Bates elearning Process Manual Bates Technical College reaffirms its policy of equal opportunity and does not discriminate on the basis of race, ethnicity, color, national origin, creed, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, marital status, disability, or status as a disabled veteran or Vietnam era veteran in its programs and activities in accordance with college policy and applicable federal and state statutes and regulations. Bates publications are available in alternate formats upon request by contacting the Disability Support Services Office at 253.680.7010. Inquiries regarding Bates' non-discriminatory policies, including Title IX and ADA, should be directed to: For student matters, contact the Executive Dean of Institutional Effective and Student Success, at 253.680.7105 or lzhou@bates.ctc.edu. For employee matters, contact the Director of Human Resources, at 253.680.7180 or gkaufman@bates.ctc.edu.
Table of Contents Introduction... 3 Online Learning Center (OLC)... 4 Contact Us... 5 Training and Support... 5 Student LMS Training... 5 Faculty Training... 5 Instructional Design Services... 5 Quality Design... 6 Bates Template... 6 Supported Technology... 7 Course Approval Process... 7 Online Academic Integrity... 8 Accessibility and Copyright... 8 Responsibility for Materials... 9 Student Privacy... 9 Ownership of Materials... 9 Canvas Account Creation... 10 Faculty Account Creation... 10 Student Account Creation... 10 Master Shells... 10 Definition... 10 Requesting a Master Course Shell... 11 Master Course Shell Deletion... 11 Course Shells... 11 Course Shells Creation... 11 Course Shells Enrollment & Access... 11 Access to Canvas Sandbox Course... 11 Requesting Special Access to Canvas Courses... 12 Closing Course Shells... 12 Faculty Access... 12 Student Access... 12 Student Access for an Incomplete... 12 Course Shell Deletion... 13 1
Recovering Course Materials from Past Quarters... 13 Guidelines for Communicating about System-Wide Canvas Issues... 13 Public Announcements... 13 WAOL Courses... 14 Course Offering Selection... 14 Canvas Accounts for WAOL Courses... 14 WAOL Grade Challenges... 14 Bates Website... 14 Quarterly Updates... 14 Ongoing Updates... 14 Appendix 1 Master Course Shell Request... 15 Appendix 2 Online Class Feedback Form... 16 2
Introduction The purpose of the Bates Online Learning Center is threefold: 1) Assist instructors as they provide online instruction, whether that takes the form of web-enhanced face-to-face classes or completely online programs or anywhere else on the continuum. 2) Ensure that the instruction provided to students is both first-rate and easy to navigate. 3) Meet the criteria set forth by the NWCCU regarding online instruction to ensure that Bates maintains its accreditation. Regarding the third goal, the NWCCU has laid out 9 hallmarks of quality for online instruction. Bates is required to provide evidence of how we are meeting these standards. These standards are reprinted below, with the standards directly applicable to instructors in bold. Keep these standards in mind as you read the handbook, as it has directly impacted many of the passages and policies such as approval of all online classes, training for online instructors, and a student-based evaluation at the conclusion of online offerings. 1) On-line learning is appropriate to the institution s mission and purposes. 2) The institution's plans for developing, sustaining and, if appropriate, expanding on-line learning offerings are integrated into its regular planning and evaluation processes. 3) On-line learning is incorporated into the institution s systems of governance and academic oversight. 4) Curricula for the institution's on-line learning offerings are coherent, cohesive, and comparable in academic rigor to programs offered in traditional instructional formats. 5) The institution evaluates the effectiveness of its on-line learning offerings, including the extent to which the on-line learning goals are achieved, and uses the results of its evaluations to enhance the attainment of the goals. 6) Faculty responsible for delivering the on-line learning curricula and evaluating the students success in achieving the on-line learning goals are appropriately qualified and effectively supported. 7) The institution provides effective student and academic services to support students enrolled in on-line learning offerings. 8) The institution provides sufficient resources to support and, if appropriate, expand its on-line learning offerings. 9) The institution assures the integrity of its on-line learning offerings. 3
Online Learning Center (OLC) The Bates OLC is housed within the Instructional Effectiveness and Student Success department. The current hierarchy is as follows: Bates offers web-enhanced, hybrid, and online courses. According to SBCTC (sbctc.edu/docs/strategicplan/strategic_technology_plan.pdf, page 10), these categories are defined by seat time: A web-enhanced class is a class that still meets 100% face-to-face, but has supporting information or exercises online, including lecture capture, supplemental information, gradebook, and testing. A hybrid course is a course that has replaced some face-to-face time with seat time. This can take many forms, including content, exercises, and discussion boards. An online course is a course that has no face-to-face meetings and is 100% online. Additionally, Bates offers Washington Online (WAOL) classes. These are 100% online and are offered through a cooperative effort by the SBCTC to deliver courses to students at participating colleges in the system. These courses are primarily general education and highdemand courses that lend themselves to online instructional delivery. Where applicable, Bates instructors are highly encouraged to offer their classes through the WAOL system. The application link is located here (waol.org/faculty_and_staff/resources/instructor-intent-to-teachform). 4
