Online Distance Delivery
of Programs
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Complete Package
Office of the Provost
Table of Contents
Introduction
Committee Members
Overview of Proposal Submission Process
Pre-Proposal
I. Proposed Distance Program Information
II. Collaboration with Other Units or Partners
III. Regulatory Considerations
IV. Define the Program
Proposal
V. Curriculum
VI. Delivery Method
VII. Demand for the Program
VIII. Costs and Funding of Proposed Program
IX. Course Development
Appendix
Sample Launch Timeline
Course Development Schedule Template
Online Term Options
Budget Template
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Introduction
Thank you for your interest in developing a distance program. Innovative methods of
program delivery for graduate programs are part of the Bradley University 2012–17
Strategic Plan, and they will, therefore, receive priority consideration at this time.
Before getting started, it is necessary to consider many aspects inherent in a distance
degree or certificate program.
When a department wants to market a program as “online” or “hybrid” and promote it to
students at a distance, the department will need to submit a proposal detailing that
program to ensure all aspects of its implementation have been considered. The
development, marketing and delivery of the program will require University resources
such as My Online, instructional design and course development, technology support,
financial aid and student support implications, etc. Additionally, targeting students outside
the state of Illinois will result in additional regulatory requirements for those other states
that will necessitate significant logistical work, fees and accreditation factors.
This proposal asks for information to support the viability of the business plan for your
proposed distance program. An Advisory Committee will support you in the completion of
this proposal, as well as will read and provide feedback on the clarity and viability of your
proposal.
Committee Members
Heather Berkley
Sandy Bury
Dean Cantu
Kayla Carroll
Molly Cluskey
Ahmad Fakheri
Barbra Kerns
Andy Kindler
BJ Lawrence
Clara Miles
Jennifer Robin
Erich Stabenau
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You may choose to revise your proposal based on the Advisory Committee’s feedback
before submitting it to the Provost. Strong proposals will include supporting evidence
indicating the proposed program’s alignment with the University mission, market demand,
student success and outcomes, distinctiveness of the program, readiness for online and
strong returns. Curriculum modifications are to be addressed by traditional University
Curriculum and Regulations (C&R) procedures. (Note: Graduate distance programs will
receive priority at this time.)
Overview of Proposal Submission Process
The submission process has two stages: Pre-Proposal and Proposal. The Pre-Proposal
provides a structure for framing and presenting preliminary information to the Provost
about a department’s intentions for a new distance program. Once the Pre-Proposal
receives the Provost’s support to move forward, the department may work with the
Advisory Committee on development of the Proposal. Below is a detailed outline of the
submission process:
1. The Department(s) discusses plans for the distance program with the College Dean
and completes the Pre-Proposal (Sections I–IV below).
2. The College Dean discusses the Pre-Proposal with the Provost to obtain support and
approval for the Department(s) to proceed with development of a Proposal.
3. The Department Chair contacts Barbra Kerns to schedule a
consultation/presentation.
4. The Department(s) develops the Proposal, Budget, and Course Development
Schedule (Sections V–IX below) and, with the Dean’s approval, submits it to the
Advisory Committee.
5. The Advisory Committee reads the documents and provides feedback to the
Department(s), College Dean and Provost on feasibility and viability of planned
distance program.
6. The Department(s) may revise the documents and submit them to the Provost.
7. The Provost approves, returns for revisions or denies the Proposal and meets with
the College Dean.
8. The Provost identifies and charges an implementation team.
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Pre-Proposal
I. Proposed Distance Program Information
Name of unit submitting the request.
Name of the proposed program.
Who is the primary contact person for this request?
What is the proposed launch date of the program? (See Sample Launch Timeline in the
Appendix to determine a practical date.)
What degree or certificate is to be offered?
Type of Program
Indicate the type of distance program to be offered:
● Existing Graduate Program
● New Undergraduate Program
● New Graduate Program
● Existing Certificate Program
● Existing Undergraduate Program
● New Certificate Program
Note: Modifying existing programs or creating new programs must go before the University
Senate Curriculum and Regulations Committee.
Do you plan to continue the residential program after the development of the distance
program?
Attach a letter of support for the proposed distance program from your College Dean.
II. Collaboration with Other Units or Partners
Do you plan to have an external partner? If yes, please describe that partnership.
Will you be collaborating with another department or college? If yes, please describe that
collaboration.
Attach a letter of support from the other College’s Dean.
III. Regulatory Considerations
The Higher Learning Commission (HLC) authorizes Bradley University to offer distance
programs. However, HLC policies may impact how a program is offered and may require
advance notification or approval. Please contact Jennifer Gruening Burge, director of
institutional improvement, by email to jgruening@bradley.edu to discuss to whom you
plan to market your program and how it will be delivered.
