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Distance Learning Faculty Handbook
DL Standards & PracticesThe mission of Distance Learning is to develop and operate the College's distance education programs by working with faculty and staff members to ensure delivery of quality courses and provide necessary faculty and student support. The course approval process is designed to ensure that all Distance Learning courses, certificates, and degree programs adhere to "Best Practices" as established by the accrediting agencies and educational organizations that govern ACC.
Additional standards may be addressed and approved by the ACAC in order to implement and maintain best practices. These standards may be approved as long as they do not conflict with Administrative Rules, Board Policy, and standards set by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB), Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS), or other regulatory bodies. These standards are incorporated into the Distance Learning course approval process to implement "good distance education standards and practices." For more on planning high quality distance education classes, visit the DL Course Planning & Analysis page. DL Course Approval & SchedulingAll ACC distance education courses for credit are offered through the Distance Learning Office. Proposed new DL classes not already in the college course inventory must go through the new course approval process. The appropriate Department Chair, Instructional Dean, and the Director of Distance Learning must approve all intended DL courses. Additionally, the Vice President of Academic or Workforce Education Programs must approve entire degree or certificate programs offered via Distance Learning. Faculty members interested in creating or adapting new DL classes should initiate the process by submitting a DL Course Approval Form, to explain the course's intended objectives and activities, the instructional mode and technologies to be used, and the rationale for offering the course. The form also details the support services and materials to be developed by the faculty member, the resources to be made available, and the office(s) designated to provide them. This form must be completed before offering a DL course for the first time, or to update basic requirements of an existing DL course. The Director of Distance Learning coordinates the scheduling of classes in collaboration with department chairs and division deans during the schedule development process. The DL Administrative Assistant works with faculty members to confirm course orientation requirements and provide section-specific pre-registration information for students in the Course Schedule Notes. Instructional DevelopmentFaculty members are strongly encouraged to work with Instructional Development Services and other applicable college departments to develop Distance Learning courses. ID Specialists are available to help faculty adapt courses for DL delivery, assist with the design of new DL courses, and develop course materials including instructional websites or multimedia and video productions. ID Specialists can also work with departments interested in delivering entire degree or certificate programs through DL. This collaborative process leads to innovative courses and college-wide cooperation facilitating the long-term success of the Distance Learning program. Additional information and resources for designing and developing DL courses are offered on the DL Course Design & Development page. Delivering DL CoursesThe primary responsibility of all ACC faculty members is to provide quality instruction to their students. For DL instructors, providing access to quality instruction often presents unique challenges beyond those faced by traditional classroom instructors. Communication with Distance Learning students is very critical and relies on meaningful educational activities assigned by responsive faculty members. Consequently, DL faculty members take on additional responsibilities that become essential to providing a creative, supportive learning environment. DL Course OrientationsFaculty-student communication is typically initiated by the course orientation. The orientation process is critical to student success in a DL course as it is essentially a student's first day of class. A good orientation should be purposeful and interactive. It should offer students an overview of course objectives, describe the instructional materials and technologies to be used, state the expectations of the instructor, and provide information about ACC and DL support resources. Whether online or on site, a well-structured orientation establishes the foundation and sets the tone for student-instructor communication for the entire semester.
Additional resources to assist faculty in designing a DL course orientation and delivering the orientation are available on the DL website. Note: Faculty members should make every effort to ensure all students receive orientation information, and submit an Early Intervention Request Form to the DL Office for assistance in contacting any students who haven't completed the orientation after the session has begun. Communicating With DL StudentsThe course orientation is only the first point of contact; DL faculty must ensure that quality interaction—between the faculty member and students, and among students—occurs regularly throughout the semester. Good communication is a key factor in student retention and success; students who feel engaged are more likely to complete the course and enjoy their distance education experience. Therefore it is important to consider the methods of interaction that will be used. Visit the designing for interaction and communication page for suggestions on adding interactivity to DL courses. Testing ProceduresFaculty are responsible for designing the standards to measure student success in their courses, which may include exams and assessments. All relevant testing procedures and deadlines must be delineated in the course syllabus. Academic Testing Centers are located at all ACC campuses, as well as at some of the ACC Center locations. Faculty members are expected to place copies of their exams in all the Testing Centers, including the Fredericksburg, Round Rock, and San Marcos Centers. Consult the Academic Testing Centers Guidelines for complete details on Testing Center policies and procedures. DL faculty should include a link to the Testing Centers website in the course syllabus so students can easily access hours of operation and the Student Guide for Use of ACC Testing Centers. Distance TestingDistance Learning coordinates a Distance Testing Program to facilitate testing services for DL students located outside the ACC service area. DL students are encouraged to discuss testing options with the instructor