Part VI, Section III: Distance Education Policies

Updated: May 11, 2023

Contents

  1. Distance Education Courses and Programs
  2. Oversight of Distance Education
  3. Courses Delivered by Distance Education
  4. Fostering Academic Integrity in Distance Education
  5. Instructor Preparation
  6. Professional Development Activities for Online Instructors
  7. Standards for Online Learning
  8. Evaluation of Distance Education

Distance education is a formal educational process in which the majority (i.e. more than 50%) of instruction (interaction between students and instructors and among students) in a course occurs when students and instructors are not in the same place. Instruction may be synchronous or asynchronous. A distance education course may use Internet; one-way and two-way transmissions through open broadcast, closed circuit, cable, microwave, broadband lines, fiber optics, satellite, or wireless communications devices; audio conferencing; or video cassettes, DVDs, and CD-ROMs if used as part of the distance learning course or program. (The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges definition of “distance education”.)

I. Distance Education Courses and Programs

Programs offered via distance education shall be consistent with the mission of East Carolina University and the academic unit offering the courses or programs. There shall be no distinctions in academic rigor or content between programs offered through distance education and those offered on campus. Development of new online programs and courses will follow the same development and approval procedures as face-to-face programs and courses (Part VI). Selection of courses and programs to be offered via distance education is the purview of the offering academic unit. The academic units shall provide oversight of programs and courses delivered via distance education to ensure that each is coherent and complete and has learning outcomes appropriate to the level and rigor of the course or program.

II. Oversight of Distance Education

The Office of the Provost shall ensure that academic units adhere to the distance education policies described in this section. The instructor assumes primary responsibility for ensuring the rigor of programs and the quality of instruction offered through distance education.

III. Courses Delivered by Distance Education

The instructor teaching a distance education course shall have the same control of content and instruction as in face-to-face courses, consistent with university policies on instruction and academic freedom. Proposals for distance educations courses shall be evaluated at the department or school, college and university level. The instructor, unit curriculum committees, and the unit administrator play a significant role in guiding the development and implementation of distance education courses.

Only those proposals demonstrating suitable content and sufficient quality and rigor shall be approved.

Instructors develop syllabi for distance education courses consistent with the ECU Standards for Online Learning. These standards address learning objectives and other things necessary for student success in distance education courses. The structure of distance education courses and programs reflects consideration of the challenges of time management and the risk of attrition for students in these courses. Course design takes into consideration the need for and importance of interaction between instructors and students and among students.

IV. Fostering Academic Integrity in Distance Education

Fostering Academic Integrity in distance education courses, whether they are fully online or hybrid, poses new challenges in maintaining academic integrity for both faculty and students. Specifically, the ease of access provides students the ability to access the work of others without providing appropriate attribution or to search for an exam answer during a closed-book assessment. It is our shared responsibility to provide students with clear, unambiguous guidelines regarding the academic unit and university expectations for ethical behavior in the digital environment.

The Fostering Academic Integrity in Distance Education resource document (DOCX) contains information and strategies to foster ethical behavior and academic integrity within online and hybrid courses. It is divided into two sections. The first section lists scenarios that a faculty member teaching an online class may encounter. The second section includes various strategies for effective online content delivery. As you review each section, you are encouraged to incorporate relevant suggestions from previous instructors’ experiences and incorporate their solutions into your course materials.

Faculty using online proctoring tools within their course are required to include syllabus language providing the technical requirements and information detailing data collected.

Example Syllabus Language: This course requires exam proctoring through [Enter Tool Name].

The systems used for verification of student identity and integrity for proctored examinations require the use of webcams, audio, recording of the computer screen and the student, capturing of other identification information such as student ID cards, and the storing of this collected data for review of security and integrity of the examination(s). As part of the exam experience, you may be asked to comply with reasonable proctoring methods, including a scan of computer monitors and the immediate desktop testing area with your webcam. If a live proctor is used and if you are suspected of using unallowed resources, you may be asked to point your webcam in the direction you are looking off camera.

The specific equipment, internet, and software requirements are listed here [Insert Link to Tool Specific Requirements]. For example, [update the text in the example to reflect the specific requirements of the tool you are using in your course] tests cannot be taken on a phone, tablets, Chromebook, or Linux operating systems. Windows 10 or MacOS 10.15 is recommended with 16GB of Ram. Please review the specific details to ensure you can meet the requirements.

Students must complete getting started steps, which will include testing your equipment. These steps must be completed before each exam and are encouraged to be performed early in the semester to avoid system requirement issues. [Insert Details and Links Here]

V. Instructor Preparation

All courses offered via distance education shall be taught by a qualified, credentialed instructor approved and assigned by the unit administrator. Instructor who teach distance education courses and programs shall have the same academic qualifications as instructors who teach face-to-face courses. Each instructor who teaches one or more distance education courses must complete a university training program. Academic units that wish to develop their own training program must use the university training program until their own training program is approved by the appropriate vice chancellor.

