Minimum Standards for Distance Education Instruction

According to article 19E of the faculty contract, there are nine minimum standards asynchronous online courses must meet, and there are five that synchronous courses must meet.

Course Organization and Navigation for Asynchronous Classes

1. Course includes a distinct starting point and instructions on how to begin course.
2. Instructor contact information is easily located along with response times for email, grade turnaround, and other contact information.
3. Navigation and content flow are easily determined by students in the class.
4. Content is organized logically, and follows a consistent layout and structure.
5. Content is segmented into distinct units or modules, as appropriate.
6. Course navigation menu is intuitive and only includes items students will use.
7. Clear due dates for submitting work are posted along with late work policy.
8. Opportunities for regular and substantive interaction from student to student and instructor to student(s) are provided.
9. Course design includes instructions for learners to work with content in meaningful ways (e.g. guiding students to take notes during a video, explaining what to look for in an article, etc.).

Specific Guidelines for Synchronous Instruction 

1. The instructor shall provide a courseware shell (e.g. Canvas or the currently employed LMS) for the class, and utilize the shell to post important information for the class. In addition, the instructor is encouraged to utilize the course design principles described in (Course Organization and Navigation for Asynchronous Classes) above, as appropriate.
2. Instructor uses either camera or other instructional media such as slides or videos during instruction.
3. Recorded course content used in or saved to course site does not reveal personally identifying information for students in other course sections.
4. Teaching on Zoom or using other synchronous tools follows best practices and encourages student participation.
5. Instructor makes every effort to have consistent connectivity.