APM 206 Policies and Procedures on Technology-Mediated Courses and Programs

April 2, 2018

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POLICIES AND PROCEDURES ON TECHNOLOGY-MEDIATED COURSES AND PROGRAMS

I. Rationale

Faculty may use technology for instruction, enhancement of student learning, supplementing or replacing face-to-face interaction, and extending access to students. Courses and programs using instructional technology are technology-mediated. Technology-mediated courses may be synchronous (using broadcast, video or web conferencing, or other technology), asynchronous or a blend. The following principles guide this policy:

  • The faculty is responsible for the academic content of the curriculum.
  • Student learning outcomes of technology-mediated courses are equivalent to those of traditional courses.
  • Learning outcomes of technology-mediated courses are evaluated as part of a student learning outcomes assessment plan.
  • Technology-mediated courses are subject to student rating of instruction, and faculty peer review, consistent with APM 322 Policy on the Assessment of Teaching Effectiveness
  • As in traditional courses, successful technology-mediated courses encourage student-faculty and student-student interaction.
  • Use of technology is consistent with APM 622 Acceptable Use Policy of Information Technology Resources

II. Responsibilities

University policies regarding courses and programs are applicable to technology mediated courses and programs. Just as traditional instruction is expected to use best practices for instruction and assessment, technology-mediated courses and programs shall meet established standards for quality and student learning outcomes, as well as best practices for technology-mediated instruction (such as Quality Matters or QOLT). The faculty are responsible to ensure that courses with special approval (e.g., general education, service learning) continue to embody those characteristics.

A. Faculty Responsibilities

In accordance with university policies, the faculty member is responsible for determining how information is disseminated to, and engaged by, the students. This includes intellectual property considerations (e.g., fair use, and copyright) and accessibility (e.g., APM 237 and the system-wide Accessible Technology Initiative ATI). The instructor will determine the intended access by students to the instructional materials. The use of recorded or on-line materials can be included in the peer review process.

A faculty member who wishes to conduct online course activity beyond 20% of the entire course will complete 15-20 hours of online course design training through or recognized by the Center for Faculty Excellence (e.g., the CSU Quality Assurance Program).

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B. University Responsibilities

The university shall provide necessary instructional support and student services for technology-mediated instruction such as academic advising, financial aid, career services, library services, and tutoring.

Any degree program that is offered more than 50 percent online or at a distant site requires substantive change approval from the Western Association of Schools and Colleges.

The university shall provide support to faculty for:

  • Training and consultation about technology-mediated design, instruction, intellectual property, accessibility, and assessment.
  • IT infrastructure.

C. Shared Responsibilities

Usually, a technology mediated course is offered by the faculty who design and develop the online course. Future instructional use by other faculty of materials in a technology-mediated course or program is subject to the mutual agreement of the university and the faculty member, consistent with university policies on intellectual property (APM 522 Intellectual Policy) and agreements made between the provost and the faculty.

Upon approval by the faculty member who created the content, future reuse for credit or noncredit shall be considered and approved through the usual curriculum approval process. No reuse shall be made without the instructor’s prior knowledge and consent, and any reuse shall include provision for appropriate compensation to the instructor-creator. A review to determine whether online materials should be revised or withdrawn because of obsolescence may be initiated by the original instructor-creator, or as with a traditional class, by an appropriate faculty body.

Intellectual property developed for online use, like other scholarly work, shall bear the name of the author, the institutional affiliation, the date when it was created, intellectual property notice (such as Creative Commons www.creativecommons.org), and appropriate acknowledgments.

III. Courses

A. Definitions1

  1. Classroom Course – Course activity is organized around scheduled class meetings.
  2. Synchronous Distributed Course - Web-based technologies are used to extend classroom lectures and other activities to students at remote sites in real time.
  3. Web-Enhanced Course – Online course activity complements class sessions without reducing the number of required class meetings or supplants a small amount (typically 20 percent or less) of the traditional classroom activity.
  4. Blended (also called Hybrid) Classroom Course – Online activity is mixed with classroom meetings, replacing a significant percentage (20 percent to 66 percent), but not all required face-to-face instructional activities.
  5. Blended (also called Hybrid) Online Course – Most course activity is done online (66 percent to 99 percent), but there are some required face-to-face instructional activities, such as lectures, discussions, labs, or other in-person learning activities.
  6. Online Course – “All course activity is done online; there are no required face-to-face sessions within the course and no requirements for on-campus activity”.
  7. Flexible Mode Course – “Offers multiple delivery modes so that students can choose which delivery mode(s) to use for instructional and other learning purposes”.

1 The following definitions are informed by the national standards from the Online Learning Consortium’s Definitions of E-Learning Courses and Programs Version 2.0 April 4, 2015 (http://onlinelearningconsortium.org/updated-e-learning-definitions-2/).

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B. Approval Process

Existing courses can be converted to web enhanced courses that provide a small amount (up to 20 percent) of traditional classroom activity online through the department/program’s curriculum approval process.

When more than 20 percent of the course content is delivered online, school/college curriculum committee approval is required along with a technical review by the Center for Faculty Excellence. The technical review will focus on whether the proposed mode of delivery for the course or program meets current guidelines for online learning.

When online delivery exceeds 66 percent of the course content, university level approval is needed. Program, school/college and university level approvals are secured through the usual curricular review processes and will include consideration of academic content, student learning outcomes, budget and staffing, and other considerations.

C. Syllabi

Syllabi for technology-mediated courses must comply with APM 241 Policy on Course Syllabi and Grading. This includes explaining the role that technology plays in achieving student learning outcomes. Syllabi of courses in which online instruction replaces part or all of in-class time shall describe how learning activities will be scheduled, including a distinction between synchronous and asynchronous activities. As for traditional courses, the syllabus and any amendments shall be on record with the department or program.

D. Courses originating off campus

Credit-bearing courses originating off campus shall be reviewed through usual curricular processes. The university shall not contract with any private or public entity to deliver credit-bearing courses or programs to off-campus entities or to California State University, Fresno students without prior approval through normal curricular processes.

Recommended by the Academic Senate Approved by the President

March 19, 2018 April 2, 2018

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