online student is given the opportunity to evaluate the course and the instructor using STC’s online course evaluation system. The Deans evaluate various online courses by completing the Instructional Process Evaluation Instrument (IPEI).

AMaster Course Review Team made up of instructors, deans, andvice presidents was created to review online and hybrid courses to determine if the course meets the basic starting requirements to be taught in the upcoming semester. This is an ongoing process and will be continued to ensure that all existing and new online and hybridmaster courses are evaluated. The reviews will rotate on anannual basis; for example, online master reviews will be completed one fiscal year and hybrid master reviews will be completed the next fiscal year. Members of the review team will evaluate 1-3courses per semester by being enrolled in the online or hybridAngel course, and by using the STC Master Course ReviewOnline Courses formand the STC Master Course Review Hybrid Courses form. The process is meant to be helpful to the instructors. Reviewers will contact instructors for clarification when needed because some items may be present in the Angel course, but could have been easily overlooked. Reviewers are to contact instructors immediately if anything needs to be corrected. Continuous communication between the reviewer and the instructor is encouraged so that a “yes” can be obtained in all categories of the STC Master Course Review for Online Courses formand the STC Master Course Review for Hybrid Courses form located in the Links to Forms section of this document.

Onlineinstructors began using the Instructor Self-Review of Online Courses form(located in the Links to Forms section of this document) to evaluate one of their online courses per semester. The purpose of this self-review is to help pinpoint strengths and weaknesses as an instructor. Instructors are asked to be honest in critiquing their course(s) as the form is not used to penalize instruction, but to maximize quality in online courses. The completed form is given to the Dean immediately following each semester. The Dean will review the form and meet with the instructor if there are areas that need improvement. Although only one online course per instructor is evaluated each semester, the review form will hopefully entice instructors to scrutinize all of their courses in this manner. The completed Self-Review of Online Courses forms are scanned and stored on the S Drive. Self-reviews are not required for hybrid courses.

Attendance

It is essential that educational programs maintain requirements and standards necessary for successful employment of its graduates in business and industry. In view of the intensive nature of the educational programs, it is necessary for every student to be present and on time every day for all classes.
Attendance is counted from the first scheduled class meeting of each semester. To receive credit for a course a student must attend at least 90% of the scheduled instructional time. All work missed due to tardiness or absences must be made up at the convenience of the instructor. Any student attending less than the required scheduled instructional time as noted on each syllabus will receive a "W" for the course if removed from the course on or before midterm. After the semester midterm, any student who has maintained a passing grade within a course will receive a 'WP' for the course when attending less than the required scheduled instructional time as stated on each course syllabus. If, however, the student has not maintained a passing grade, he or she will receive a 'WF' for the course.