(approved by Academic Council on 6/3/97)

An Internet course is taught primarily or exclusively through the Internet. The course could be an existing course formatted to fit the Internet environment or a new course created specifically to meet some unique need of students enrolled through the Internet. Typically a faculty member will place materials for an existing course on a device that students can access through an Internet connection. The faculty constructs the material in such a way that the Internet connection substitutes for most or all of the traditional classroom instruction. An Internet course has teaching and learning characteristics that distinguish it from traditional courses. These include (a) the instruction normally presented by the faculty in the traditional classroom is accessible to the student through Internet access to some electronic host or server, (b) the faculty/student interaction is primarily or exclusively through the Internet connection, and (3) the instructional design of the course should emphasize or provide for asynchronous teaching and learning, i.e., students and faculty access the Internet instruction at varying times, and the requirements for student response allow for individualized timing flexibility. Offering courses through the Internet does not preclude the use of textbooks or other hard copy materials normally used in the traditional classroom or the requirement of some class meeting on or off ETSU campus sites.

The flexibility of Internet delivery of courses has the potential to increase the enrollment of part-time working students by removing the requirement of being in a specific room at a specific time each class period throughout the semester to complete a course. Internet courses belong to the family of correspondence courses enhanced with today’s networking technology and computer software to the extent that they hardly resemble the traditional correspondence courses taught through the transfer of hard copy materials.

Several departments at ETSU currently place supplemental course materials on computers or servers for student access. These materials are intended to supplement or augment courses taught in the traditional format. These materials are not considered to be Internet courses and do not make the course a form of distance education.

Any new courses, as opposed to reformatted existing courses, developed for Internet delivery will have to be approved through the established course approval process at ETSU.

II. Short and Long-Term Development Goals

Short-term goals will span the next twelve months. Within this time frame (a) an inventory of Internet accessible supplemental course materials will be compiled, and (b) a Distance Education Server will be installed to serve as (1) the repository for all Internet courses and supplemental materials for ITV courses, and (2) the central focus for compliance with all TBR and SACS standards or guidelines pertaining to Internet course delivery. During the fall 1997 semester supplemental materials for ITV courses and one Internet course will be tested for reliable and efficient access from off-campus locations. One complete Internet course will be offered during the 1998 spring semester. Complete Internet courses will be accessible only to enrolled students who will be issued a course password. SACS will be notified not later than two months before the beginning of the 1998 spring semester through the Substantive Change Procedure. The Teaching and Learning Center will have an operational faculty advisory group, and the Academic Technology Lab will provide one tested course formatting algorithm by which faculty can convert some regular courses to the Internet teaching and learning environment. Thorough testing will be conducted before courses are offered. Courses within this time frame would consist of "text + graphics."

Long term (two years +) goals include offering one or two programs for which ETSU has a strong or unique position and that could attract students or be competitive in a worldwide market. Examples of these programs might be Story Telling, or Appalachian History or Culture. Additionally, several courses will exist to (a) better serve enrolled part-time students and, (b) attract new students who find that asynchronous learning allows enrollment opportunities consistent with other commitments. Supplemental materials for most ITV courses will be on the server. Any course deemed appropriate by the department and faculty could be offered through the Internet. In the final analysis, the long-term goals will be significantly determined by the institutional and faculty commitment to this form of outreach education. In the long term, Internet courses will consist of "text + graphics + sound and video" if the network will support these enhancements.

The Teaching and Learning Center and the Academic Technology Lab will provide assistance in instructional design and technical assistance in reformatting existing courses to fit the Internet environment. The Teaching and Learning Center will maintain a small group of faculty to serve in an advisory capacity to faculty developing Internet courses. The Academic Technology Lab will provide to faculty specific software training that may be needed in formatting courses for the Internet teaching/learning environment.

The Office of Distance Education will provide funding assistance and dedicated computer disk space and software with Internet connection for faculty. Funding would provide for faculty release time and training. Additionally the Office will assist with logistical burdens encountered by faculty in teaching Internet courses. Generally, the Office of Distance Education will provide support and coordination for Internet courses as it currently does for Interactive Television Courses (ITFS, Fiber Optic, Telecourses, Compressed Video, and Video Checkout).

Department or college/school resources will also be important supplemental resources for Internet courses as they are with ITV courses.

