Distance Education Committee Report for 2011-2012
Submitted by
George Williams, Chair—Distance Education Committee
Michael Sukowski, Director—Center for Teaching and Research Excellence
Table of Contents
I.
II.
III.
Mission Statement
Summary Report
Appendix
a. Approval Process for Online and Hybrid Course Offerings
b. DAC Review Committee
c. Online Course Review Committee
d. Recommended Course Design Evaluation Rubric for Department Chairperson
e. Recommended Online Attendance Policy
Mission Statement for Online Education at Chicago State University
The Mission of Online Education at Chicago State University is to provide access to persons
desiring to acquire post-secondary, graduate, and post-graduate knowledge independent of the
learner’s time and location constraints, and to earn credentials valuable to academic institutions
and employers. To achieve this goal, Chicago State University endeavors to offer quality course
development and support services for faculty and students involved in distance learning; to
coordinate the development and delivery of asynchronous and/or synchronous online education
degree programs and courses; and to ensure the quality of distance learning through rigorous efforts
and continued improvement.
Distance Education Committee/Center for Teaching and Research Excellence
Annual Report for 2011-2012
Online Courses and Enrollments
Online Courses for 2011-2012
Fall 105
Spring 117
Total 222
Online Enrollments for 2011-2012
Fall 1,978
Spring 2,207
Total 4,185
Accomplishments
Along with the Chicago State University (CSU) Distance Education Committee (DEC), the
Center for Teaching and Research Excellence (CTRE) has implemented and/or recommended
the following:
 Faculty training for online instruction (Online Certification Training)
 Student technology training module (S.T.A.R.T.)
 Information literacy training module (CSIT)
 Online student evaluations
 Online policy recommendations for the DACs
 Technology upgrades for faculty teaching online, to include one of the following:
o Upgrade of current computer
o Secondary monitor
o iPad
 Establishment of a DAC review committee
 Establishment of an Online Course review committee
 Adoption and adaptation of the ION Rubric for evaluating online and hybrid courses
 Recommendation of a rubric for departmental assessment of online courses
 Establishment of guidelines for online advisors
 Recommendation of an attendance policy for online courses
 Development of a Mission Statement for Online Education at CSU
 Recommendation of an approval process for new online courses
Workshops
Each semester, the CTRE offers a minimum of 16 workshops on the technologies used in online
teaching. In addition to the technology workshops, 14 sessions have been conducted that cover
the pedagogy of why the technologies are used, and the different technologies that can be used to
meet the needs of the learning styles of every student. Attention has also been given to
technologies relating to copyright as well as the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Online Certification Training (OCT)
In December 2011, the Online Certification Training course became a six-week, fully online
training program to provide faculty with the experience of being an online student while learning
to implement necessary technologies and building at least two modules for a course they teach.
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52 faculty members successfully completed this course (15 were from the Department of
Psychology)
23 faculty members are currently in progress as of May 5, 2012
25 faculty members were given an incomplete
Student Technology Academic Readiness Training (S.T.A.R.T.)
S.T.A.R.T. was piloted in the fall semester as a component of the Freshman Seminar. An
estimated 170 students participated in the pilot with 10 instructors.
53 Freshman Seminar students enrolled in the S.T.A.R.T. course this semester. Of the 53
students enrolled:
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16 completed 100% of the course
5 completed 75% of the course
5 completed 50% of the course
2 completed 25% of the course
18 completed less than 25% of the course
7 students were dropped or never logged into the training.
An overview of the student surveys within each module states that students feel that the material
is helpful.
Moodle Site Administration
Our Moodle instance here at CSU began to experience extreme latency, slowness, and random
database/server error messages during peak and off-peak hours around the first of the calendar
year. Reports of slowness were not subject to location of access. On- and off-campus latency
with error messages were prevalent. The CTRE Moodle team, along with the director, worked
with CSU’s service provider to optimize the system for student and faculty use. This included
increased system memory and an upgrade from Moodle 1.9.16 to 1.9.18. We continue to monitor
the Moodle site with our service provider and have seen site performance improve since January.
Technology
The CTRE now has a Faculty Technology Lab on the third floor of the Library with computers
(Mac and PC), scanners, a printer, and a large plasma screen. Faculty are encouraged to use this
space and drop off projects to be scanned by the CTRE student support staff for online courses.
This year has also seen upgrades, additions, and compliance implemented.
 All CTRE Dell/MacBook laptops were imaged and updated with Windows 7
 In compliance with Information Technology Division (ITD), Computrace software was
installed on all laptops
 Faculty Technology Lounge computers were updated with Respondus 4.0, nVivo9,
SoftChalk, Office 2007, Sandboxie Protection, and HP Scanjet N6310 Software
Faculty who have successfully completed the Online Certification Training course have
requested the following technology.