Additionally, Bradley University is required to seek authorization from or register with all
50 states to offer and provide distance programs to their residents. Strict limitations and
regulations — that vary greatly state by state — govern the offering of distance
programs. Applications and filing fees may be required. Please contact Julie Schifeling,
credentialing coordinator, by email to jschifeling@bradley.edu to discuss your program, its
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method of delivery and the process for securing authorization to provide your programs
outside Illinois.
Describe accrediting bodies and professional licensure requirements/regulations and any
state regulations and authorization requirements.
How will compliance be achieved and maintained?
IV. Define the Program
Describe the program.
List the program outcomes.
Motivation
Briefly explain the motivation for delivering the program via distance.
Faculty
Describe the level of involvement and expertise of your department in support of
delivering the program via distance.
Describe the faculty load and ability to design and develop courses or teach additional
courses for the distance program.
To what extent will Bradley’s Instructional Design & Learning Technologies division or
external partners be needed for course development?
Are additional faculty members necessary?
How will faculty be compensated for course development (e.g., in-load, over-load, stipend,
other)?
Who will serve as program coordinator? (The program coordinator is the primary point of
contact for program-level decisions related to distance program development and
delivery.)
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Proposal
V. Curriculum
Undergraduate Programs
How will Core Curriculum course requirements be met?
Is this a degree completion program?
Note: Transfer credits must follow the University’s/College’s transfer rules.
All Programs
Complete the summary table below with each course to be included in the degree or
certificate program. (Also complete the Course Development Schedule Template in the
Appendix after meeting with your course development team.)
Course Name and Number
Development Date
Range (allow 5 months)
Offering Date
New Course (Y/N)
Total number of hours required for degree or certificate.
Number of hours in degree or certificate program core.
Number of hours in guided electives.
Number of hours in general electives.
Number of hours in Core Curriculum (if undergraduate).
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VI. Delivery Method
The determination of a course being “online” or “hybrid” will be based on the definitions
used by the Bradley Registrar’s Office:
● An “online” course is one that requires no face-to-face meetings on campus.
● A “hybrid” course (also referred to as “blended”) require at least one face-to-face
meeting on campus.
Are there any on-campus or residency requirements?
Will there be any synchronous online sessions?
The University offers the following online terms: 3 week, 5 week, 7.5 week or 15 week. (See
the Online Term Options chart in the Appendix for details.) Please indicate the course term
length needed by completing the Course Development Schedule Template in the Appendix.
VII. Demand for the Program
Determining the demand for a potential program will require research both internal and
external to the University. The Office of Marketing and Publications and the Smith Career
Center may be able to provide insights in some of the following queries. An external market
study may also be needed.
Student Demand
Clearly describe all evidence of student demand, using the prompts below as guidance for
topics to consider/address. Market research analysis should be conducted at the cohort
level and could be in the form of surveys of potential students and/or enrollments in
related programs.
Describe the audience profile.
Describe the enrollment potential.
Describe degree/certificate production, including trends and the number and types of
students who have graduated from this type of program nationally in each of the past
five years.
Briefly describe the competitive landscape, taking the following into consideration:
1. Approximately how many institutions have similar programs? The College Board
website provides a helpful search tool for this step at
bigfuture.collegeboard.org/college-search. Once on the page, click “Majors &
Learning Environment” for the search option.
2. What is the delivery modality for each program (i.e., online, hybrid, require some
residency)?
3. Are the competitive programs accredited?
4. Are the competitive programs nationally ranked?
5. What are differentiators of the competitive programs?
6. On average, how many students are enrolled in the competitive programs?
7. What is the tuition for the competitive programs?
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Describe the potential for this distance program to be offered through Bradley:
1. What are potential barriers?
2. What are potential challenges in offering a rigorous program through online or
hybrid delivery?
What are potential differentiators that would cause prospective students to choose this
degree/certificate from Bradley over the competition?
Postgraduate Demand
Clearly describe evidence of postgraduate demand for the degree/certificate. These
opportunities may include postgraduate employment or entrance into other
educational/professional programs (e.g., doctorate-granting institutions; medical, dental,
veterinarian or other professional programs).
Evidence could include (but is not limited to) market studies, survey data, entrance rates
and promotion rates associated with the degree/certificate. If applicable, describe
employer demand for the requested delivery of the program, particularly if target students
already are employed and lack the adequate flexibility to enroll in an on-campus program.
Include average salaries of graduates, when possible (include local, state and national
demand).