Contact Us Help requests and other communication can be sent to the Online Learning Center Help Desk (olc@bates.ctc.edu) which will automatically generate a help ticket. The OLC responds to each ticket within 24 hours during normal business hours. Additionally, the department can be contacted directly for non-technical support issues. Training and Support Student LMS Training Student assistance is offered Monday through Friday, 10:30 12:00 in the Online Learning Center, located at Downtown Campus, Room M123. Faculty may request to schedule student training sessions for their individual courses as needed. All student training requests should be sent to olc@bates.ctc.edu Additionally, instructional videos are housed in the Bates template covering basic topics for students such as getting started, customizing Canvas, and using the calendar. Canvas also contains links for further assistance, including the Report a Problem link accessible through the Help link on every Canvas page. Faculty Training Faculty training is offered in the form of an online class covering the basics of online instruction, including topics such as best practices, utilizing Canvas, Quality Matters, and accessibility. This course begins three weeks after the beginning of the quarter and is designed to be a completely online course taken with a cohort of fellow instructors and staff. If an instructor needs to take the course outside of the regularly scheduled offering, arrangements must be made between the OLC and the department manager. Training is available for individuals or departments by scheduling sessions with the OLC. Additionally, the OLC staff is available for individual and group assistance on faculty planning days. Instructional Design Services The University of Michigan School of Education, Educational Studies, describes instructional design as the systematic development of instructional specifications using learning and instructional theory to ensure the quality of instruction. It is the entire process of analysis of learning needs and goals and the development of a delivery system to meet those needs. It includes development of instructional materials and activities; and tryout and evaluation of all instruction and learner activities. 5
Instructional design services are available to all faculty planning to teach a course in a hybrid or online format. The OLC staff will work alongside you as you design, develop, and deliver the class. Potential assistance includes analysis of faculty and student needs, online course design, creation of content, and integration of technology. Quality Design Bates OLC is committed to assisting instructors meet the highest standards of instructional design and delivery. Quality Matters is the benchmark that Bates utilizes to evaluate and improve online course design. This rubric covers such areas as learning objectives, accessibility, alignment of objectives, materials, and assessments, and course introduction. To assist instructors, the Bates template utilized in Canvas classes allows them to meet over one third of the requirements simply by using the template and filling in the required information. Before courses are offered, they should be evaluated by OLC staff using a QM-based rubric covering essentials. After the course is offered, instructors may choose to pursue QM certification for the course, and OLC staff will be available to assist with this process. Bates Template In order to maximize the effectiveness of online course offerings, the Bates template is loaded into the course shell. This shell contains the following components: 1. Student Resources: Bates services offered to students, including the library, veterans services, and the Diversity Center. 2. Legal: important information about students rights and responsibilities. This section links to the Bates Student Handbook and its policies. Additionally, mandatory language is included covering ADA and accessibility, diversity, academic integrity (regular and online-specific), and non-discrimination. 3. Using Canvas: Lists technology requirements for using canvas and explains the four components of the Help button in Canvas: 4. Canvas videos: Bates-specific assistance videos, covering the most requested help topics including adding a personal email and cell phone number for notifications, general navigation, and submitting an assignment. 5. Meet your instructor: A form guiding instructors through the required information to post at the beginning of class, including teaching philosophy, credentials, and course overview. 6. Syllabus: A form covering all required information required for an online course s syllabus. This includes traditional information such as course description and grading policies as well as online-specific information such as preferred method of communication and expected response time. Additionally, the Bates template includes ModZero, an introductory module that students can complete on the first day of class (or earlier if possible). This module is designed to familiarize 6
students with the basics of online learning and make both the student and instructor aware of any potential problems at the introduction of class. Supported Technology The following technologies are supported by IT and the OLC. Although every effort will be made to keep items on the list available, realize that updates and changing technology can make items obsolete or unusable at an institution. We will notify you of any changes as soon as possible. Also, please let us know if there are technologies you wish to use and we will be happy to discuss their feasibility with you individually and also consider it for future use on the campus. Canvas Panopto Blackboard Collaborate Camtasia Jing VoiceThread Zaption Google Apps, including Gmail, Docs, Drive, and Hangouts Course Approval Process Before any online or hybrid class can be offered, the course approval process must be completed. 1. Submit Paperwork to OLC. The course approval form is available on the OLC website (bates.ctc.edu/olc) and requires the signature of the supervising dean. The form is then sent to OLC 2. Shell Created. After the form is received, OLC will create the course shell and notify you that the course is now ready for you to begin populating 3. Create Course. Work with OLC staff to create the course that best serves you and your students. 7