The scheduling of Internet courses follows a process analogous to other distance education courses. This includes the (a) building of the course schedule by the department offering the course, and (b) integration of the course as a distance education course by the Office of Distance Education. Integration as a distance education course requires that (1) notification of the Internet course be sent from the department to the Office of Distance Education, (2) the Office of Distance Education can establish probable compliance with TBR and SACS guidelines and standards for the proposed course, and (3) the Office assign faculty access to the Distance Education server. The course is not scheduled until all of these processes are completed.

Students who enroll in Internet courses must register for them through the same process as students who enroll in any other credit courses offered by ETSU. In some cases faculty may need to communicate with the student prior to enrollment to ensure a good understanding by the student of the nature and unique features of the course. The faculty will also need to assess the students’ access to resources and support services needed for the course. Students will receive passwords for the courses in which they are enrolled. Faculty/student dialog can occur through E-Mail, chat software, telephone calls, fax, or group meetings where feasible. Tests or exams may require class meetings where feasible or in the extreme case the use of a trusted third party to validate the student taking the test/exam.

V. Distance Education Guidelines, Standards, and Compliance

Neither SACS nor the TBR have standards or guidelines specifically for Internet courses. The applicable guidelines are subsumed within those developed for Distance Education/Learning. The Office of Distance Education will serve as the unit responsible for compliance with all distance education guidelines. Specifically these will include the assurance of (a) an assessment of the delivery mode (TBR Guideline A-070, I.4), (b) timely feedback among faculty and students (TBR Guideline A-070, I.3), (c) specialized training for faculty in the use of the medium (TBR Guideline A-07, II.3), (d) compliance with applicable copyright laws (TBR Policy 2:05:00:00), and (e) compliance with SACS Substantive Change, Procedure Two. The Office will also be responsible for ensuring compliance with any other distance education guidelines that may be developed by the University regarding the teaching of courses through the Internet.

142 Committee Summary
(Approved by Academic Council 01/13/00)

1) Definition: An Internet/web-based course is any course in which students may complete more than 50% of the requirements through Internet access to the course web site. (Note: The more than 50% rule is the same as that used by the Southern Regional Educational Board.)

2) Classification: All Internet/Web-based courses are Distance Education courses.

3) Policy on Equivalence: courses taught in the web-based format must be equivalent to the same courses taught in the traditional format, in accordance with SACS criteria 4.2.4 for Undergraduate Courses and 4.3.5 for Graduate Courses.

a) Courses developed specifically for web-based delivery must be approved through the curriculum process in the same way as new traditional courses.

b) The processes and procedures for offering web-based courses are the same as all other distance education courses. [See http://de.etsu.edu/handbook/handbook.htm.]

c) Departments offering courses in web-based format should be prepared to document that the courses have student-learning outcomes that are equivalent to those for courses taught in the traditional format.

4) Statement on Copyright: Faculty teaching web-based courses are expected to be familiar with and abide by all applicable or relevant copyright laws. Information about copyright laws may be found at http://de.etsu.edu/tbr.htm

5) Intellectual Property Rights – The Tennessee Board of Regents has adopted a Policy on Intellectual Property Rights for faculty developing instructional materials for Distance Education courses (see http://de.etsu.edu/tbr.htm). This Policy defines ownership of instructional materials for Distance Education courses under varying circumstances. In some cases the university assumes ownership unless otherwise arranged by prior written agreement. If the faculty member wants to clearly establish intellectual property rights, s/he should, prior to the development of an Internet course, obtain a written agreement with the university that addresses areas such as ownership of materials, use of any or all of the materials by other faculty, who can authorize access to the materials, who can modify or add to the materials, use of the materials if the faculty member leaves the university, and issues related to selling the course materials to an entity outside the university. The committee recommends that the Provost establish guidelines and procedures for faculty to follow if they wish to obtain Intellectual Property Rights that differ from the standard TBR Policy.

