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Marshall
University E-Course* Draft Revision 5/8/02 |
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Alphabetical Listing of All Policy Recommendations |
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Definitions The university defines three levels
of instructional content delivery to which this policy applies.
Electronic media shall consist of
software, electronic courses, web pages, video and audio productions,
CD-ROMs, DVD’s, digital imagery, and other creations stored or published in
electronic formats. Developers shall be defined as
parties that contributed to the creation of the electronic media by providing
assistance in the development of the media. Creator shall be defined as the
provider of the educational content or intellectual property expressed in an
electronic format. Admissions
Students taking E-Courses will be admitted to the University. Information, advice, and the opportunity to ask questions and receive answers regarding admissions requirements and procedures will be available to students applying for electronic courses, synchronously via telephone and asynchronously via the world wide web and e-mail. A space for the potential student's e-mail address will be on the online admission forms for electronic courses. Advising
Comparable advising services, as determined by the college and/or department, will be available to students both on and off campus. This will be accomplished synchronously by telephone at specified, published times, and asynchronously by e-mail and fax. Students will be responsible for long distance telephone or internet access costs incurred. Frequently requested advising information will be made available via the world wide web. Audits
Students may choose to audit the course and not receive a letter grade. These students will be covered by the same university regulations governing audit enrollment that pertain to traditional university courses. Authentication
Students registering for electronic
courses may be required by the professor to designate an approved proctor
from an educational or other approved institution who will administer their
examinations. The student will also be responsible for paying any fees
required by the proctor. The following will be the process when a proctor is
selected: * Before the first exam for which a proctor is required, the student will be responsible for having the proctor forward a statement to the professor stating that the proctor is NOT related to student whose exams he or she will proctor. * Exams will be sent directly from instructors to proctors, and individual instructors and proctors will determine the method of delivery of the exams (web-based, e-mail, fax, standard mail, etc.). * When an exam is proctored, proctors will be required to sign a statement stating that 1) they were presented with a photo I.D. by the student taking the exam at the time of the exam; 2) the student finished the exam in the allotted amount of time (equal to the amount of time a student would have in a traditional class period); 3) and the proctor was physically present during the entire time the student had the exam in his or her possession; and 4) to the best of the proctor's knowledge the student finished the exam and that all exam regulations as specified by the instructor were followed. Computer Accounts
Students taking electronic courses will be
entitled to standard Marshall University student computer accounts on systems
such as Hobbit. However, upon registration, students may designate an
alternate e-mail account. All students taking E-Courses must have access to a
computer with Internet access, a web browser (variety, version, and
configuration as required by course), an e-mail account, and other software
necessary to complete course requirements. Computer Literacy Requirements Courses will be made available to provide
the skills students need to utilize electronic courses (such as computing
fundamentals, internet fundamentals, and distance learning techniques).
Students registering for electronic courses must possess basic computer
literacy skills as determined in the course syllabus. Students will be
made aware that faculty teaching courses electronically will not provide
support or help time with topics covered in the fundamental courses (such as
using a browser). Course Completion Timetable Students will be required to complete an electronic
course within the timeframe of the semester for which they enrolled. The
instructor may specify a later deadline in the syllabus but not to exceed one
year from the end of the semester during which they enrolled. Students will
be required to complete an electronic course within the timeframe of the
semester for which they enrolled. The instructor may specify a later deadline
in the syllabus but not to exceed one year from the end of the semester
during which the student enrolled. For a semester timeframe course, a grade
will be assigned at the end of the semester. A grade of “I” may be assigned
in accordance the policy for a traditional course. For courses having a timeframe other than a semester, any student who has not completed the E-Course at the end of the semester in which he/she registered will receive an “I” grade. On completion of the course or at the end of the period specified in the syllabus the student will be assigned a grade. Course Content The only difference in the curriculum of an electronic course as compared to the equivalent on-campus course will be the delivery mode. The electronic course content will meet the same standards as courses offered on-campus. Courses will go through the same review and approval process as traditional, on-campus courses. Course Enrollment The maximum number of students that may enroll in a section of an electronic course will be determined by the faculty member's college / department in the appropriate academic unit. There will be no minimum number of registered students required for a class to "make." Faculty members administering electronic courses designated "writing intensive" will be limited to 24 students. The next 24 students registering for a writing intensive course will be assigned to another faculty member, and so on. Courses Offered Only
existing Marshall University courses may be eligible for approval for
conversion to delivery as an E-Course or T-Course. Any course that has not
been offered (with a class limit consistent with the class size shown in the
original proposal) at least two times within the past three years will have
to be re-approved by the appropriate dean and the E-Course Development
Committee before it can be offered again. All
courses to be listed as E-Courses in the Marshall University Catalog must be
reviewed and approved by the E-Course Development Proposal Committee (ECDPC).
