Online Class Design

Publication: Faculty Handbook

Policy Statement

All online classes or classes that are using a Blackboard shell are required to complete the SOAP 4 weeks before the start of classes. By submitting their SOAP, faculty indicate that their classes are ready for limited student access 3 weeks before the class starts.

Blackboard shells that are used for teaching (not 100% in-class lecture) will also need to comply with the Online Course Creation Checklist (OCCC). The OCCC is an instrument that ensures that all courses are meeting our institutional and accreditation standards.

Rationale

We want our students to have a uniform experience when accessing online learning content. We ensure that all courses use standardized formats and layouts to improve students’ experience but also to provide consistency as required for accreditation.

Policy Procedures

SOAP Procedure and timing:

The SOAP survey is sent out to faculty when the Blackboard Administrator completed copying over the content and assessments in the shells for the upcoming term (7-9 weeks before class starts). The Blackboard Administrator checks and follows up with faculty who did not submit their SOAPs to see if they need technical assistance or coaching. **Changed since this semester:** Blackboard shells remain ‘limited accessible’ for students until the faculty submits their SOAP or the Blackboard Admin can verify that all the items are completed and the courses are ready for the students **/Changed since this semester**

Online Course Creation Checklist

This tool is provided to new faculty through the Faculty Training Course. In that course, they are taught the importance of each of these points that are assessed with this instrument. When they create their course, they are using this as a guide and this instrument is also used by the Blackboard Administrator to verify completeness of the course before paying out a course creation stipend.