 Secondary Monitor: 7
 iPad: 6
 Computer upgrade: 5
 Pilot of the HP Touch Computer: 4
Daily operations of the CTRE provide assistance to faculty and students regarding Moodle and
other course related technology issues. The Distance Education Committee continues to provide
advice and recommendations to the CTRE regarding online learning.
Appendix
Approval Process for Online/Hybrid Course Offerings
The proposed course is: _______________________________________________________
Signature
Date
_______________ __________1. Approved by the appropriate academic department
________________ _________2. Reviewed and recommended by the appropriate
college curriculum committee
_______________ __________3. Approved by the appropriate college dean
_______________ __________4. Instructor of proposed online/hybrid course completes
Online Certification Training
_______________ __________5. Course content is approved by Dept./Div. chairperson
_______________ __________6. Review of course design by CTRE-Advisory Board
_______________ __________7. Approved by General Education Committee (if
applicable)
_______________ __________8. Approved by the University Council on Teacher
Education (if applicable)
_______________ __________9. Approved by the Graduate Council (if applicable)
_______________ __________10. Approved by the University Curriculum
Coordinating Committee (if applicable)
_______________ __________11. Approved by the Office of Academic Affairs
_______________ __________12. Entered in course scheduling system
_______________ __________13. Listed in appropriate publications
DAC Review Committee
The DEC created an ad hoc committee for the review of departmental DAC documents in
compliance with Appendix G of the CSU/UPI 2010-2015 contract. The committee will elect
a chair, develop an evaluation tool for online courses, and determine a time table for
implementation of the DAC review process.
Online Course Review Committee
The Distance Education Committee in compliance with Appendix G of the 2010-2015
CSU/UPI contract created an Online Course Review Standing Committee. The committee
will elect a chair, develop an evaluation tool for online courses, and determine a timetable for
implementation of the review process.
Course Review Process for Online and Hybrid Courses
New Courses:
The Distance Education Committee will ask administration to add a line to the Curriculum Form
1 for Distance Education Committee review. Once established, new online and hybrid courses
should follow the same review process as any other course using Curriculum Forms 1 and 2.
New Online and Hybrid course proposals will need to include a syllabus and at least two
modules. A module contains the following: 1. Module Title; 2. Module Objectives; 3.
Instructional Strategies; 4. Technical/Software Requirements (if any); 5. Assessment of
Learning. The review from the Distance Education Committee will focus only on the design of
the course and not on the content; approval of the course content is the responsibility of the
department curriculum committee. The course should demonstrate adherence to the
guidelines in the Illinois Online Network rubric.
If the course does not meet the guidelines, the instructor will be asked to work with staff in the
Center for Teaching and Research Excellence to make necessary modifications.
Existing Courses:
Given that the current contract states that the Distance Education Committee is responsible for
assessing the quality of the online courses offered at CSU, the following review process will be
implemented beginning Spring 2012.
At the beginning of each semester the Distance Education Committee will determine a
percentage of courses that will be reviewed during the semester. Once the percentage of courses
to be reviewed is determined, the courses to be assessed will be based on three criteria: 1. a
random selection of all courses offered; 2. those being offered by instructors who recently
completed the Online Certification Training course; and 3. courses that were found to need
changes from previous reviews. Notification of the courses selected for review will be emailed to
the faculty members and their department chairperson by CSU email.
The review of the course will be done using the Illinois Online Network Quality Course rubric
(see Appendix) by a committee whose members are trained in the process. Once the review is
complete, the instructor and his/her chair will receive a copy of the review. The review will
highlight areas of strengths and provide suggestions for improvement. Exemplary courses will be
recognized in the CTRE newsletter and on the CTRE website.
The Chair of the Review Committee will meet with instructors teaching courses with major concerns
and their department chairs to go over the review and the included suggestions. Training and support
will be provided to the instructor as needed and requested. If instructors have two consecutive semesters
of courses with major findings, they may be restricted by their chairpersons and deans from offering
online or hybrid courses in the future.
Recommended Course Design Evaluation Rubric for Department Chairpersons
I. Communication, Interaction, & Collaboration
Communication, Interaction, and Collaboration addresses how the course design,
assignments, and technology effectively encourage exchanges amongst the instructor,
students, and content.
A. ACTIVITIES AND OPPORTUNITIES
StudentStudent
Learning activities and
other opportunities are
developed to foster
Student-Student
communication and/or
collaboration.
StudentInstructor
Learning activities and
other opportunities are
developed to foster
Student-Instructor
communication and/or
collaboration.
StudentContent
Learning activities and
other opportunities are
developed to foster
Student-Content
interaction.
B. ORGANIZATION AND MANAGEMENT
Types
Organization
Course offers separate
forums for Community,
Course Questions, and
Content.