Only courses approved by the appropriate dean and E-Course Development
Proposal Committee in accordance with published guidelines as
E-Courses will be offered electronically. Course Schedule An Electronic Classes section will be in the main course listing which will list all electronic classes offered. Electronic classes will also appear in the discipline appropriate section of the listing, as well as the School for Extended Education. Credit Hours Courses offered electronically will carry the same number of credit hours as sections of the same course / equivalent courses delivered traditionally. Determination of Ownership Rights In cases where there is a
disagreement between the creator and the university as to ownership rights or
the retention of such rights by the university, a committee comprised of the
Executive Director for Research and Economic Development or his designee, the
General Counsel and an individual with expertise in the field chosen by the
creator shall recommend to the President what further action the university
should take. The creator of any electronic instructional content may petition the University to waive its non-exclusive marketing rights. The determining official for this action is the President of the university. Such a petition should include a description of the content sufficient to enable the president to make a tentative judgment as to whether commercial potential exists. Distribution of Tuition and Fees Compensation
of faculty teaching Electronic Classes as overloads will be paid in two
halves, the first upon registration of a student for the course, and the
second half upon student completion of the course or the ending date of the
course as specified in the syllabus. If students are carried over from one
instructor (see Expiration of Electronic Course Agreements) to another, the
instructor picking up the carry over students will be compensated and will be
paid upon completion of the course. Distribution of T-Courses and E-Courses The faculty creator of E and T
courses shall have the first option to teach the course. The university may
NOT distribute E and T courses internally for the purpose of creation of new
courses or sections without the express written consent of the faculty
creator of the course or published departmental policy guiding internal
distribution. Any remuneration for internal distribution will be negotiated
on a case-by-case basis or shall be guided by departmental policy. A signed
contract shall take precedence over departmental policy. In instances where the faculty member
retains exclusive ownership rights, the university may NOT distribute the E
or T course without express written consent of the faculty creator. Any
remuneration for internal distribution will be negotiated on a case-by-case
basis. In the interest of currently enrolled students, the university may continue use of electronically delivered courses developed by a member of the Marshall University community throughout the duration of the current grading period and for up to one year beyond the current grading period to ensure completion of the course by all students enrolled at the start of the semester regardless of ownership. Electronic Course Agreement Instructors who wish to offer a electronic course will be required to sign an Electronic Course Agreement, which obligates them to perform their duties as instructor of the course throughout the period specified in the syllabus. Evaluations
Student evaluation of instructors will be consistent with University policies. The evaluation of a course will be via the "Flashlight" tool located on the home page of all E-Courses. Exams E-Course exams, if used, will have content and coverage comparable to similar courses taught on campus. The proctor for those exams will be designated by the student at the beginning of the course. Once a student has begun an exam, he or she must finish it within the allotted time period. (See Authentication). Expiration of
Electronic Course Agreements If the faculty member is unable to complete the course, the department will address the matter in its normal and customary way. Faculty Compensation for E-Course
Development In order to encourage the development of
quality electronic courses, faculty will be paid separately for the
development of electronic courses. Development will be compensated at a rate
negotiated between the developer, academic dean, and the appropriate
administrative official. The faculty member who develops the class does not
have to be the faculty member who teaches the class however compensation will
be contingent upon the offering of the course within a 12-month period of the
completion of development. (See Distribution of Tuition and Fees and Tuition and Fees.) Any course in which 80% or more of the instruction is
offered through electronic means and in which the developer wishes to receive
compensation for development must go through a two-step approval process. The
first step is submission of the E-Course Development Proposal form, signed by
both the faculty member and the appropriate dean/chair, to the E-Course
Development Proposal Committee (ECDPC).
