Distance Education Guidelines
Distance Education
The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee has a long history of
delivering education in a convenient manner, but has always tempered its desire to provide
convenience with its commitment to quality and rigor. As faculty/staff, we must be
committed to providing quality educational opportunities while facilitating optimum
learning and teaching experiences for all those involved.
The College of Health Sciences encourages the use of
technology in the classroom and in the delivery of high quality instructional courses
through the use of "Distance Education". We further recognize that the
development and use of Distance Education is the individual instructor’s choice, one
which should not be considered lightly given the complexity of technology and the academic
mission to disseminate knowledge. One goal of the School is to provide students a high
quality education regardless of the medium.
Definition
Distance Education may be viewed as: Any education where either time
or distance separates the students and the instructor and an electronic medium is used as
the primary source of communication.
UWM’s Distance Education Infrastructure Organization and
Process Flow
Conceptually, distance education programs may originate with a
faculty or academic unit. A Department or faculty member’s first point of contact is
their School’s Distance Education Liaison (DEL). The DEL outlines/discusses the
requirements of producing distance education with the faculty member or department chair.
The DEL will also make a determination whether it is in the best interest of the School or
College to proceed. Once the decision to move ahead is made, the DEL then contacts: the
Office of the Vice Chancellor to initiate the Inter Institutional Agreement (IIA);
Department of Learning and Instructional Services (DLIS), to initiate instructional and
logistical support; and the various other support units required by the UWM Distance
Education Checklist.
Faculty Considerations
When considering whether to develop and deliver "Distance
Education", two underlying principles should be weighed:
- The maintenance of a high quality educational course should not be
compromised at the expense of technology or the medium used to deliver information; and
- Course objectives, as reviewed and approved, must not be compromised.
Guidelines for the development of a Distance Education
course
- The educational objectives should not be compromised by the method of
delivery. The use of technology should enhance the educational experience, not compromise
it.
- Distance education methods must be based on sound pedagogical
objectives. Instructors should ensure that the methods used are appropriate to the nature
and objectives of the course.
- A clearly identified audience is needed as justification for any
request for Distance Education; a brief summary of why this population cannot participate
in traditional delivery method is also required.
- Consideration should be given to assessment of student learning.
Measures should be taken to insure appropriate learning is occurring. Instructors should
employ multiple methods of evaluation to accurately monitor learning.
- Technology is not a substitute for personal interaction. Good
lectures are often characterized as being animated, interesting, and interactive.
Don’t allow the advances of technology to replace you as the instructor.
- Insure that multiple opportunities for feedback and clarification are
provided. Keep in mind that students may take courses in different time zones than the
originating course.
- While office hours become less critical, timely instructor
availability via email and telephone may be more important to insure student success in
the course.
- There may be an expectation that courses taught through Distance
Education are more current and topical than traditional courses. Curricular materials of
recurring courses should be updated regularly to insure relevance and application.
- Instructors should consider the student’s perspective in
learning. Consider the conditions in which Distance Education may be employed and utilized
by the student. Consider the facilities in which students may obtain the course
information, and the equipment and technology necessary for obtaining the course material.
Consider relevant pre-requisites to the course and utilization of technology medium.
- Instructors need to be responsive to the needs of the students.
Through the use of technology, there should be opportunities provided to interact with
other students, to ask and answer questions, and to obtain immediate feedback on the
progress toward learning goals.
Workload
A well-developed course offered as Distance Education should be
considered as part of normal workload. Involvement with students via distance technology
may actually require more time given the various needs of the students.
Unless mandated to create, instructors who choose or volunteer to
develop a regular course for Distance Education should not get release time during the
development of the course. The use of technology in delivering a course should be viewed
merely as using a new medium for the delivery of an existing course.
Cost
Additional money can be charged above the normal tuition a student
would pay for distance education offerings. This may only be used to cover charges
associated with the actual delivery of the course, e.g., transmission costs, site support
costs, handling costs like postage, license or vendor fees, and does not figure into
faculty salary. The amount of the fee may vary but must be submitted to Business and
Financial Services (BFS) for approval. Distance Education fees will be calculated at the
program level.
Ownership
See General Administrative Policy Paper (Subject: Ownership, Use and
Control of Copyrightable Instructional Materials)
Security: Test, Quizzes, Grades
Maybe issues of software and coordination of off-site proctored
examinations.
Minimum Competencies of Students
Instructors should not assume all students are competent to enroll
in distance education programming. Accepted students must have the background, knowledge,
and technical skills needed to undertake the course. Instructors should determine the
minimum distance education competencies required for students to successfully complete the
course. These competencies may relate to equipment and/or skill requirements involving the
chosen distance education methods. These minimum competencies must be stated in the
syllabus and all promotional materials. At the beginning of the course, the instructor
must affirm all enrolled students possess the minimum competencies.