6) Standard Components for Web-based Courses: The following components should be included in every web-based course:

a) A course syllabus

b) Course outcomes

c) A detailed description of how to submit assignments

d) A technical help page – when students have technical problems with the course, they should be directed to resources for assistance

e) A student resources page – a page containing hyperlinks to university resources designed for students who are seeking help or support. An example would be a web page that contains hyperlinks to the Library, important semester dates (Registrar), Adult Programs & Services, Advisement Resources Center, Career Placement and Internship Services, Counseling Center, and Disability Services. Distance Education should develop such a page to be used in every course.

f) Instructor Contact Information: Students must be provided reasonable opportunity for private contact and communication with the course instructor. Contact information should include office hours, telephone number, email address, fax number (if available), and mailing address. Regularly scheduled synchronous chat sessions could also be included, provided that the chat sessions allow for private sessions between the student and the instructor.

g) Each Internet course must provide for the interaction among students and faculty and students. An online discussion forum would be an asynchronous example of this.

h) Each Internet course should provide the student with a calendar for assignment completion to help pace the student through the course. Due to the nature of asynchronous learning, students need a guide and calendar for completion of assignments.

i) All Internet courses will be password protected and each student enrolled in the course shall be given a username and password to the course.

j) Each course shall have a public page to allow prospective students to view the course objectives, calendar, prerequisites, and technology required to access the course modules.

k) Distance Education will perform a student assessment for the delivery methods for all Internet courses.

l) Each course must have a student release form due to the discussion forum posting of student comments. Distance Education will place such a form in each course web and collect student submissions into a database.

m) A standard ETSU logo should be on the public page and the home page of the course web to clearly identify the course with ETSU. This logo used should be the same on all courses.

7) Policy on Faculty Training: In accordance with TBR policy, all faculty developing and teaching Internet courses must demonstrate competence in the use of the technology for instruction and course development. It is the responsibility of the office of Distance Education to ensure and document this competence prior to the offering of the Internet course.

a) Supported Software: The Office of Distance Education will specify a limited list of software to be used in developing and offering Internet courses and that will be supported fully by Distance Education personnel, as well as the Academic Technology Lab and the Teaching and Learning Center. Any exceptions will be made by the Office of Distance Education on a case-by-case basis, based on their best judgment on what can be adequately supported. The decision on what software to use, or to change software, will be made by Distance Education in consultation with faculty users and technical consultants. If a decision is taken to change the software to be supported and faculty must migrate to a new format, faculty will be notified well in advance and assisted in making the transition.

b) Teaching and Learning Center: The TLC will provide workshops and training for faculty on the pedagogical and managerial aspects of Internet instruction.

c) Academic Technology Support and Distance Education: The offices of Academic Technology Support and Distance Education will provide workshops and training for the faculty on the software applications adopted for Internet course creation.

d) Each faculty member developing an Internet course will be given a training and support guide sheet that specifies the appropriate contacts for available support resources.

 

8) Student Lab support: All open student computer labs, such as the Culp Center lab, will be configured and managed to support student access to the content of Internet courses developed by ETSU faculty.

9) Evaluation of Internet courses: Internet based courses are to be evaluated by the same standards as traditional courses and the areas assessed must be equivalent to traditional courses. The SAI for the Internet will be distributed to enrolled students either through regular mail or as a printable PDF file within the course web. In the longer term, secure web based SAI procedures will be implemented.

10) Evaluation of the Medium of Instruction: The evaluation of courses delivered by Internet also must include questions designed to assess the effective use of the medium for instruction. The office of Distance Education will conduct this assessment and receive the results.

11) Faculty Workload: The committee recommends that developing and offering an Internet course be classified as a major activity, equivalent to significant traditional activities in teaching, research, and service. Developing an Internet course should be reflected in the faculty member’s workload with an appropriate modification of assigned duties and/or through the provision of significant additional resources to support the faculty member during the development period and initial offering term.

The finished product, that is, the resulting Internet course, should be considered as equivalent to a traditional major achievement. A department would have the option of conducting a peer review process, either within the department or by external reviewers. The department chair will determine this process and apply criteria appropriate to the discipline and to Internet pedagogy.

12. Hardware and Software Support - The university will provide the necessary support, hardware and/or supported software, for faculty members who have specific feasible plans to develop and offer Internet based courses in a reasonable time frame. The necessary hardware and software includes an acceptable computer, any supported client software needed for content development, appropriate network access and server space on the Distance Education server, and on-going support from Distance Education and OIT. The Office of Distance Education will consult with faculty and departments to determine if a particular faculty member has, or can acquire, the necessary technical skills, if the faculty member either has or can develop a realistic and feasible plan for developing the Internet course, and if the particular course is suitable for delivery through the Internet. Distance Education and ATS will work together to develop a suitable training plan for the faculty member developing the course. If resources are limited Distance Education will consult with faculty, departments, and OIT, to set priorities based on factors such as the number of students to be served, programmatic and organizational needs, and estimated time for completing the task.