College of the Redwoods
CURRICULUM PROPOSAL FOR DISTANCE EDUCATION COURSE
Date: 12-1-2010
1. Division: Business and Applied Technology
2. Course ID and Number: WAT 50
3. Course Title: Operation of Wastewater Treatment Systems
SHORT TITLE (appears on student transcripts; limited to 30 characters, including spaces): Operation of Wastewater Treat
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?
Allow more access to existing WAT-50 course by students located in outlying areas and by
working professionals with tight schedules.
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.
Content will be delivered through the learning management system (LMS) at CR. Students
will need to have access to a computer, the internet through a standard web browser, and email.
Additionally, students will need access to word processing software. Alternatively, students can
create diagrams in a graphics software program of their choice and insert diagrams into their
documents. Specific software brands such as Microsoft Word will not be required, as long as the
students can create standard files for uploading into the LMS.
Instructions provided to the students through the LMS will direct them to internet sites where
additional content will be available. In the course web site in the LMS, a syllabus will be posted.
This syllabus will describe in fine detail the course description, required textbook, objectives,
grading, course details, policies, contingency plans, and schedule. The schedule section of the
syllabus will describe each week's textbook chapter that will be covered, and it will spell out the
Curriculum Approval: 01.23.09
Academic Senate Approval: 03.04.09
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homework assignment. This schedule will be mirrored in the LMS calendar where additional
information and links to recorded lectures and online activities will be posted.
8. To illustrate the description in #7, describe what students in this course may do in a typical week of this course.
Students will have a well detailed schedule to follow in this course. Each week's content will
be spelled out precisely. Additionally, students will be encouraged to log on to the LMS
regularly to see announcements and updates. The typical week will involve first reading the
assigned textbook chapter. Then, students will go online and log into the LMS to watch,
listen to, and read a recorded lecture covering the topics presented in the textbook. Next,
students will complete an online activity. Online activities will consist of viewing and
reporting on internet-based content, participating in online discussion boards, and working
on interactive demonstrations that illustrate concepts in wastewater treatment. Each week
will have different textbook chapters, activities, and possibly quizzes or examinations.
Textbook based homework assignments will be typed into word processing programs or
handwritten and scanned into computer files. These files will be uploaded to the LMS and will
have strict due dates.
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.
Students will have regular contact with the instructor through the LMS system, email, and
telephone. Students will receive feedback from their instructor on homework assignments,
online activities, quizzes, and examinations. Students will be encouraged to ask questions and
discuss topics through their preferred channel of communication. Contact with the instructor
will be asynchronous and possible any time or day of the week, or it will be synchronous during
regular office hours or times when both the student and instructor are available or during
regularly scheduled conference calls.
10. Describe the nature and frequency of student-student interactions in this course.
Students have the ability to to comment on online discussion boards. The discussion boards
will allow comments to be posted on an asynchronous discussion board, these discussions will
be intended to illuminate the subject by having students voice differing opinions or perspectives
on the topics. Some online activities may require students to work in groups to complete the
assignment. In these cases, asynchronous or synchronous communication can be used, but
students will have the experience of scheduling their group activities and will gain team-building
skills.
11. Describe how you will identify and respond to students experiencing difficulty in this course.
This course will require that students log onto the LMS regularly, submit assignments, and
participate in online activities. This will simplify identifying students who are having difficulty. If
they are not logging on or submitting assignments, then their substandard course progress will
be noticed immediately because the LMS tracks student participation. If the quality of submitted
assignments is low, this will also allow the instructor to rapidly identify students that are
experiencing difficulty because of frequent assignment submittal requirements. The instructor
will respond to students that are experiencing difficulty by immediately posting feedback and
grades for all homework, online activity assignments, quizzes, and examinations. Also, the
instructor will email, or call any students that are not participating or producing work that is not
acceptable for a passing grade. Instructor-student interaction will be frequent and if a student
contacts the instructor with concerns about their performance, then the instructor will respond
rapidly, within at most 24 hours for asynchronous communication.
12. Will exam proctoring be required?
No
Yes
If yes, who will proctor exams?
Curriculum Approval: 01.23.09
Academic Senate Approval: 03.04.09
2 of 4
13. Describe how assessments are used in this course to ensure that student work is evaluated effectively and
accurately.
Homework and graded online activities are frequent and will give students reasonably
immediate feedback because each assignment will be graded in a timely fashion. Students will
receive their submitted assignments back through the LMS with instructor comments, mark-ups,
and grades. Regular quizzes will be administered through the LMS and feedback will be given for
each quiz answer ensuring that each student's work is evaluated effectively, accurately, and
quickly. Examinations will also be administered through the LMS. Feedback for all assignments,
quizzes, and examinations will be given by the instructor to the students through the LMS. Oneon-one feedback and discussion will be available to each student through email, instant
messaging, or telephone. All assignments, quizzes, and examinations will include detailed
instructions and grading criteria so that students will know what is expected for successful
completion of course assessments.
14. Describe the equipment and staff resources necessary to support the course for students and instructors.
Students will need to have access to the internet through a computer terminal. No specific
web browser or software is required. Word processing will be necessary for students to submit
certain assignments. The instructor will also need the same software. Support from IT and LMS
management staff will be necessary in case of log in problems or outages.
15. Describe the contingency plan for this course if access to the delivery system is interrupted.
Due to the nature of online technology, there may be occasions where access to the LMS
system is not available to all users. If online assignments are due when students do not have
access, then alternative options for submitting assignments will be provided. Examples of these
options are adjustments to due dates or submitting assignments through email or postal mail. If
the use of postal mail is needed because of LMS and email system outages, then the postmark
date will be used to determine if an assignment is on time so that students are not responsible
for mail delays.
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.
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.
Curriculum Approval: 01.23.09
Academic Senate Approval: 03.04.09
3 of 4
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: Michael Fritschi
Approvals:
Department Chair: Dan Calderwood
Dean, Distance Education Maggie Lynch
Division Chair/Director: Mike Peterson
Tel. Ext: 7074438326
Date: 12-1-2010
Review Date: 12-1-2010
Review Date: 12-1-2010
Review Date: 12-1-2010
CURRICULUM COMMITTEE USE ONLY
Approved by Curriculum Committee: No
Yes
Date: 12.10.10
Academic Senate Approval Date: 12.15.10
Board of Trustees Approval Date: 1/4/11
Curriculum Approval: 01.23.09
Academic Senate Approval: 03.04.09
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