The Daily Bulletin Archive

In the December meeting of the College Senate, the Instruction and Research Committee (INR) brought forth for a vote, the New DOPS Policy on Online and Hybrid Course Offering. The College Senate voted in favor of the resolution presented by the INR Chair Senator Gregory Wadsworth on December 10, 2021. The supporting documentation and policy are presented via this memo.

BUFFALO STATE COLLEGE
DIRECTORY OF POLICY STATEMENTS

Policy Number: new
Date: 2021
Subject: Online and Hybrid Course Offering

WHEREAS, SUNY has an initiative to expand online course and program offerings to increase opportunities for online learners, and

WHEREAS, Buffalo State does not currently have a college-wide policy for faculty who plan to teach online or hybrid courses.

BE IT RESOLVED that the following policy be adopted for Online and Hybrid Course Offering.

Buffalo State College
TITLE OF POLICY: Online and Hybrid Course Offering

Category: Curriculum
Date Established: TBD
Responsible Office: Academic Affairs
Date Last Revised: NEW

Policy Statement
Buffalo State College is committed to providing quality graduate and undergraduate online courses. To help ensure the highest quality online learning experiences for students, the following development and review process shall apply to all academic credit-bearing courses, course sections, and degree programs offered partially or fully online. 

Each distance education course or program must be offered in a manner that is consistent with the standards established by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE) as well as SUNY, New York state, and federal requirements, and specific standards of program accrediting bodies.

Timeline
Online and hybrid course design and development is time-intensive. Completion of the requirements below will follow a timeline and process established by Academic Affairs.

Requirements

• Intent and Approval to Offer an Online or Hybrid Course
   Intent to teach a new or existing course as an online or hybrid course in
   its inaugural semester must be communicated by the instructor to the department
   chair. The instructor will submit a rationale to the department chair that includes
   a description of how online instruction will provide a benefit to the student’s learning
   experience. The department chair, in consultation with the associate dean, approves
   the online course offering. Approval will be made prior to the “department input
   window” within the Master Schedule Preparation document for the appropriate
   semester.

•  Online Teaching Credentials
    All faculty teaching an online or hybrid course must document
    credentials in this delivery method (e.g., completion of online course
    development series, prior experience and credentials from an outside
    institution or reputable organization in online teaching and learning)
    which should be on file within Academic Affairs.

• Faculty are encouraged to take advantage of additional training, workshops, and certifications to continue to ensure high-quality
  course delivery

•  Course Development
    Online or hybrid course development must be completed prior to the
    semester in which it will be taught to allow time for a course design
    review (see below). This will help ensure that during the semester the
    course is taught, the instructor is using effective instructional delivery,
    ensuring active engagement between students, instructor, and content,
    and providing substantive feedback to students.

•  Review of Online and Hybrid Course Design
    Once the course is developed, the instructor will engage in a course
    design review through Academic Affairs.  The course design review
    process focuses on how pedagogical best practices can be applied to
    online or hybrid courses. Feedback from this review will be provided to
    the instructor and the chair of the department.

Assessment of Teaching
Teaching effectiveness is one of the components evaluated for personnel actions such as re-appointment and promotion. The same standards established by the Curriculum Committee and the department should be used regardless of instructional modality and should be a regular part of the department’s assessment plan. Assessment should be focused on student learning outcomes.  Whole course student evaluations are to be distributed electronically to online or hybrid courses to gather feedback from students to support continuous improvement.

Links to related policies and resources:

Course Procedures and Grading Policies DOPS I:16:00

New & Revised Course Proposals DOPS IV:02.00

Guidelines for Documentation of Teaching Effectiveness DOPS VI:04:04

Distance Education Policy DOPS IV:07:00

Instructional Modalities DOP IV:07:03

ADA Web Content Accessibility Guidelines

SUNY Online Learning Data Definitions

Instructional Design & Distance Learning

I hereby accept the recommendation of the College Senate and charge the provost with responsibility for overseeing the implementation of this policy change and for communicating the change to the campus community.