Creation and Implementation of Policies
Main Policies, like Privacy and Payment, Refund, etc. are already in place and don't change for online courses. Faculty has established their set of policies, which are implemented in the online policies, but are monitored by the individual course teachers. F.e. delivery of homework at a certain date can only be monitored by the teacher that assigned the homework. If the homework is not delivered by that date, the teacher will contact the student and discuss the problem.
Hayme,
Granted, but don't you think there should be alignment with the institution's on-ground policies, especially in the academic areas? Without continuity across policies, you run the risk of raising issues with your accreditation body. How would you ensure that the latter doesn't occur?
Dr. Robert Roehrich
I consider that the policies should be created by the online program faculty and Academic Director, they should look for advice and help from other institutions that are working with on line programs already.
Heather,
Keep in mind there are groups that you can access for help and support as you move forward on your journey to developing a vital online learning program. There are many people, like myself, who are consultants with years of experience to help; there is no reason to reinvent everything. There are also several online learning forums that can also be helpful to add to your knowledge. Regarding policies, search out institutions with online programs that would be willing to share their manuals or handbooks for adaptation. Don't forget that an advisory board of online educators and/or administrators could also be very helpful.
Dr. Robert Roehrich
This is our first year to begin. Our University is brand new and only offers online courses. We are fully accredited, so that is where I am beginning. As not only is this University new, I am new to this position. I have two masters degrees so I have taken many online courses and know what to look for, but now I am the one responsible for creating all of it....the policies, procedures, finding the best LMS to use, all implementation...in other words, it is all me. Once we begin teaching, the faculty will be responsible for implementing the program policies, but until that happens....for me, it is a lot of research from our accredited body and discussions with other stakeholders in trying to build and discover the best programs and policies for us to implement.
How do you create online program polices at your institution and who is responsible for implementing them?
Currently those programs were done by our DOE, As program director I am looking to develop a hybrid online on ground course.
like your institution,ours is also revising and establishing new policies to do better on line courses,and in which all members (faculty and academic director)are involved.
policies are created by the director of education and review by the advisory board.
in our institution the policies will remain constant
Our institution has a curriculum development committee which includes the Program Director, Dean of Academics,and the Director of Curriculum Development. All these individuals work together with the Vice President of Institutional effectiveness in the creation and implementation of program policies. In this way, no one individual has ultimate say regarding policies. It is important to note that faculty members are encouraged and expected to also provide input and feedback regarding a specific program to the program director. The program director then relays this information to the committee. In this way, policies that are implemented are drawn and agreed upon by a group of people who are knowleadgable of the field as well as compliance and organization policies and procedures, and who have the students' best interest in mind.
William,
You are correct that online courses are not easier. Are the labs you mention required? When courses are lab/hands-on intensive, one has to be careful how to select the courses that will "work" online.
Linda Scharp
Currently we do not offer any online courses. I am not sure that I am totally on board with the on-line course concept. I teach at a career college that offers courses that can be completed in two semesters (30 weeks). The first semester is the basics which include a lot of is class work that the students have to be present to complete. The second semester includes a large percentage of self paced courses (labs), this, of course, depending on your major. I have noticed that the attendance rate drops dramatically when the studens enter the second semester. With this in mind I think it would be safe to say that a large percentage of students lack the motivation to complete the work outside of the classroom. I am basing this theory only on my experience as an instructor. I would also feel the need to require the students to come to the campus for testing. I am also drawing from my own experience with on-line courses. Some students think that an on-line course will be easier than a classroom course, but I think they are mistaken.
Our institution’s creation of policies is formulated from a combination of staff and faculty. We utilize each others strengthens in the areas of subject matter and the law that is required to be upheld according to the standards put in place. It is all of our jobs to ensure that we do our own part in this program and it is the director’s job to ensure that everyone is doing their job appropriately.
At the school I work for the online program is created by a mixture of faculty, staff, and software engineers. We offer a very specific type of schooling and it requires great efforts form those who teach to be involved in the creation due to the nature of the work the students are being prepared to complete. Although the teachers have a large responsibly in our online program, it is still our director’s responsibility to assure all the policies are followed.
Procedures and policies are set up by mainly the faculty with input from our advisory board. We have monthly meetings to discuss any new policies which we feel are important and should be implemented. Faculty is responsible for implementing such policies/procedures that are newly formed and making sure existing policies/procedures are also being followed.
Most of our online policies mirror our campus policies. Our Campus Director and the Director of our online program work as a team to create and implement the policies of the online program at our school.
We have a Director of Online Learning that works to ensure online delivery is consitant across programs at our University. He works with the individual programs to meet their specific goals, but maintains a framework that keeps all courses in a standard format the students learn to manage through tutorials and help desks.
Policies are created as he works witht he various departments to establish guidelines and what is expected and required for each course/program.
Patricia,
So true. It is important to have consistent rules about online courses or chaos can result!
Linda Scharp
Michael ,
Trying to get the stakeholders on the same page is important, you're so right about that.
Linda Scharp