Estimated Student Demand for the Program
Project estimates for the first five years:
Academic
Year
Estimated Degrees/
Certificates Conferred
Estimated Headcount/
Enrollment – Fall Semester
Estimated Credit Hour
Generation
Does the department have the resources to offer the distance program while maintaining
its on-campus version?
If not, please detail the additional resources that will be required.
Availability
Will the courses be offered regularly in an appropriate sequence, time frame and format
that will allow students to complete degree or certificate requirements within the specified
period (e.g., two years for graduate programs)?
Describe the frequency, availability and section enrollment caps of courses that will meet
the needs of the target student population.
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Provide a chronological curriculum map of the program.
Uniqueness
How does the proposed program compare with competitors’ programs?
What distinguishes the proposed program over the competitors’ existing programs?
Is the proposed program considered state of the art in the discipline?
Provide evidence that the proposed program is not unnecessarily duplicative of similar
offerings in the state or region.
VIII. Costs and Funding of Proposed Program
The resource requirements of and planned funding sources for the proposed program must
be detailed in order to assess the adequacy of the resources needed to support a quality
program. This review is to assess overall need for funds and ensure the program will be
efficient in its utilization of resources.
Provide costs of and funding sources for the proposed program and productivity goals by
completing the Budget Template in the Appendix.
Sustainability
Describe how the academic unit is committed to offering the courses on an ongoing basis.
Describe the economics of the course delivery, including revisions to maintain currency of
design and content, as well as to allow it to be self-sustaining after initial development.
IV. Course Development
Quality Course Design
Courses shall be comparable (quality instruction; measurable learning outcomes; active
learning; engagement between and among students, faculty and content; and robust
assessments) to courses taught on campus and shall meet the standards set forth in the
Quality Matters (QM) Rubric.
Describe faculty preparation for developing and delivering online courses (e.g., all faculty
have completed Quality Matters “Applying the QM Rubric” faculty development course and
courses are designed to QM standards).
Meet with the instructional design and course development team (either through an
external partnership or Bradley’s Center for Teaching Excellence and Learning
Instructional Design & Learning Technologies division) to devise a plan for how courses
will be designed to high quality and produced on the expected time frame. Include a course
production schedule. (See the Course Development Schedule Template in the Appendix for
details.)
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Faculty/Student Interaction
Describe the methods and frequency of real-time and asynchronous interaction between
faculty and students and among students enrolled in the course.
Academic Integrity
The University subscribes to Turnitin plagiarism checking software. Virtual proctoring of
exams and other systems or practices may need to be considered to validate students are
doing their own work.
Describe methods that will ensure academic integrity, including validation of student
identity and measures for monitoring for plagiarism and cheating.
Student Confidentiality
Describe methods that will ensure the confidentiality and privacy of student personal data
in order to comply with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA).
Academic Calendar Requirements
Standards relating to the number of course meetings and total time spent in the course or
satisfying course requirements shall be comparable to on-campus requirements.
Admissions, Retention, Assessment
Admissions standards shall be the same as those for the University’s residential programs.
If proposing something different, please describe.
What is the average time to completion for this program? What is the maximum allowed?
Describe how the program’s success will be evaluated (e.g., increased graduate enrollment,
higher student success rates, increased retention, cost savings, enhanced learning
outcomes).
How will student success be measured?
How will student satisfaction be measured?
Academic Advisement
Who will be responsible for academic advising (e.g., program coordinator, divided among
faculty)?
Will this program follow a specific carousel for classes? If so, please describe if electives
will be included and how they will fit into the carousel.
How will off-carousel advising be tracked (e.g., program of study, DARS, u.achieve)?
How will the students in this program be registered for classes and by whom?
Program Information for Prospective Students
The University must provide adequate and accurate information to prospective students
including (but not limited to) admission requirements, technology requirements, estimated
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time students will likely spend on course work per week, estimated or average program
costs and other services available. Describe methods that will ensure adequate and
accurate information is presented.
Student Services
Distance students shall have access to program guidance and academic support services,
including admissions, enrollment, academic advisement, financial aid and related services
on the same basis as residential students. Distance programs must make these services
available in electronic format. Describe methods that will ensure this access is available.
Learning Resources
Distance students shall have access to facilities, library resources, learning resources and
materials on the same basis as residential students. Describe the methods that will ensure
these learning resources are available.
Technical Support
Students and faculty in distance programs shall have access to appropriate technical
support services. Describe the technical support system available for hardware, software
and delivery systems specific to the courses in the program.
