Plan Template (Questions & Samples)
 Assessment
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What courses or programs do you currently have in the area of DE?
What could be considered “signature programs” for your college?
What resources do you currently have toward supporting a distance
education program?
 Funding for:
 Development of course content
o Faculty stipend/reassigned time?
o Instructional Design Staff Member
o Faculty DE Coordinator
o Infrastructure funding and staff support
o Staff Development funding
Administration: Dean of DE? VP?
Participatory or faculty governance committee to develop policy
decisions
Strengths of the college regarding new program acceptance and
development
 Mission Statement
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College Plan
Assessment
Create a Mission/Vision
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Tie your thinking to the strategic plan goals, if you can
Sample: It is the mission of XXXXXX Community College’s Distance
Education Program develop the use of technology for teaching and
learning that enables students to access quality educational resources to
meet their educational needs and goals.
Mission Statement
 Philosophy
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Related Questions:
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What do we define as an online class?
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Do students have to come to your college campus for any
reason, if they are taking courses online?
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Determine the definition of a partially online course.
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Should we mandate ftf orientations or other specified visits?
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Should we set up a proctoring guideline or policy? What
would that be?
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What is our stake and plan for Telecourses?
 1 Description of course types:
Philosophy
Description of course types:
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Once you know what philosophy you’ve adopted, you can then define
the terminology you will use to define the different types of technology
related education you are planning to implement. It’s really important
to have a clear, agreed upon definition. See the SAMPLE below.
Descriptor
Definition
Fully
Online
Courses that are completely online;
they may have proctored testing set up
according to needs of particular
discipline areas, but students do not
have to come to the college campus.
Any course that substitutes face-to-face
hours with online work and has some
regularly scheduled class meetings.
Face-to-face courses that require the
student to access the Internet as part of
the course work.
Hybrid
(Blended)
Web
Mediated
Technology
Enhanced
Courses which may use the web in
face-to-face presentations, students
may be asked to do online/library
research, presentations may be digital.
Access to technology by students is
expected but not required.
Special
Requirements
Requires
Separate
Approval
Requires
Separate
Approval
Notification
to students
via schedule
and/or
syllabus
None
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Organizational Structure
Organizational Structure
>>Decision: Create a DE support system that identifies the
people who will do the work and take responsibility for the
success of the program. Related Questions:
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Who will be responsible for the various parts of the program
development and implementation?
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Participatory Governance
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Coordinator in place, release time needs to be increased or have
multiple coordinators
Senate approval of training elements
Tech Support – CCTI function
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Committee of experts to develop policies and procedures
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Curriculum Committee role and responsibilities
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Faculty training personnel
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Course development assistance: Faculty resource coordinator?
Instructional designer? Stipends for faculty to develop their own?
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Who will administer the program?
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Dean of ?
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Faculty Distance Education Coordinator?
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Technology Support Lead?
Policies
 2.Institutional Support Standards
Policies
Institutional Support Standards
Decision>> What does the institution (administration/district)
agree to support? What is everyone willing to do and what is a
reasonable expectation regarding institutional support? This area
becomes the compact between all parties involved. You may
want this before the organizational structure. See the sample
below for ideas, this list may or may not be complete, it’s up
to you.
Sample:
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The stability of the delivery infrastructure for the Distance
Education Program will be ensured through appropriate
funding allocation and assignment of sufficient personnel to
manage that infrastructure, which includes web space and
course management system access.
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Student support services at a distance will be established
including library, counseling, bookstore, orientation and
tutoring and enrollment services.
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Training for faculty, staff and administrators will be an integral
part of the Distance Education Program.
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Procedures will be developed that ensure continual on-call
monitoring of all technical systems related to online program
delivery.
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Reasonable hardware and software needs for course developers
and course implementation will be provided.
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Communication systems for informing and orienting students to
distance learning will be developed and maintained.
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Schedule and catalog copy will be easily accessible online for
students seeking distance learning opportunities.
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Support for course development will be available, particularly
in the area of accessibility compliance.
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Negotiations among faculty organizations and the district will
adopt a shared foundation of quality distance educational
offerings, in all conversations and policy implementation.
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3 DE course approval: Curriculum
Addendum Form and REC Policy
Decision> What are your quality assurances going to be and
how strongly will you support quality over FTE Generation?
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Does the curriculum committee have a criteria for
approving courses for distance education?
Do you have an addenda process and forms that reflect
your definitions of DE and that note the changes in
methods of instruction and methods of evaluation and
adherence to the Title 5 regulations mandate for
Regular Effective Contact.
