College of the Redwoods
CURRICULUM PROPOSAL FOR DISTANCE EDUCATION COURSE
Date: 10/02/12
1. Division: Business and Applied Technology
2. Course ID and Number: BUS-1A
3. Course Title: Principles of Accounting
SHORT TITLE (appears on student transcripts; limited to 30 characters, including spaces):
4. Please select the distance education method that best describes how the course content will be delivered to most
students taking this class:
CTV
DE 52: One-way video and two-way interactive audio (delivered video and telephone)
ITV
DE 51: Simultaneous Interaction: Two-way interactive video and two-way interactive audio
Online
DE 71: Internet based - Simultaneous Interaction: Session under supervision of instructor not
available by line of sight using the Internet with immediate opportunity for exchange
between participants.
DE 72: Internet based - Delayed Interaction: Session under supervision of instructor not available by line of
sight using the Internet without the immediate involvement of the instructor.
Other
DE 53: Simultaneous Interaction: Two-way interactive audio only
DE 60: Text One Way
DE 70: Audio One Way
5. Attach course syllabus to this proposal.
6. What perceived need will this distance education course address?
This course is available to students who have difficulty attending face-to-face classes due to
time and costs associated with travelling long distances, work, and family responsibilities. There
are limited or no course offerings at outlying campuses due to lack of funds, instructors or
sufficient enrollment. Also, there currently is increasing demand for online courses.
7. Describe in detail how the course content will be delivered and how students will engage this content. Be sure
to describe the specific technologies and/or software to be used.
This course is delivered through the College's LMS. The LMS course site includes
announcements, messages, discussion forums, lessons, assessments and a gradebook. There
is a link to an optional interactive homework website. The handwritten and interactive homework
assignments are the same.
8. To illustrate the description in #7, describe what students in this course may do in a typical week of this course.
Each week in the term, students are expected to read the Welcome to Week #X announcement
summarizing and emphasizing material in the chapter for that week, read the chapter in the
text, post their responses to discussion forum questions posted by the instructor for the
Curriculum Approval: 01.23.09
Academic Senate Approval: 03.04.09
1 of 3
chapter, respond to other students postings, complete homework assignments for the
chapter, and finally take the exam for the chapter.
9. Title V mandates “regular and effective” contact between DE students and the instructor. Describe the nature
and frequency of instructor-student interactions in this course.
A weekly letter (in the form of an announcement) is posted by the instructor titled "Welcome
to Week #X" This letter briefly summarizes and emphasizes the material to be covered that week.
The instructor also posts questions to the discussion forum. Responses to these questions are
graded and comprise the 20% participation portion of the course grade. Most announcements
include encouragement for students to contact the instructor with any questions or concerns,
using the messages module in the LMS. Messages are replied to as quickly as possible, usually
within a day or two. Conversations are retained and tracked by sorting to folders in the
messages module. Course grades are calculated 11 times during the term (after each exam) and
evaluated by the instructor each time. Students showing declining scores (below 65%) are
notified by the instructor and encouraged to seek help offered by the instructor. All
communication is positive, supportive and respectful of the students.
10. Describe the nature and frequency of student-student interactions in this course.
Student-student interactions are continuous with weekly requirements for discussion-forum
participation and replies to classmates' posts.
11. Describe how you will identify and respond to students experiencing difficulty in this course.
Participation is evaluated frequently in the first four weeks of the term. Students showing
lack of sufficient participation are contacted. Insufficient participation is evaluated based on lack
of submission of assignments, as well as analysis of course statistics generated by the LMS.
Subsequent to week six, course grades are calculated weekly. Based on analysis of course
grades, students found to be struggling are contacted immediately through messages in the
LMS. The instructor offers help and requests a reply, then keeps track of all communications and
follows up if necessary.
12. Will exam proctoring be required?
No
Yes
If yes, who will proctor exams?
13. Describe how assessments are used in this course to ensure that student work is evaluated effectively and
accurately.
Discussion forums are read and graded based on a standard provided to the students and
enforced throughout the term on a five point basis. Homework assignments are scored on a 20
point basis. There are 11 exams, one for each chapter, each scored on a 25 point basis.
14. Describe the equipment and staff resources necessary to support the course for students and instructors.
Computers and reliable internet access. Student and instructor support is provided by the DE
department.
15. Describe the contingency plan for this course if access to the delivery system is interrupted.
All students would be notified by phone or emailed from a delivery system off campus and
notified of the problem. If the interruption is lengthy assignments would be mailed to the
students and they would be directed to either mail or drop off completed assignments.
16. Both state and federal law require community colleges to design courses to ensure access for students with
disabilities, including compliance with Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act. Please indicate the steps taken to
ensure accessibility by checking the Yes, No, or NA boxes below. For further assistance with accessibility and
assistive technology, please contact DSP&S.
Curriculum Approval: 01.23.09
Academic Senate Approval: 03.04.09
2 of 3
Yes No NA Requirement and Purpose
1. The course delivery provides a text equivalent for all non-text elements such as images,
animations, applets, audio/video files and art. This will enable a screen reader to read the
text equivalent to a blind student.
2. The course delivery provides descriptions for important graphics if they are not fully
described through alternative text or in a document’s content. The description would inform
a blind student of what a picture represented.
3. The course delivery ensures that information conveyed by the use of color is also
understandable without color. For example, so a blind or color-blind student could
understand a color-coded representation of DNA.
4. The course delivery provides textual equivalents to audio information (captioning). The text
will enable deaf students to know what others are hearing.
5. The course delivery provides an alternative audio description for multimedia presentations.
The sound will enable blind students to know what others are seeing.
6. The course delivery ensures that moving, blinking, scrolling, or auto-updating objects or
pages may be paused or frozen. The movement can be distracting for students with certain
disabilities.
7. If using faculty web site vs. college provided course management system, the web site
identifies, by labeling or other appropriate means, row and column headers. The
identification will enable screen readers to discern the headers, which disclose the purpose
of the data in the rows and columns.
Yes No NA Requirement and Purpose
8. If using faculty web site vs. college provided course management system, the web site
provides title frames and includes sufficient information as to their purpose and relationship
to each other. This will help blind students understand the organizational purpose of the
frame.
9. If using faculty web site vs. college provided course management system, the instructor has
ensured, through HiSoftware’s “Cynthia Says” http://www.cynthiasays.com/ or other
appropriate verification, the usability of pages, and will attach to this proposal evaluation
printouts of Section 508 and WCAG—Priority 1 compliance.
10. My course syllabus recommends that students who require accommodations for a disability,
such as accessible formatting of course materials, contact me immediately. Example: “In
compliance with equal access laws, I am available to discuss appropriate academic
accommodations that you may require as a student with a disability. Students are
encouraged to contact Disabled Students Programs and Services (DSP&S) for disability
verification and for determination of reasonable academic accommodations.”
Submitted by: Pamela Netzow
Approvals:
Department Chair:
Dean, Distance Education Geoff Cain
Division Chair/Director: Jeff Cummings
Tel. Ext: n/a
Date: 10/02/12
Review Date:
Review Date: 10-03-12
Review Date: 10/4/12
CURRICULUM COMMITTEE USE ONLY
Approved by Curriculum Committee: No
Yes
Date: 10.12.12
Academic Senate Approval Date: 10.19.12 Board of Trustees Approval Date: 12.04.12
Curriculum Approval: 01.23.09
Academic Senate Approval: 03.04.09
3 of 3