4. Course Review and Approval. When your course is completed, an OLC staff member will review the course to make sure it meets mandatory requirements as well as follows established best practices. The review rubric is available on the OLC website (bates.ctc.edu/olc/instructors) 5. Course Listing and Offering: The course is now ready to be offered and will be available for enrollments. As you proceed through the quarter, the OLC staff will be available to assist you with any problems that may arise, from access issues to redesigning content. 6. Course Quality Review: At the conclusion of the course, there is a Quality Review housed in Canvas that is offered to students. This provides you with invaluable information that you can use to refine and improve subsequent iterations of the course. Online Academic Integrity As noted above, online instructors at Bates are required to ensure the integrity of online offerings. In addition to technological measures, the following statement is included in Canvas for your students. Additionally, there are specific issues regarding online learning and academic integrity. As a Bates student, when you are given access to Canvas, you are expected to keep confidential your username and password and to never allow anyone else to log-in to your account. Sharing access or passwords to Canvas is considered a breach of academic integrity and could result in you being removed from your class. Academic violations include plagiarism, cheating, misrepresentation, and unauthorized access. When you log-in to Canvas, you do so with the understanding and agreement to produce your own work, to complete course activities yourself, and to take course exams, tests or quizzes without the assistance of others. Violations of the policy may result in sanctions including failing the assignment, failing the course, transcript notation, or referral for Academic Hearing. Please ask the instructor of this course if you have questions regarding course expectations. Accessibility and Copyright Instructors are responsible for ensuring their courses are accessible for students with a disability. This includes, but is not limited to, closed captioning or transcripts for all audio and video recordings, alt tags for all images, web pages designed for maximum readability and understanding, and summaries of graphs and charts. Please consult with an OLC staff member for assistance in this area. Additionally, instructors are responsible for ensuring all materials used in their class are in compliance with copyright standards. While basic information and guidelines are covered in the online instruction class, if an instructor has any questions regarding copyright, they are encouraged to discuss the issues with their campus librarian. 8
NOTE: There is wealth of free, openly-licensed materials available to instructors though Creative Commons and Open Educational Resources (OER) sites. Please contact OLC staff or your campus librarian if you want assistance in discovering or obtaining these materials. Responsibility for Materials Faculty are responsible for backing up ALL teaching materials, including documents, links, and videos. Bates OLC strongly recommends utilizing a backup storage service such as Dropbox or Google Drive to ensure uninterrupted access to materials. Master course shells are also available to aid this process. Additionally, Canvas allows you to easily export your quizzes, a complete course, or your gradebook. To export your quizzes, click on Settings, Export Course Content and then select quiz or course and Create Export. To export your gradebook as an Excel-compatible csv, click on the Export button in the top right corner of your gradebook page. Note: You are strongly encouraged to back up teaching materials only. If you download any Personally Identifiable Information (PII) of students, you are responsible for the security of that information. Best practices include, but are not limited to, password protecting or encrypting any files, shredding printouts, and in the case of a personal computer, ensuring your router is secure. PII includes any student information other than directory information (name, address, phone number, email, dates of attendance, degrees and awards, and enrollment status). Grades are considered PII and as such must be secured at all times. Student Privacy As a state educational organization, Bates is required to uphold a high standard of student privacy, including, but not limited to, FERPA and Washington and federal privacy acts. As an instructor, you should adhere to the following policies at a minimum: 1) Safeguard all Personally Identifiable Information as discussed above 2) Ensure students understand that any sharing of pictures and/or personal information is optional in any assignment 3) Never post class grades in any way where other students individual grades can be determined 4) Every effort is made to resolve individual issues, difficulties, or conflict through personal and private email rather than community postings. Ownership of Materials As per the current CBA, 9
