Distance Education

These courses are traditional synchronous, on campus, that provide face-to-face instruction in a traditional classroom on campus. However, courses may be enriched by the addition of an online component. This online component is hosted on Blackboard. Face-to-face courses must include the course syllabus and grades in Blackboard and may contain as little as 0 percent to as much as 100 percent of out-of-class activities such as homework problems, group work, assignments, or research in Blackboard. Face-to-face courses must have all scheduled instructional minutes in a physical classroom. All classes include the maintenance of a gradebook and the posting of the course syllabus in Blackboard Learn so students can access their grades/syllabus at any time during the semester.

Hybrid or blended courses are a combination of synchronous and asynchronous instruction. Students and instructors are not in the same physical setting for a majority (more than 50%, but less than 85 percent) of the instructional time. The number of instructional minutes delivered face-to-face is no more than 50 percent of the total instructional minutes for the in-person portion of the hybrid class.

Typically, hybrid courses combine online and classroom components. The course syllabus will contain a section delineating the integration between face-to-face and online instruction. Additionally, it will discuss how the online environment connects and supports the classroom activities. Students must have Internet access, understand and be able to use email and the web, create and save documents in specific file formats and upload files as an attachment.

A Hy-Flex course is delivered in-person and via video-conferencing at the same time by the same faculty member. Students can choose to attend via the video-conferencing tool or can come to campus and attend in person. Students can make this choice each class meeting.

In this course modality, the course is delivered 100 percent online with designated synchronous meeting times in which the students and the instructor meet for class. All course content is delivered online with synchronous course meetings. A microphone, webcam, and internet are required. As with an online course, weekly office hours should be offered in addition to the synchronous course meetings.

Online courses are asynchronous. Students and instructors are NOT in the same physical setting more than 85 percent of the instructional time. Some courses may require face-to-face sessions totaling no more than 15 percent of the instructional time. This could include orientations, labs, proctored tests, field trips and/or other course requirements. Orientations may occur before the course’s start date. Face-to-face requirements will be listed in the course syllabus. Faculty members must have internet access, understand and be able to use email and the web, create and save documents in specific file formats, and upload files as an attachment.

A course in which all of the tests, quizzes, and learning activities occur online. A course offered 100 percent online, meaning that there are no face-to-face sessions, is typically offered as asynchronous. However, faculty members can choose to offer voluntary synchronous sessions and should schedule weekly virtual office hours.