The second step is submitting the completed course to the E-Course
Development Proposal Committee (ECDPC) for final approval. Faculty may elect to develop E or
T-Courses without compensation. This will not impact compensation for
teaching an E-Course. Faculty Compensation for Teaching an
E-Course In order to encourage the teaching of quality electronic courses, faculty will be paid separately for the teaching and administration of electronic courses. Teaching of E-Courses will be compensated on a per student basis if taught on an overload basis. The final decision regarding compensation of the faculty member for the overload or part-time pay remains the decision of the appropriate administrative officer. (See Distribution of Tuition and Fees, Tuition and Fees and Electronic Course Agreement). Faculty Load Time
Electronic courses may be offered either
as part of regular load, overload or by part-time faculty. Extra
compensation will not be paid for electronic courses taught within load. Faculty Support A faculty support staff will provide support and training to faculty developing electronic course content. This group will be headed by full-time Instructional Technologists. Full-time Instructional Technologists will provide formal training and just-in-time support to faculty who develop electronic course content. The Center for Instructional Technology will provide support and training to faculty developing E-Courses Financial Aid Students registering for E-Courses will be eligible to apply for financial aid just as traditional, on-campus students are. Information, advice, and the opportunity to ask questions and receive answers regarding financial aid opportunities will be made available to students registering for electronic courses. Frequently requested financial aid information will be made available via the world wide web. Hardware/Software Students signing up for electronic courses
must have access to hardware and software required for the course for which
they are registering. Each course syllabus will state the hardware and
software required for the course. Hiring Policies Possession of skills in the delivery of course content using distance technologies will be considered a criterion in the hiring of faculty for E-courses. Intellectual Property/Ownership
of Course Content Ownership of E and T courses and
electronic media can be qualified into three areas: Exclusive Ownership by
the creator, Proprietary Interest of the University, and Exclusive Ownership
by the University. If the content is created by a research center or
other recognized entity of the University, the entity may adopt a stated and
consistently applied policy of vesting all rights to the software in the
entity, preempting the more general rights of the University.
To support faculty
efforts to create electronically delivered course materials, the university
will take a proactive stance to ensure that faculty retain intellectual
property rights, credits, and associated benefits and shall endeavor to
support faculty interests in the distribution of digital materials for the
betterment of the faculty, the institution, and the students.
In
instances where the University has a proprietary interest in the electronic
media and the work is not a “work for hire”, the creator of the electronic
media shall retain the rights to intellectual property contained there-in. As
the intellectual property owner the creator of an electronic course has the
exclusive right of first refusal for revision and/or creation of derivative
works. If the original developer refuses, the University may agree with
another party to perform the revising, at which point the original developer
loses any ownership of or financial interest in the content. Library Distance learning students will be granted access to all library resources, such as the ability to request interlibrary loan materials, as well as access to online catalogs and materials. Remote interlibrary loan book requests will be accepted only from public and community libraries. Marketing of Electronic Media All members of
the Marshall community with intent to market or distribute E or T courses in
part or in whole for commercial or non-commercial reasons shall disclose the
nature and detail of their electronic media to the Executive Director for
Research and Economic Development, or his/her designated representative at
the earliest possible date. If the
university decides not to request assignment or ownership rights, and there
are no restrictions by the sponsor of the electronic media, the university
will release its proprietary interest to the creator. Within 120 days
after such disclosure, the Executive Director for Research and Economic
Development or his/her designee shall notify the creator in writing whether
it is the university's intention to retain its interest and to acquire
assignment of all distribution rights of the electronic media. If such
notification cannot be made during that time period, the creator shall be
notified as to the reason for the delay and the additional time necessary to
make such determination. Upon assignment of ownership and with consent of the
intellectual property owner, the Executive Director for Research and Economic
Development or his designee shall act to bring to the public all electronic
media in which the university has distribution rights. In doing this he shall
use whatever means appropriate for development, promotion and licensing of
each creation, consistent with the expressed goals of the Intellectual
Property Policy. In promoting the distribution of electronic media, the
university is free to enter into agreements with any outside agent, which it
deems will successfully aid the university in promoting the product. If a
particular media creation is to become subject to such an agreement, this
shall be made known to the creator, who will also be consulted about any
rules governing the relationship among the outside agent, the university and
the creator due to such agreement. The creator or his/her representative
shall be a member of the committee
selecting the licensing agent and shall participate in the development of the
licensing agreement if the creator so chooses. The university
is free to enter into any licensing agreements that it deems beneficial to
the university, the creator and the public in general, provided such
agreements are not prohibited by a sponsoring agency's rules or regulations.