The ownership of any materials, processes, or inventions developed by an employee s individual effort and expense shall vest in the employee and be copyrighted or patented, if at all, in his/her name. The ownership of materials, processes, or inventions produced for the College and at College expense shall vest in the College and be copyrighted or patented, if at all, in its name in accordance with WAC 292-110-010. In those instances where materials, processes, or inventions are produced by an employee with college support, by way of use of significant personnel, time, facilities or other College resources, the use of the materials, processes or inventions shall be designated by written agreement between the parties entered into prior to the production in the event there is no such written agreement entered into, the use shall be designated by the College. When negotiating an agreement concerning right-to-use, the Union will be notified and the employee has the right to union representation. Canvas Account Creation Faculty Account Creation Faculty and staff accounts are made upon receipt of request from Bates Human Resources. Faculty and staff use their Bates email address for their Canvas login. The initial password is set to your Employee ID number. Additional faculty and staff accounts can be created upon request by submitting a request to olc@bates.ctc.edu. The following information is required: full name, Bates email address, and employee ID number. Faculty and staff will be informed of their account information via the supplied Bates email address. Student Account Creation Students must be registered through Enrollment Services in order to receive a Canvas account. Student accounts are made two weeks previous to the start of classes and updated every day through the first week of the quarter. Students use their SID for their login and initial password. Upon initial login, students are recommended to change their password. Students will be informed of their account information via the supplied Bates email address or the email address they supplied during registration. Master Shells Definition A master shell is a staging area for an instructor s course. It functions almost identically to a regular course shell, with a few exceptions: 1. No students are enrolled in master course shells. 2. Master shells are separate from the quarterly course deletion schedule and remain with the instructor for the life of the instructor s account. 10
3. Master shell will be designated by _DEV in the course ID and include Master in the course title. Requesting a Master Course Shell Instructors can request one master shell for each unique course that the instructor teaches or develops. This means that if the instructor teaches MATH 101 each quarter, he or she can request one master shell for that class. To request a master shell, please submit a request to olc@bates.ctc.edu using the Master Course Shell Request in Outlook Forms. If the course is a hybrid or online-only class, please cc your dean, as approval is required before the creation of these courses. Once the course master shell has been created a confirming email message will be sent to the instructor and their supervising Dean. The form for requesting a master shell is attached as Appendix 1: Master Course Shell Request. Master Course Shell Deletion Master shells are only deleted upon request of the Dean of the Instruction. Course Shells Course Shells Creation Course shells are created by copying the master shell and populating it with the title and number from SMS. Course shells can be requested up to one year before the first day of class to accommodate course development. Beginning winter quarter 2015-16, course shells will be available one month prior to the beginning of the quarter. Faculty have immediate access to course shells once they are created. Course Shells Enrollment & Access Student Access & Enrollment Student rosters are pulled from ADP one week prior to the start of the quarter and updated every day until the third day of the quarter. This process will be updated when Canvas is integrated with SMS. It will be modified again when Bates joins ctclink. Students who enroll in courses after the roster synchronization will see a one-day delay when accessing their courses via Canvas. Canvas sends an email notification to the account email address after enrollment. Access to Canvas Sandbox Course A sandbox course is an empty Canvas course to be used for practice purposes. Faculty are assigned a personal sandbox course when their account is created. Additional sandbox courses can be requested at olc@bates.ctc.edu. The course will be identifiable by the term sandbox in the title. 11
Requesting Special Access to Canvas Courses Faculty can request access to a Canvas course shell not assigned to them by submitting a request to olc@bates.ctc.edu providing the following information: The name of the class The quarter the course ran or will run The item number if available The name of the primary instructor and supervising Dean The OLC will obtain permission from the primary instructor and supervising Dean before providing access to the requesting faculty. Closing Course Shells Faculty Access Faculty have unlimited access to their course shells after the end of the quarter until the courses are closed according to the state closure/deletion schedule. Student Access Students will have access to their course shells for one week past the end of instruction at which point the course status will change to concluded. Student Access for an Incomplete Students must obtain the instructor s permission to access a course shell after the course closure date. If a student requires access to a course shell after the quarter ends for the purpose of completing an incomplete grade, requests for access must be made by submitting a request to olc@bates.ctc.edu with the following information: The course including instructor s name, class name and preferably the item number The date the student will be done with their incomplete course by contract with enrollment services Student s name and SID # The OLC will obtain permission from the instructor before providing access to the student. If the incomplete will be finished before the beginning of next quarter, the current quarter shell can remain open until the day before the next quarter s classes begin. If the incomplete will be finished by the end of next quarter, the student can be added to that instructor s class for the next quarter, a master shell, or a shell specifically made for the fulfillment of the student s incomplete contract. 12