How do you define “Regular Effective Contact” Having
a written policy about how you expect teachers to stay
in communication with students will help when
“teachers go missing” in courses (the #1 Student
Complaint)
Sample Curriculum Approval Criteria:
The Curriculum Committee will use the following criteria when determining
whether a course will be approved for online delivery:
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Students will benefit from having access to the course via a distance
offering.
The Course Outline of Record has been approved or revised within
the three years of DE addendum request for approval.
A DE addendum has been submitted to the Curriculum Committee
adequately designating the following:
1. Sufficient consideration has been given to adaptations of methods
of instruction and methods of evaluation to
ensure regular and effective contact as required in Title 5 and the
approved Regular Effective Contact Policy
2. Necessary technical requirements are available.
3. Accessibility is ensured as required by Section 508 guidelines.
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All Title 5 mandates have been met and followed.
Class size as set by the curriculum committee be considered as the
maximum size not to exceed 35 students. It is suggested that the first
time a course is offered by a particular instructor, that the instructor
be given the option to set the maximum at 20 students.
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4 Teaching And Learning Standards
Make some decisions about what you think, as minimum quality standards, all
students should be expected to do, what all courses should have, and what all
instructors should do. See the sample below for ideas.
I.
General Standards
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Distance education students will be given advance information about
course requirements, expectations regarding course work standards,
equipment needs and techniques for succeeding in a distance learning
environment, as well as technical training and support throughout the
course.
Students will be required to be active learners in presenting,
organizing, applying and constructing information, ideas and
knowledge.
All course objectives/outcomes and requirements will be clearly
presented.
Courses will maximize the opportunities for regular and ongoing
interaction between teacher and students, among students, and
between students and the learning environment (“regular effective
contact”). Instructors and students will be held accountable for the
communication activities within courses.
The course will provide opportunities for active learning that allows
students to engage and participate in activities and tasks that enhance
comprehension, understanding, and knowledge.
All student assignments and their due dates, as well as tests and test
dates, will be explained and posted at the beginning of the course, or
in a way to give reasonable preparation time for the student.
Any special testing (i.e., proctoring) situation and arrangements will
be clearly described to the student prior to the start of the course.
A variety of content appropriate presentation methods will be used
that address student multiple learning styles.
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Evaluation methods will be relevant to the activities, reading
assignments and other learning materials presented in the course.
Feedback to student assignments and questions will be constructive
and provided in a timely manner. Instructor will commit him/herself
to a clearly expressed turnaround time.
The course documents will describe the functions of the course
website to the student (e.g., how to post assignments, communicate
with the instructor, etc.).
The instructor will make frequent announcements regarding the
progress and processing of the course.
A policy for due date leniency due to institution-inflicted technical
difficulties will be communicated in the syllabus or overview of the
course.
Course Media and Materials Standards
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All external links and internal functionality of DE courses that are
available when the class starts will be fully operational.
The course content will be kept current term by term and will open
by, and remain open at least until, the beginning and ending dates of
the courses.
Technology will be appropriate to the course andragogy.
Accessibility Standards
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DE courses will provide accessibility with screen readers. Images and
links contained in the course website must show alternate text upon
cursor contact.
Courses will provide ample written instructions for every task the
student has to perform: taking tests or quizzes, posting contributions
to the on-line discussion, downloading files/software, finding
supplementary reading, returning to the website, etc.
DE students will have access to sufficient library resources that may
include a “virtual library” accessible through the World Wide Web.
Academic counseling and advising will be available to distance
learning students at the same level as it is for students in on-campus
environments.
Privacy and Protection Standards
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To protect the integrity of the teaching/learning process in courses
that do not feature a proctored test environment, the student must be
required to formally acknowledge and pledge adherence to Student
Conduct Board Policy and Acceptable Use Policy.
Procedures will be in place to help ensure security of student work.
Students will receive clear instructions to save and retain copies of all
work submitted electronically.
 7 Program Review Standards
Decision> Against what criteria or standard will you review
your DE Program? See the sample below for ideas.
Program Review Standards
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An approved evaluation instrument will be provided
with the course to ensure student feedback on the
organization and content of the course and the
instructor performance.
Review of student learning outcomes will include
assessment of student products and exams, as well as
student evaluations of the course.
Data on enrollment, costs, and successful/innovative
uses of technology will be used when reviewing
program effectiveness.
Intended learning outcomes will be reviewed regularly
to ensure clarity, utility, and appropriateness.
Course will meet or exceed academic standards.
Course will be reviewed on a regular basis.
Instructional materials will be reviewed periodically to
ensure they continue to meet program standards.
