|
|
|
CALIFORNIA
STATE UNIVERSITY, SAN BERNARDINO
FACULTY
SENATE
Distributed Learning Task Force
July 2001
DISTRIBUTED
LEARNING POLICY
FSD 01-01
Preamble
The central tenet of this document is to preserve
and protect the academic quality of courses offered through California State
University, San Bernardino. Although the University prizes academic freedom
and wishes to encourage innovation in instruction, the faculty also has a
collective responsibility to ensure the academic quality and integrity of
the University's courses, programs and degrees. Distributed learning may allow
the University to more fully achieve its mission by addressing such factors
as the large service area, dispersed student population, expected enrollment
growth and limited space on campus. In all circumstances, academic excellence
takes precedence over managerial or economic efficiencies.
Distributed learning in this document means any
mode of electronically mediated instruction where either (a) some (or all)
class members are not, nor are expected to be, in the same physical location
as the instructor during the regularly scheduled class time and/or (b) some
(or all) class members do not meet at the same time as other members of the
class. (1)
This
policy does not apply to off-campus, on-site, live instruction, which is covered
in FAM 440 Off-Campus Courses Offered as a Part of the Regular College
Program.
This
policy shall apply to all credit-bearing courses and programs offered through
distributed learning by California State University, San Bernardino. Nothing
in this policy shall imply that distributed learning is a preferred or required
mode of instruction
A. General
Principles Applicable to the Distributed Learning Policy
1. The
campus will adhere to regulations for distributed learning provided by the
appropriate accreditation bodies (WASC, et al.).
2. Distributed learning courses
and programs shall be consistent with the educational mission of the College
and the University.
3. All programs that are offered
solely or partially through distributed learning shall provide the opportunity
for appropriate, substantial, personal and timely interactions between faculty
and students and among students.
4. Tenure-track faculty are essential
to the academic integrity of any program including those offered via distributed
learning.
5. No faculty member shall be
compelled (directly or indirectly) to teach via distributed learning without
his/her consent. This component of the policy shall not apply to off-campus,
on-site, live instruction (see FAM 440).
6. All courses shall be under
the direction of CSUSB faculty.
7. Admissions criteria to credit-bearing
classes and programs shall be comparable for students on and off campus.
Specialized programs, e.g. the executive MBA, may have unique admissions
criteria but must still be approved through the existing curricular process.
8. Students and faculty shall
have appropriate access to the University library resources and services.
9. The university shall offer
appropriate training and support services to faculty teaching distributed
learning courses.
10. The university shall offer
appropriate training and support services to students taking distributed
learning courses.
11. Faculty and students have
a right to know the modes of delivery and technological requirements of
each course, program and degree offered by the University. Students shall
have access to this information before enrolling in a course or program,
subject to the provisions in section B.2 below.
12. Unless otherwise explicitly
stated, current University policies and procedures also apply.
B.
Curriculum and Instruction
Technology is changing quickly and influencing the development of new models
of teaching and learning. At the same time, these new technologies are playing
an increasingly important role in society. The university must ensure that
these new technologies meet the standards of academic excellence as defined
in its mission statement.
2.
In the case of existing courses, approval for the use of distributed learning
is within the purview of the department and/or program subject to the principles
set forth in this Policy.
3. Each time a new or existing course will be taught via distributed learning
the instructor must submit the Distributed Learning Notification Form
prior to the submission of the class schedule unless there are serious
exigent circumstances (e.g. unanticipated instructor change) in which
case the form must be submitted within 10 days of the occurrence of those
circumstances. The notification form will be obtained from and returned
to the Office of Distributed Learning. Copies of the form will be distributed
to the department and/or program chair, college dean, Office of Distributed
Learning and Academic Scheduling.
5. At the program level, periodic program reviews should be used to evaluate
the effectiveness of instruction of distributed learning courses. Care
should be taken to abide by the standards established by the appropriate
accrediting agencies. Programmatic use of distributed learning may constitute
a "substantive change" in the program, as defined by WASC, and necessitate
a WASC review. Other accreditations may also be affected, as well as the
availability of federal financial assistance under Title IV of the Higher
Education Act.
- to
deliver distributed learning courses or programs to that entity without
the prior approval of the relevant department or program,
-
for such entity to deliver distributed learning courses or programs
to CSUSB without the prior approval of the relevant department or program,
nor
-
to deliver that entity's distributed learning courses or programs in
place of or in addition to CSUSB courses without the prior approval
of the relevant department or program.
C.
Faculty
1.
The development and utilization of distributed learning must not be used
to reduce or eliminate tenure-track faculty positions.
2. A faculty member may choose
to offer office hours electronically after consultation with and approval
of the department chair and dean.
3. Class size and faculty workload
will be determined by the college dean after consultation with the faculty
member and the department chair, and must take into account the level of
interaction between faculty and students. All courses that are offered solely
or partially through distributed learning must provide for appropriate and
personal interactions between faculty and students.
4. Because distributed learning
may involve the use of technologies and teaching methods which require specialized
training, the faculty member engaged in distributed learning is responsible
for making use of the university-offered resources and training where appropriate.
D.
Support for Distributed Learning: Facilities and Resources
1.
Consistent with the mission of CSUSB, funding for distributed learning will
be provided as appropriate without impairment of resources for other modes
of instruction.
2. The university shall provide
appropriate information, support and training to faculty for compliance
with the Americans with Disabilities Act.
3. Faculty choosing to use non-university-supported
resources (e.g. third-party servers, non-university-supported software)
must state in their syllabus that the university will not provide technical
support for those resources and that the university does not endorse any
products which may be advertised through those resources. These faculty
are responsible for compliance with all principles of this policy, including,
without limitation, technical support for students. Faculty who use university
supported resources shall not be held responsible for technical support
of these resources.