Course Shell Deletion Canvas courses can only be deleted by the Canvas System Administrator. The courses will be deleted in accordance with the state deletion schedule, which can be found at the following website address: http://www.waol.org/faculty_and_staff/resources/course-deletion-timeline Below is the current deletion schedule. Recovering Course Materials from Past Quarters Course materials are only recovered in extreme cases such as grade disputes, legal requirement or catastrophic data loss. Should recovery be deemed necessary by the Canvas System Administrator, a request will be submitted to Instructure (Canvas) technical support. Guidelines for Communicating about System-Wide Canvas Issues Public Announcements Notifications are utilized to efficiently communicate Canvas issues to all users. For faculty related issues, email messages will be sent via Outlook to the Canvas Instructor distribution list. College wide announcements will be sent via the Communications department. 13
WAOL Courses Course Offering Selection WAOL courses are chosen each quarter through the Office of Instruction. http://www.bates.ctc.edu/onlinegened is updated on a quarterly basis. In order to have a new class added to the WAOL schedule, the Office of Instruction will notify the OLC, and the Canvas System Admin will contact WAOL if the course is already available for pooled enrollment or the college that offers the class if the course is not currently available for pooled enrollment. Adding a WAOL course to the course catalog requires at least two quarters to complete. Canvas Accounts for WAOL Courses Bates students who enroll in a WAOL course will log into Canvas using their Bates-issued Canvas account. More information, including a Quick Start Guide for Students, is provided on the Bates website at: http://www.bates.ctc.edu/onlinegened Students will also receive their course information is a letter mailed one week prior to the start of the quarter. WAOL Grade Challenges WAOL grade challenges are handled through the OLC. Once a grade challenge is received, the OLC: 1. Contacts WAOL in order to determine the instructor and school offering the course. 2. Contacts the hiring school s elearning director or coordinator in addition to the instructor for the course. 3. Gives the instructor s email address to the student challenging his or her grades. 4. Follows up with the student, instructor and the other college s elearning department to make sure that this has been resolved and any grade changes have been sent to enrollment services. Bates Website Quarterly Updates The OLC updates the online, hybrid, and WAOL and course offerings on its webpage before the start of each quarter. Ongoing Updates All updates that are not related to course offerings are updated on an as-needed basis. 14
Appendix 1 Master Course Shell Request Master Course Shell Request Use this form to have a blank master shell created in Canvas. If this is a hybrid or online-only class, make sure to add your dean to the cc field. Please fill out completely with accurate information to avoid delaying your migration process. Please allow up to 5 business days for the completion of the request upon receiving this form. First Name Last Name Employee ID Bates Email @bates.ctc.edu Master Course Name: This course is Web-enhanced Hybrid Online-only 15
Appendix 2 Online Class Feedback Form DRAFT Feedback Form Online Class Question 1 About You How many credits did you take this semester (including this class) What is your expected grade in this class How many online classes have you taken before this class Question 2 Course Design Registering for the class was simple and hasslefree Logging into Canvas was easy and clearly explained to me If I ran into any difficulties with Canvas, technical assistance was readily available The course was designed in a way that was easy to navigate and find information The course pages were designed in a way that was easy to read and understand Any required software or external websites were functional and easy to use Question 3 Instructor Interaction The instructor responded promptly (typically within 24 hours) to email and phone messages Opportunities for individual interaction with the instructor were given The instructor was respectful in all interactions Individual feedback was given to me The Instructor made his/her presence known in the class Question 4 Course Content 16
The course content was appropriate for the class: informative, relevant, and high quality The course content was delivered in a variety of formats The course content created an appropriate workload Question 5 Course Objectives The course objectives were clearly explained at the beginning of the course The course objectives accurately described what I learned during the course The course activities aligned with the course objectives The assessments accurately measured my skills and knowledge Question 6 Interactivity The discussion boards were helpful and informative I was given an opportunity to share my questions, insights, and experiences with other students The tone of discussions was respectful Question 7 Summary My expectations for the class were met I would recommend this class to others Question 8 I would improve this course by... Question 9 The strength(s) of this course was... 17