Unit administrators are responsible for ensuring that each instructor teaching distance education courses has the appropriate distance education training. All instructors teaching distance education courses will engage in at least one training activity each academic year that addresses advances in the methodologies and technologies used in distance education. Training is documented in the faculty annual report of each instructor teaching one or more distance education courses.

VI. Professional Development Activities for Online Instructors

Each faculty member who teaches one or more distance education courses must complete an initial university training program consisting of online instructional modules. Faculty continuing to teach distance education courses must engage in at least one professional development activity each academic year that addresses advances in the methodologies and technologies used in distance education.

The following all qualify as professional development activity:

  • Instructional modules in Cornerstone related to distance education.
  • Any of the following activities if it is related to online learning /teaching
    • Attending an external conference session or webinar (e.g. teaching of accounting online at a national accounting conference)
    • Presenting a research paper (e.g. comparison of learning outcomes for course taught face-to-face and online, etc.)
    • Presenting a seminar (in-house or external)
    • Publishing a paper or proceeding or other relevant professional publications
    • Attending a seminar presented by the Office for Faculty Excellence (OFE) or Academic Technologies-ITCS (see examples in attachment) or individual units. To register for OFE or Academic Technologies programs, go to the Office for Faculty Excellence website.
    • Being a finalist for a distance education award (e.g. Max Ray Joyner)

Documentation of the above can include program listings, history of participation, tables of content from program, certificate of completion, etc. Individual units will offer seminars and other programs related to online learning / teaching. As these are announced, they will be distributed via email, posted in cornerstone, and or other means of communication. Documentation will be provided by the presenter(s). Please add it to your records.

If there is a specific seminar or topic or activity that you think may qualify but you are not certain, or if you have questions or require further information, you can complete the below Petition for Alternative Activity to Meet the ECU Distance Education Professional Development. Requirement and submit it to your unit administrator. This form will be placed online once it has been approved by the Chancellor.

Petition for Alternative Activity to meet the ECU Distance Education Professional Development Requirement

(FS Resolution # 19-88, January 2020)

VII. Standards for Online Learning

Distance education courses shall comply with the following ECU Standards for Online Learning.

Course Overview & Introduction

  • The syllabus is easy to navigate and follows a consistent format that introduces the course and its structure and states expectations. The syllabus should be available in a downloadable format for offline reference.
  • Course instructors introduce themselves.
  • An appropriate format (e.g. discussion board) should be used to allow students to introduce themselves to each other and to the instructor.
  • Minimum technology hardware, software, and skills required by the student are clearly stated and resources for technology training are listed.
  • Prerequisite knowledge is clearly stated.

Learning Objectives

  • The learning objectives are clearly stated and describe measurable outcomes.
  • The learning objectives address content mastery and critical thinking ability.
  • Clear instructions for achieving course objectives and learning outcomes are provided.

Assessment & Measurement

  • Evaluation methods measure the achievement of course objectives and learning outcomes and are appropriate for the online learning environment.
  • Course evaluation, policies, learner feedback are appropriate for the online learning environment.
  • Course instructors should utilize a controlled testing environment as appropriate.

Resources & Materials

  • The course instructional materials, resources, and content have sufficient depth and breadth for the student to achieve learning outcomes.
  • The course instructional materials, resources, and content are accessible, Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliant, and available in multiple formats when appropriate.
  • The course instructor makes students aware of relevant resources and services at the university, college, department, and course level (e.g. library resources, Online Writing Center, and Pirate Academic Success Center).

Learner Interaction

  • The course provides opportunities for interaction between the instructor and the student, and among students as appropriate.
  • Activities designed to generate student interaction align with course objectives and learning outcomes.
  • Clear standards are established for course interactions, instructor response time, and instructor availability (turn-around time for email, grade posting, online office hours, etc.)

Course Technology

  • Instructional tools support the learning objectives of the course and are integrated with course material.
  • Instructional tools enhance learning activities and guide the student to become a more active learner.
  • Instructional tools required for this course are clearly defined and easily attained.

Accountability

VIII. Evaluation of Distance Education

Instructors teaching through distance education will be peer reviewed to assure the rigor of programs and the quality of instruction. Instruction in distance education courses shall be evaluated according to the instruction evaluation procedures in effect for face-to-face courses with appropriate additions consistent with the delivery method, including use of the Peer Review Instrument for Asynchronous Courses (DOCX) or an approved Peer Review Instrument developed by the academic unit. Units that wish to develop their own Peer Review Instrument must use the university instrument until their own instrument is approved by the appropriate vice chancellor. Peer reviewers will be selected based on criteria determined by the faculty of the college, school or department.

Student opinion of instruction will be evaluated through an online evaluation specific for distance education courses approved by the Faculty Senate and the chancellor and administered through the Office of Institutional Planning, Assessment and Research.

Each distance education academic degree program shall be assessed in the same manner and the same frequency as the unit’s assessment of academic programs offered on campus. The unit administrator shall review assessment results with assigned instructors and the departmental faculty to facilitate the continual enhancement of the unit’s distance education program. (FS Resolution #16-31, May 2016; FS Resolution #18-43, May 2018)