Policy and Procedure Manual Department of Communication Studies

Monica Jackson, Department Coordinator - Communication Studies

Core duties include managing the scheduling of departmental course offerings, and recruiting and hiring adjunct instructors to meet programmatic needs; working with the Chair on strategic planning initiatives; ensuring appropriate faculty and student support; and oversight of departmental expenses. The individual in this position must have a thorough understanding of Department, College, and University procedures and must be able to communicate these procedures to faculty, staff, and students as needed.

Moody College of Communication, The University of Texas at Austin Level: Large University - Undergraduate Location: Austin, Texas - Large City DE Program: Hybrid Courses

Subsystem Area Regulatory Subsystem

Policy/Procedure Statement Department of Communication Studies will provide the necessary equipment and software to effectively deliver blended courses to students across multiple time zones. Department of Communication Studies will use Blackboard, a learning management system for delivery of programs. All courses must be placed on the departments learning management system, whether online or blended. Distance learning courses will be planned to meet the Departments mission, goals and objectives and will be designed and evaluated according to the same guidelines used for traditional courses.

Course Subsystem

Courses will be designed to ensure students have the opportunity to meet face-toface for 50% or less of the course and complete the rest of their coursework online. Dates, times and locations for face-to-face meetings will be published in the official class schedule and within the course syllabus. Faculty members teaching more than one sections of the same course are not allowed to merge these sections into a single within Blackboard as to not affect class size or quality of instruction. All courses should have a maximum class size of 25 students and a minimum class size of 10 students.

Student Subsystem

Faculty/Staff are to ensure a student rights to privacy are respected. Therefore, the written consent of a student is required to publish any information that personally identifies them through any type of media. The Department of Communication Studies and Technology Services will ensure that students participating in distance learning courses have access to adequate and appropriate learning resources such as the university library, advisors and writing center.

Distance-learning students will have access to student services to apply for admission, register for classes, and check course availability online during the same timeframe and guidelines as traditional students.

Logistical Subsystem

Full-time faculty members teaching distance learning courses receive no additional compensation for those courses beyond traditional methods. Technology Services provides assistance for College-related technology necessary for maintaining on-campus equipment and networks, the colleges learning management system Blackboard, e-mail systems, and other local systems. In addition, they provide training for faculty and staff via professional development workshops, one-on-one sessions and online self-study materials. Faculty members who teach distance-learning courses must meet the same qualifications as faculty who teach traditional courses. All faculty members must hold, at the minimum, a masters degree with eighteen (12) semester hours of specialization in the teaching field they intend to lecture.

Accessibility Issues Students with disabilities taking distance learning courses can request accommodations to meet their learning needs just as those students taking traditional, campus-based courses. In blended distance learning courses, faculty members will use technologies to create materials and design courses with special arrangements made to deliver the course in an alternative format for students with disabilities. Students seeking accommodations should request special accommodations from instructor within the first week of coursework and provide their instructor their disability services paperwork. Faculty/staff will ensure this is information is maintained and kept on file from the time they receive the request through the end of the course.

References King, James. June 7, 2009. Policy Frameworks for Distance Education: Implications for Decision Makers. Retrieved from http://www.westga.edu/~distance/king32.html.

Provost/VP Academic Affairs. March 21, 2012. Distance Learning Policy, Athens State University. Retrieved from http://www.athens.edu/policies/Operating/Academics/Distance-LearningPolicy.pdf.