Any terms governing the relationship among the licensee, the university or
the creator due to such licensing agreements shall be disclosed to the
creator, the dean of the college/school, the Provost, the Vice President for
Business and Finance and the President. Distribution of Proceeds from External
Marketing Of the net
proceeds of each individual media project 40% will be paid to the creator,
the remainder shall go to the Marshall University Research Corporation for
redistribution based upon the Media Project Disclosure form. Net proceeds
shall be calculated on gross royalties minus documented administrative,
licensing, legal and other related expenses. Upon decease of the creator, the
creator’s share of future income resulting from his/her Invention shall be
paid to the inventor's estate or designated beneficiaries. Contract
agreements shall supercede this policy. If the
electronic media creation is the result of sponsored research, and the
sponsoring agency regulates the distribution of royalty income, such
regulations shall apply rather than those in the above paragraph. Also, if
such regulations apply because of development, promotion or licensing
agreements with an outside agent, they shall take precedence over those of
the above paragraph. Prerequisites
Information regarding prerequisites will be included in course descriptions, and completion of such will be required of students taking E-Courses in the same manner it is required of on-campus students. Students who have not completed prerequisites for an electronic class will not be permitted to register for the E-Course. It will be the responsibility of the institution to provide prerequisites in the same electronic format. Students who enroll in E-Courses as transient students need only meet the requirements of their home university for E-Course enrollment. E-Courses taken by transient students may not apply toward a Marshall degree without permission of the appropriate dean. Recognition
Faculty and administration will establish
a system of incentives and rewards to encourage activity, recognize
achievement, and foster continuing accomplishment in distance education. This
will include (but not be limited to) adding recognition of distance education
activities as being co-equal with traditional teaching in faculty
evaluations. Registration
A student must register for an electronic course within the published timeframes for the course (normal registration period for semester-based courses and specified period for longer running, open registration courses). For open registration courses, students registering after July 15 but before October 25 will be counted in the Fall semester. The number of electronic course credit hours for which they register will be counted toward total credit hours for the Fall semester only. Likewise, those electronic course credits will only influence full or part-time student standing during the Fall semester. Students registering after October 25 but before March 25 will be counted in the Spring semester. Students registering after March 25 but before July 15 will be counted in the Summer enrollment. Repeats Students may use E-courses to meet "D" and "F" repeat requirements even if the course was originally delivered using traditional methods. Review and Update of E-Course Content The department or college will be responsible for the annual review of the academic content. Courses shall be re-submitted from review by the ECDPD within three years or after any significant change. Student Load Time Electronic course credits count only for the Fall, Spring, or Summer C term as determined in the timetable listed under Registration. A student cannot sign up for 12 hours of electronic courses and claim full-time status for the full 12 months. University policies regarding overloads for students wishing to take over 18 hours apply to students registering for E-Courses. Syllabi and Course Documentation Electronic course syllabi will spell out clearly the following information in addition to meeting the same requirements as syllabi for on-campus courses: necessary hardware, software, technological competencies, and the nature of faculty and student interaction necessary for success in the course. A course completion date must be listed on the course syllabus. Course syllabi must be submitted electronically to the School of Extended Education no later than the last day of schedule adjustment. Tuition and Fees
Students who register for electronic courses will pay tuition as established by the institution. Students registering for electronic courses only will be exempt from the Student Activities fee. Special fees imposed by colleges (e.g. the College of Business) are applicable to students registering for E-Courses. E-Course students who wish to pay the Student Activities Fee and receive the appropriate benefits have the option of doing so. Withdrawal Timetable E-Courses will follow Series Bulletin 22 of the University System of West
Virginia Board of Trustees in
regard to refund and withdrawal policies. Withdrawal from
semester-based E-Courses will follow traditional course guidelines.
Open-enrollment course enrollees will have thirty five (35) weeks from date
of enrollment to withdraw. ____________________________________________ Appendix A: University Resources
available for the creation of Electronic Media Standard Resources shall be defined as
those resources available as a matter of university policy/practice to all
faculty for the creation of courses and content regardless of delivery mode
such as: ·
Office computer and
software ·
Training
opportunities ·
Lab or check-out
equipment ·
Server space/Internet
Bandwidth ·
Office
space/Heat/Light Non-Standard Resources shall be defined as
those resources not generally available to all faculty, specialized tools, or
requiring re-assignment of staff time/duties. Non-standard resources shall
include:
· Graduate Assistant Support
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