Student Support Services
Enrolled students should have reasonable and adequate access to the
range of student services appropriate to support their learning. The nature of distance
education requires that services students rely-on while on campus similarly are available
to students who are not on campus. These support services not only pertain to course
related matters but also to such topics as course registration, academic and financial aid
advising, establishing computer accounts, and access to library resources. The instructor
should assure that all course-related support is in place (See Contingency Plan for
Disruption of Distance Education Communication). The CHS, in cooperation with UWM
Administration, should assure that distance education students have access to all the
support services available to on-campus students.
Contingency Plan for Disruption in Distance Education Communication
An inherent component of distance education planning, is a
contingency plan for disruptions in communication between the instructor and student.
Possible examples could be the disorder caused to mail delivery, fax or Internet telephone
connections because of weather related conditions. Others may involve a disturbance due to
equipment failure. Regardless of the cause, the instructor should have a plan for managing
the disruption. The plan should be clearly stated in the course syllabus and implemented
when such happenings occur.
Accessibility for Students with Disabilities
Instructors are responsible for assuring distance education
programming is accessible to students with disabilities. In planning the distance
education course, instructors should consult the UWM Student Accessibility Center and
Project IMPACT (Integrated Multi-Perspective Access to Campus Technology) for advice on
how the proposed distance education methods may impact students with disabilities.
Instructors should invite students with disabilities to identify themselves and provide
assistance to those who request it.
Quality Control/Curricular Control
A "Proposal to Develop a Distance Education Course" must
be prepared and submitted to the Department or Program’s Course and Curriculum
Committee, or other identified group for review and evaluation. The Committee will review
all proposals. Upon review, the subcommittee will provide a response and additional
direction or considerations to the instructor for inclusion in the course. Upon review and
approval, the Committee Chair will notify the instructor of action and the instructor may
proceed in completing the UWM Checklist and the course may be included in the Schedule of
Classes.
Evaluation
Peer review should be considered part of the course review process.
Student evaluations of the course/instructor may be performed electronically.
Contact Hour Conversion
This item deals with class contact minutes per credit hour. As
course credits are established on the basis of contact hours, and approved by the School
and Academic Program and Curriculum Committee (APCC) and Graduate Program Committee GPC),
courses must maintain the minimum instructor/student contact per assigned credit.
Modifications to contact hours may require changes to course credit (Course Action Request
to modify the number of credits assigned to the course).
Distance Education Planning and Infrastructure
Distance education programming should be based on a rational
determination of need, appropriate pedagogy, and the availability of resources. Ultimately
individual departments and programs are responsible for the distance education programming
within their respective academic units. The academic units must balance the costs of
distance education with revenues, while assuring the integrity of the effort. In addition,
in cooperation with applicable CHS Committees, faculty/staff will undertake strategic
planning to establish the necessary infrastructure for distance education within CHS.
Department of Human Movement Sciences
Proposal to Develop a Distance Education Course
Course Information
Submitting Instructor
__________________________________________________________________
Course
Title__________________________________________________________________________
Course Number _____________________________ Number of Credits
_______________________
Term to be offered _______________________
Prerequisites
_________________________________________________________________________
Preferred Meeting Times ______________________________________
Site Information
Sending Location:
Building and Room ________________________________
Receiving Location(s):
City, Building and Room
______________________________________________________________
City, Building and Room
______________________________________________________________
City, Building and Room
______________________________________________________________
Other Instructor(s) ________________________________________________
Preliminary Information (Please address the following questions and
attach with support materials):
Who is the "target" audience?
What is the purpose for this particular course to be offered through
a Distance Education medium?
What is the anticipated method of delivery?
What is the estimated enrollment?
Curricular Integrity
How will the approved course objectives be met with the Distance
Education delivery method selected?
Why was this particular delivery method selected?
How will student learning be assessed?
What barriers/limitations does the chosen method of delivery
present?
What benefits does this chosen method afford?
How will student progress be monitored?
How will student interaction be facilitated and insured?
How will students interact with the instructor?
How will this course offered through Distance Education, be
evaluated?
How will the effectiveness of the instructor be evaluated?
The completed Proposal is submitted to and reviewed by a
subcommittee of the Department Course and Curriculum Committee. The subcommittee may
provide a response and additional direction or considerations to the instructor for
inclusion in the course. Upon review and approval, the Chair of the Course and Curriculum
Committee notifies the instructor and the instructor may proceed in completing the UWM
Checklist and submit the course information for inclusion in the Schedule of Classes.
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Last update: September 24, 2002