4. The notification process for
distributed learning courses will identify distributed learning courses
in the class schedule and assist in resource planning.
5. An instrument (or instruments)
for students and faculty to evaluate the technology must be made available
for all courses using distributed learning.
6. University policies concerning
evaluations of teaching effectiveness and outcomes assessment also apply.
E.
Support for Distributed Learning: Student Services
1.
The Office of Distributed Learning (or designee) will handle student questions
and refer students to appropriate available services for distributed learning.
2.
The university must provide:
-
access to the range of student services appropriate to support distributed
learning courses including admissions, financial aid, academic advising,
delivery of course materials and placement and counseling;
-
adequate means for resolving student complaints;
-
adequate information about and resources for obtaining the technical
competence to use the necessary technologies;
-
information about access to library and other learning services;
-
information about access to other available university support services;
-
assistance to prospective students in understanding the nature and potential
challenges of learning in distributed learning environments; and
-
technical support of hardware and software.
3.
Advertising, recruiting and admissions information must adequately and accurately
represent the requirements and services available for distributed learning
courses and programs.
F. Academic Integrity
1.
The academic integrity of a course is ultimately the responsibility of the
faculty member. The university must inform faculty involved in distributed
learning about the variety of assessment tools, the relative level of security
of these assessments and methods for limiting students' use of unauthorized
resources . The university will provide criteria for ensuring student identity.
2. On the Distributed Learning
Notification Form, faculty must explain their procedures for ensuring student
identity. If the Office of Distributed Learning determines that there is
not sufficient security then the Office of Distributed Learning is required
to inform the appropriate chair, the appropriate dean, and the provost.
3. The university should provide reasonable accommodation for assessment
services for courses taught via distributed learning.
4. Consistent with the university policy on plagiarism and cheating, reasonable
safeguards shall be in place to ensure academic honesty.
5. Faculty are responsible for adhering to CSUSB's Intellectual Property
Policy and Acceptable Use Policy for Electronic Communications.
Justifications:
1)
Although the list of questions distributed by the DL Task Force in January
2001 was extensive (116 items), not all of the issues addressed in this list
of questions are appropriate to a formal Distributed Learning Policy. Moreover,
a number of questions addressed issues that are already covered in existing
university policies such as the Intellectual Property Policy, the
Acceptable Use Policy, and others. The Distributed Learning Policy attempts
to refer readers to the other policies where appropriate. Principle 12 of
the DL Policy also reiterates that other policies may also apply to distributed
learning courses.
2)
In a separate memo to the Chair of the Faculty Senate, the Distributed Learning
Task Force makes a number of recommendations and lists three issues to be
addressed by other committees. The most important recommendation is that the
university establish an Implementation Task Force to coordinate the implementation
of this Policy.
3)
The Distributed Learning Task Force chose not to use terms like "site-bound,"
"convenience-bound," "time-bound," etc. since there appeared to be a consensus
among the committees questioned that these terms are not sufficiently defined
so as to be useful and since distributed learning, as defined in this Policy,
is not necessarily targeted at a particular group of students but instead
represents one of a variety of tools that faculty may use to achieve their
educational objectives.
4)
For purposes of clarity, this Policy does not refer to any specific distributed
learning tools. Technology is changing so quickly that any reference to a
particular tool will render the policy obsolete in a very short time. Instead,
the task force chose to focus on the academic intent and outcomes of the courses.
5)
A7 does not prevent a department from recruiting a new faculty member with
distributed learning expertise and/or who would be responsible for offering
distributed learning courses.
6)
One issue of concern to faculty at CSUSB is the academic quality of distributed
learning courses. The Task Force spent more time discussing this one issue
than the rest of the issues combined. During our deliberations, we seriously
considered a number of different ways of addressing this concern. In the end,
the policy states that the choice to implement distributed learning is within
the purview of departments and programs. Faculty Affairs and Educational Policy
& Resources committees indicate that departments (or programs) are the
most appropriate venues for such decisions. The Task Force did not dictate
the means for such approval in this document, since the organization of each
department and program differs. However, the Distributed Learning Policy sets
forth a number of principles designed to ensure academic excellence in distributed
learning at CSUSB. Therefore, section B.4 instructs department chairs and
college deans to take these principles into account when considering complaints
or disputes regarding the delivery mode of any course.
7)
The Distributed Learning Task Force did not use language calling for "comparative
quality" between courses using distributed learning and other classes because
such language would imply course-level reviews for all courses at the university
(i.e. in order to compare distributed learning courses to what are generally
called "traditional" courses, baselines would need to be established). Some
courses may be made available only through distributed learning modes thus
precluding comparative data. Outcomes assessments, accrediting reviews and
other department- or college-level evaluations are more useful indicators
of the academic rigor of distributed learning courses.
8)
Submission of the Distributed Learning Notification Form provides the information
necessary: (1) to place the appropriate codes in the class schedule, (2) to
inform the university of the necessary resources to support the course, (3)
to provide informational items to faculty using distributed learning (such
as information about security issues, etc.), (4) to inform the department/program
and/or college that the course is being taught with distributed learning (necessary
for WASC and other accrediting agencies), and (5) to help with planning for
future resource needs.
__________________________________________________________________________
FSD
01-01
Approved
by the Faculty Senate
__________________________________________
Signed: 11-27-01
Treadwell
Ruml, Chair
Reviewed
by the Council of Academic Deans
__________________________________________
Signed: 12-12-01
Louis
A. Fernández, Provost and
Vice
President for Academic Affairs
Approved
by the President
__________________________________________
Signed: 12-13-01
Albert
K. Karnig
s01-01
|