Course evaluation will include: technical design,
curriculum alignment, rigor, depth, breadth, student
performance, and student participation and interaction.
Peer Evaluation of the Instructor will be accomplished
via approved methods as agreed to by the Academic
Senate, Faculty Association and District.
The instructor will be evaluated separate from the
technology delivery platform and/or infrastructure
 Program Review Standards
Departmental or Discipline-Specific Standards
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The course adheres to the integrated Course Outline of
Record.
The course is offered with rigor, depth and breadth
consistent with its FTF counterpart.
It is the responsibility of the discipline/department to
maintain the quality of delivery of all classes offered
regardless of modality.
Student learning meets the standards set within the
discipline, especially in regard to sequenced and/or
transfer courses.
 Faculty Issues
 Faculty Issues
 Load
 Load
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Related Questions: How will faculty load issues be
addressed? Some colleges do not allow faculty to teach
100% of their load online, others have no restrictions to how
many sections a faculty member can teach online. Still others
make online courses overload only. If some policy can be
established early on, it saves headaches down the road.
Consider quality instruction in this discussion, not work
environment issues. You can mention advisory information
here and refer to union collaboration, but you should
address the issue.
IP Rights: Refer to Union Agreements
IP Rights: Refer to Union Agreements
 Recruitment of Part Time Faculty
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Related Questions: How will faculty be recruited into
teaching into the distance education program? Will
particular discipline faculty be required to develop online
courses or will they be allowed to come to it on their own?
What goals will the college adopt regarding the hiring of
new faculty and the recruitment of part time faculty for
online instruction?
 Office Hours
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Recruitment of Part Time Faculty
 Office Hours
Related Questions: What is the college policy for office
hours? Will the be synchronous, asynchronous, or both?
Are there any restrictions or definitions? It is a good idea to
mention them here so that everyone understands and
students know what to expect from class to class. See the
sample below.
Sample : Office hours will be set according to district
policies for regular courses except that online course hours
will be held online via e-conferencing, email, or phone and
may be done with the instructor off-campus. Office hours
will be designated in the syllabus for the online course and
posted in same. All office hours, whether face to face or
online, will be open to all students for that instructor. Face
to face students may take advantage of online office hours
and online students may take advantage of face to face office
hours.
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 Evaluation and Visitation Protocols
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How will administrators and observers be allowed to enter
the class for observation and visitation. It varies from
college to college, but if you were observing or visiting a
face to face course, the instructor knows that you are in the
room. Depending on the CMS, you may be able to visit an
online course without detection. What is the agreed upon
method? Will you notify the instructor first and how would
that be done? How will you set up the protocols for
observations for evaluation purposes?
 Evaluation and Visitation Protocols
 6 Faculty Readiness
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Related Questions:: Will you have a mandatory criteria for
who teaches online? Title 5 only says that the discipline
qualifications are all that it requires. Do you want teachers
to have some kind of training first? Who will decide if a
teacher is ready to teach online? See the sample below for
readiness. You will need to determine who makes the
decisions.
Sample: Distance Education Faculty Readiness Standards
To ensure that distance education courses maintain a high standard of
quality, and in recognition that experienced faculty tend to have lower
attrition rates than faculty who have little experience and training, faculty
who teach distance education courses will be expected to:
o Have completed the college’s basic training program as defined
by the Educational Technology Committee; or
o Have a certificate of completion in online teaching from a reliable
institution such as UCLA online teaching program or the Cerro
Coso Online Educators certificate or through @ONE course
offerings; or
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Be able to demonstrate having had a successful experience in
teaching distance education at Columbia or another similar
institution.
 Faculty Readiness
 DE Program Implementation
 Program Development Action
Plan
 5. Funding Priorities Criteria
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Related Questions: Prioritizing Online Offerings
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Which courses do we focus on
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Do we plan on having full degree programs online?
(FYI: When a degree becomes more than 50% as DE, a
substanative change report must be submitted to the
System Office)
 Sample: Funding priorities for course development funds When
development funds are available, course development will be funded based
on priorities as established below:
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Initial hybrid offerings will be developed into full time offerings
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Courses that have large waitlists in their face-to-face
counterparts
 DE Program Implementation
 Program Development Action
Plan
 Funding Priorities Criteria
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Courses that are needed for comprehensive program
development for which no local faculty can be found
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Courses that complete patterns where some DE courses already
exist.
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Courses that complete General Education requirements
 Professional Development Action
Plan
 Evaluation of Program Action
Plan
 Technical Action Plan
 Institutional Support Action Plan
 Plan for Scalability
 Plan for Marketing
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