Discussions are
organized in clearly
defined forums and/or
threads.
UNSATISFACTORY
MEETS
EXPECTATIONS
EXCEEDS
EXPECTATIONS
UNSATISFACTORY
MEETS
EXPECTATIONS
EXCEEDS
EXPECTATIONS
Access
Access is available to
individuals and groups
based upon discussion’s
purpose such as private
conversations between
student and instructor,
group work, and class
interactions.
Role
The instructor’s role in
discussion activities is
clearly defined.
C. GROUP WORK
Task
A statement of the
groups’ overall task is
provided with clear and
concise outcomes that are
appropriate, reasonable,
and achievable.
Formation
Rules for forming groups
and assigning roles
within each are clearly
stated.
Management
Delivery
UNSATISFACTORY
MEETS
EXPECTATIONS
EXCEEDS
EXPECTATIONS
Benchmarks and
expectations of group
participation are clearly
stated.
A statement of how,
when, and where the final
product will be delivered
is provided.
II. Student Evaluation and Assessment
Student Evaluation and Assessment refers to the process your institution uses to
determine student achievement and quality of work including the assigning of grades.
A. GOALS AND OBJECTIVES
Aligned
Assessment and
evaluation are aligned
with learning
objectives.
Communicated
Assessment and
evaluation goals are
clearly communicated.
B. STRATEGIES
Method
Frequency
Tools
Assessments and
evaluations use multiple
methods, such as
quizzes, tests,
discussion, essay,
projects, and surveys.
Assessments and
evaluations are
conducted on an
ongoing basis
throughout the course.
Assessment and
evaluation tools are
appropriate for
measuring stated
outcomes.
Readiness
A tool/reporting
mechanism is provided
to help determine
student’s readiness for
course.
Academic
Integrity
Assessments and
evaluations are
designed and
administered to uphold
academic integrity.
UNSATISFACTORY MEETS
EXPECTATIONS
EXCEEDS
EXPECTATIONS
UNSATISFACTORY MEETS
EXPECTATIONS
EXCEEDS
EXPECTATIONS
UNSATISFACTORY MEETS
EXPECTATIONS
C. GRADES
Rubric
Explicit rubric,
rationale, and/or
characteristics are
provided for each
graded assignment.
FERPA
Defined course
procedures for reporting
grade information
complies with FERPA
and institutional
regulations on reporting
grade information to
students.
Grading Scale
A grading scale that
defines letter grades
and/or weights, if
applicable, is provided.
Penalties
Penalties assessed to
grades, if applicable, are
provided.
Participation
Student participation is
defined and a
mechanism for
measuring quality and
quantity is provided.
Extra Credit
The opportunity for
earning extra credit, if
applicable, is provided.
UNSATISFACTORY MEETS
EXPECTATIONS
D. FEEDBACK
When
A statement explaining
when students should
receive feedback is
EXCEEDS
EXPECTATIONS
EXCEEDS
EXPECTATIONS
provided.
What
A statement explaining
what type of feedback
students will receive is
provided.
How
A statement explaining
how feedback will be
given is provided.
E. MANAGEMENT
Time
Deadline
Availability
Retake
Delivery
Method
Submit
A statement of the time
allocated for each
assessment is provided.
A deadline for each
activity is provided.
A date/time when the
assessment will be
available is provided.
A statement indicating
whether or not the
assessment can be retaken
is provided.
A description of the
assessment delivery
method is provided.
Instructions for
completion and
submission are provided.
UNSATISFACTORY MEETS
EXPECTATIONS
EXCEEDS
EXPECTATIONS
III. Course Evaluation
Course Evaluation refers to the processes and mechanisms used to elicit feedback from
learners for the purpose of course improvement.
A. LAYOUT/DESIGN
Physical
Course
Opportunities for learner
feedback throughout the
course on issues
surrounding the course’s
physical structure (e.g.
spelling mistakes,
navigation, dead links,
etc.) are provided.
Instruction
Opportunities for learners
to offer feedback to
instructor on instructional
strategies are provided.
Content
Opportunities for learners
to offer feedback on
course content are
provided.
COMMENTS
UNSATISFACTORY MEETS
EXPECTATIONS
EXCEEDS
EXPECTATIONS
Recommended Online Attendance Policy
Attendance is defined as any activity specifically relating to a particular class, including, for example,
turning in an assignment, viewing an online lecture or presentation, and participating in an on-line
discussion forum. If a student does not participate in the course in any of these ways over the period
applicable to that particular course (ordinarily a week), he or she will be counted absent for that meeting
period as designated in the instructor’s syllabus. All university attendance policies, including those for
dropping students for non-attendance and excused absences also apply to online courses. Students are
expected to complete meaningful activities assigned by the instructor for the purposes of establishing
class membership the first day of the semester.