prior to registering. The student is responsible for locating an official testing facility to proctor the exams, and providing DL with documentation to confirm the testing arrangements. Proctoring institutions are asked to review the ACC Academic Testing Centers student testing policies to maintain the integrity of the testing process. If you approve a student's request for Distance Testing, please forward your course exams with the student's completed Distance Testing Request & Transmittal Form to the Distance Learning Office as early in the semester as possible to allow distant students maximum time to complete the exams. DL will send all examination materials (test booklets, Scantrons, etc.) to the testing proctor via express mail delivery. The testing proctor will return completed exams directly to you for grading, at the student's expense. Secure Online Testing ApplicationsDistance Learning is working with an application for developing and delivering secure online tests to provide DL students the opportunity to use computers for completing exams. Secured online testing enables faculty members to author, schedule, deliver, and track test questions within a secure computer environment. Respondus ("Advanced Blackboard Testing Options") is used by instructors who want to develop secure, computer-based exams within Blackboard. Test results can be generated automatically for common types of questions (e.g.; True/False, Multiple Choice, Multiple Answer, etc.), and sent directly to the instructor's Blackboard Gradebook. Faculty interested in developing secure online tests in Blackboard should visit the Advanced Blackboard Testing Options webpage to learn more about this option. DL Administrative PoliciesFaculty members teaching Distance Learning courses follow the same College policies, procedures, and administrative rules as faculty members teaching on-campus courses. The following overview of general guidelines should help familiarize new instructors and serve as a refresher for experienced DL faculty members. Instructors should review the appropriate administrative rule if they have specific questions. Computing LEH & CompensationAdministrative Rule 4.03.004First Section Taught: The first section of a Distance Learning course taught by a full-time or adjunct faculty member in a semester earns the same number of LEH as the on-campus equivalent. The first section may occur in a short session if that faculty member does not teach the Distance Learning course during a long session. Generally only the LEH for the first section of a Distance Learning course is included in a full-time faculty member's base load. However, two or more Distance Learning sections of the same course or different courses may be part of a faculty member's base load if approved by the appropriate Dean. Enrollments from several sessions may be combined in order to generate sufficient enrollment to warrant offering the course as a first section. Additional Enrollments: During a semester faculty members are compensated on a per-student basis for enrollments beyond the first section for a Distance Learning course as defined above. The per-student compensation is computed by dividing the salary the faculty member receives for teaching a Distance Learning course at the adjunct rate by the Distance Learning section enrollment limit. Payment for additional enrollments will be paid as a stipend distributed in even payments over the remaining pay periods in the session in which the enrollments are generated. Faculty EvaluationsAdministrative Rule 6.07.001The Faculty & Staff Evaluation Office coordinates all faculty evaluation activities for Austin Community College, following Board policy, Administrative Rules, and SACS guidelines. The feedback received from the students' evaluation of Distance Learning faculty is vital to the success of the program. Faculty evaluations for DL courses are conducted online during the fall semester, following the same schedule as evaluations for on-campus classes. At the appropriate point in the semester, DL faculty will be notified to explain to their students how to access the DL Faculty Evaluation in Online Services. At this site, students select "Distance Learning Faculty Evaluation" from the menu, and a listing of the student's current DL courses will be displayed. The student selects a course, completes the evaluation, and submits it. Once an evaluation has been submitted, the student is no longer able to evaluate that course/instructor. Students are not able to access faculty evaluations after they have received their final grade for the course. For specific information about evaluation dates, deadlines, and procedures, refer to the Faculty & Staff Evaluation website. Minimum Enrollments Per SectionAdministrative Rule 4.03.004The process to determine the minimum number of enrollments needed to offer a first section of a DL course is the same as that for on-campus courses. There are no minimum enrollment requirements for sections where faculty members are paid on a per-enrollment basis. Office HoursAdministrative Rule 4.03.004Each distance learning course must provide for appropriate interaction between faculty and students, and among students. This interaction may occur during faculty office hours, or it may take place via telephone, email, electronic chats, on-site meetings, video teleconference or other methods. Appropriate interaction for a course depends upon the course delivery mode and the technology used by faculty. The number of on-campus posted office hours held per week equals the number of hours stated in ACC Administrative Rule #4.03.004, Section 7, and an additional number of hours equal to the time that the Distance Learning section(s) would have met on-campus. For example, a class meeting for 2.5 hours per week requires 2.5 hours of additional posted office hours per week. For Distance Learning courses with extensive student contact via email, electronic chats, other technologies, on-site or additional activities, the required on-site office hours may be reduced. Approval for reduced on campus posted hours must be obtained by using the Conversion of Posted On-Campus Office Hours to Electronic Office Hours Form. Student Limit Per SectionAdministrative Rule 4.03.004The maximum number of students per DL section is as follows:
Approval for a different limit may be granted in unusual cases. The approval process to obtain an exception to this rule is the same as that for offering a course via DL with the additional required approval of the Academic and Campus Affairs Council. Through the Virtual College of Texas (VCT) arrangement, students taught by ACC faculty who receive course credit from another institution will be counted for loading purposes according to this policy. Download Adobe Reader to view and print PDF files. |