Equipment and Software/Tools
Students must be informed in clear, understandable terms of the electronic and network
resources necessary for successful completion of the program, including software,
hardware and network requirements.
What, if any, additional technology or software will be needed for the program?
What will be the server needs for course materials?
Describe plans for video or multimedia usage.
Accessibility
Courses shall be designed, produced and tested to ensure accessibility to students with
disabilities.
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Appendix
Sample Launch Timeline
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Course Development Schedule Template
Course
Code
Course
Title
Course
Development
Begins
Course
Completion
Date
0
2/1/2015
7/1/2015
7/21/2015
8/1/2015
3
2/1/2015
7/1/2015
7/21/2015
8/1/2015
3
2/1/2015
7/1/2015
7/21/2015
8/1/2015
3
2/1/2015
7/1/2015
7/21/2015
8/1/2015
3
6/1/2015
11/1/2015
12/1/2015
1/1/2016
3
6/1/2015
11/1/2015
12/1/2015
1/1/2016
3
6/1/2015
11/1/2015
12/1/2015
1/1/2016
3
6/1/2015
11/1/2015
12/1/2015
1/1/2016
3
11/1/2015
3/1/2016
3/21/2016
5/1/2016
3
11/1/2015
3/1/2016
3/21/2016
5/1/2016
3
11/1/2015
3/1/2016
3/21/2016
5/1/2016
Credits
Faculty
Term
Length
Instructor
Sign-Off Date
Course
Start
Fall 2015
New Student Orientation
Spring 2016
Summer
2016
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3
11/1/2015
3/1/2016
3/21/2016
5/1/2016
3
2/1/2016
7/1/2016
7/21/2016
8/1/2016
3
21/2016
7/1/2016
7/21/2016
8/1/2016
3
2/1/2016
7/1/2016
7/21/2016
8/1/2016
3
2/1/2016
7/1/2016
7/21/2016
8/1/2016
Fall 2016
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Online Term Options
Fall – 11 terms, choose one or more, multiple courses and/or course sections per term allowed
15 weeks full
7.5 weeks - A
7.5 weeks - B
5 weeks - A
3 weeks - A
5 weeks - B
3 weeks - B
5 weeks - C
3 weeks - C
3 weeks - D
3 weeks - E
Spring – 11 terms, choose one or more, multiple courses and/or course sections per term allowed
15 weeks full
7.5 weeks - A
7.5 weeks - B
5 weeks - A
3 weeks - A
5 weeks - B
3 weeks - B
5 weeks - C
3 weeks - C
3 weeks - D
3 weeks - E
Summer – 11 terms, choose one or more, multiple courses and/or course sections per term allowed
15 weeks full
7.5 weeks - A
7.5 weeks - B
5 weeks - A
3 weeks - A
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5 weeks - B
3 weeks - B
3 weeks - C
5 weeks - C
3 weeks - D
3 weeks - E
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Budget Template
DRAFT BUDGET FOR ONLINE PROGRAMS
Number of Courses
0
Number of Hours
0
Length of Program
0
INCOME
Tuition
$-
Fees
$-
Grants (indicate if this amount
covers the expenses detailed
below)
$-
Net Income
$-
EXPENSES
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Faculty Expenses (Note: Do not include
faculty salary information when
submitting Request to the Advisory
Committee; however, be sure to include it
for the Provost.)
$-
Program director salary/course release
$-
Course development stipend for faculty (estimate 12 days per
course)
$-
Faculty salary for teaching course (in-load, overload, part-time)
$-
Faculty stipend for course update/redesign
$-
New faculty needs (salary + 25% fringe)
$-
Faculty development
Administrative Support Salary
$$-
Marketing
Print – development, production, mailing
$-
Web – development, search engine optimization
$-
Advertising – print and online (online directories/portals,
search engine marketing/pay-per-click, email, social media)
$-
Photography/videography
Instructional Design Staff
Course development (estimate 12 days per
course)
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$$$-
14
Course redesign/review (annually, estimate 12 hours
per course)
$-
Production staff
$-
Technology Needs
$Software licensing
$-
Lecture capture
$-
Conferencing software
$-
Multimedia production
$-
IT support staff salary
$-
Equipment – computers, Webcams, applications
$-
Office Supplies
$-
Authorizations
$Many states charge per additional program
$-
State maintenance fees
$-
Accreditation fees
$-
Professional licensing fees
$-
Library
$-
Student Fees
$-
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Laboratory
$-
Malpractice insurance
$-
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Software/equipment
$-
Residential requirements – housing, food, transportation
$-
University Overhead (50%)
$-
Net Expenses
$-
Net Income/Expenses
$-
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