On Meeting the Guidelines for Electronically Delivered Programs At Masters Degree Level

“Fairmont State University has already developed a substantial set of courses taughtonline to its service area using the WebCT Vista platform and has put in place a number of excellent s

Table of Contents

Institutional Context and Commitment………1

Curriculum and Instruction……… 2

Faculty Support……….14

Student Support………17

Institutional Context and Commitment

1a In their content, purposes, organization and enrollment history if applicable, the programs are consistent with the institution’s role and mission.

The broad objective of Fairmont State University (FSU) is the education of its students asintelligent and productive persons, capable of participating in and understanding theworld of the twenty-first century Specifically, the mission of FSU is to provide programsneeded by those in its geographic service area, to the extent permitted by its financial andhuman resources and its assigned role in the state’s system of public higher education Fairmont State University is closely identified with its community Partnerships withbusiness and industry, public schools, government agencies and other organizationscontribute to the economic, cultural and social development of the region Through thesecommunity relationships and educational programs, the University fosters enlightenedand productive citizenship in its immediate locale, the region and the world

This mission is accomplished by meeting a number of objectives, including:

• Bringing selected study opportunities into communities in the University’s serviceregion through the use of the mass media, regional education centers, externaldegree programs and other forms of nontraditional study

• Relating the breadth of the curriculum to the availability of appropriateemployment opportunities and the needs of business, industrial and public serviceagencies in the University’s service area

• Encouraging a broad segment of the populace, including various age groups andthe economically deprived, to avail themselves of educational opportunities

• Promoting graduate education by offering select graduate programs and byproviding on-campus access to graduate programs of other institutions

With the advent of electronically deliverable course material and its inherent ability tomeet many of the critical elements of the mission statement, i.e., accessibility,affordability, responsiveness, and a quality higher educational opportunity, it is a naturalprogression for FSU to move in the direction of making electronic course delivery areality for the citizens within its service region It is also logical that the initial electronicdegree offerings through the Graduate School be in the Masters of Education programsince this degree program fulfills a distinct and essential need in the public educationsector of our service region and we have a long, proud and successful history in trainingand educating public school teachers

The number of courses delivered entirely online by Fairmont State (Fairmont StateUniversity and Fairmont State Community & Technical College) has steadily increasedsince the 2002- 2003 academic year when a total of 45 courses were offered In 2004-

2005 a total of 144 online courses were taught In 2005-2006 we offered a total of 178online courses Two years ago we offered no graduate courses online while in 2005-

1b It is recognized that a healthy institution’s purposes change over time The institution

is aware of accreditation requirements and complies with them Each accrediting commission has established definitions of what activities constitute a substantive change that will trigger prior review and approval processes The appropriate accreditation commission should be notified and consulted whether an electronically offered program represents a major change

The offering of distributed programs can affect the institution’s educational goals, intended student population, curriculum, modes or venue of instruction, and can thus have an impact on both the institution and its accreditation status.

“Fairmont State University has already developed a substantial set of courses taughtonline to its service area using the WebCT Vista platform and has put in place a number

of excellent support structures for these courses, including creation of an officesupporting online faculty development for faculty developing courses, establishment offinancial support and release time for these faculty, and the creation of the Center forTeaching Excellence In addition a number of WebCT learning resources for studentshave been developed, and the experience base of the faculty is growing rapidly Onlinecourses being offered currently or planned for the near future will enable students toreceive a degree However, FSU will need to ensure and document that all elements ofthe program address criteria for best practices in electronically delivered programs.”(Assurance Section, Report of a Comprehensive Evaluation Visit to Fairmont StateCollege, ID# 1663, April 28-30, 2003 for The Higher Learning Commission, page 29.)

“The Center for Teaching Excellence and the Center for Learning Technology are twoexcellent examples of how FSU has responded to new and emerging challenges TheseCenters address the need for faculty development and for leading the university into newareas of endeavor such as the electronic delivery of degree programs.” “The informationtechnology infrastructure of Fairmont State has been significantly upgraded over the pastfour years, and a plan for continued upgrades is in place Investments in BANNERsoftware and implementation, Campus Pipeline and WebCT Vista all contribute tostrongly position the College for the future.” (Advancement Section, Report of aComprehensive Evaluation to Fairmont State College (University), ID#1663, April 28-30,

2003 for The Higher Learning Commission, page 41.)

Fairmont State Community and Technical College has already developed an accreditedon-line Associates degree program in General Studies made possible in large measure bythe excellence of the faculty development opportunities and continuing support of theCenters mentioned above

1c The institution’s budgets and policy statements reflect its commitment to the students for whom its electronically offered programs are designed.

The institution had a designated and sufficient budget for the fiscal year 2005 for thesupport and delivery of distance education This year, Fairmont State was one of threepublic higher education institutes (Marshall University and University of West Virginia

being the other two) that were selected to implement the new VISTA version of WebCT.VISTA is a much for flexible and powerful tool for both faculty and students.

The Center for Learning Technology is providing intensive training workshops for facultymembers to facilitate their transition to VISTA The Center also provides an expandedfaculty support system that includes faculty mentors that are available to assist anyfaculty member with questions regarding the fundamental use of VISTA as well as ways

to enhance the pedagogical use of this on-line delivery system

Refer to Appendix A for the Online Course Policy that was developed for online coursedelivery

1d The institution assures adequacy of technical and physical plant facilities including appropriate staffing and technical assistance to support its electronically offered programs.

The Instructional Technology office has a full-time staff of three The Director hasprimary responsibility for preparing and delivering instruction for faculty in thedevelopment of online course materials The director holds faculty rank within theSchool of Education

The other two positions within the office include a Learning Systems Administrator andone full-time clerical support position The Learning Systems Administrator has theresponsibility to see that the technical components of the online delivery service arefunctioning properly In addition, she is responsible for supporting batch processes toload courses from the student information system into the online course managementsystem The clerical position serves as the initial point of contact for faculty’s technicalquestions This individual either addresses questions directly using an establishedknowledge base, or she refers questions to the Director or Learning SystemsAdministrator

Online courses are also supported by the college’s help desk located in the computerservices office or alternatively in the Library during the hours when the computerservices help desk is not available These services are the initial point of contact forstudent questions concerning the technological functions of the online course system.Course content questions are the responsibility of the faculty member Technicalquestions that cannot be answered by these services are referred to the InstructionalTechnology office

All faculty members have computers at their desks with an internet connection A helpdesk exists at the Ruth Ann Musick Library to assist students with technical problemsthey encounter with their computer connections The library’s hours are M-TH 7:30 a.m

to midnight, Friday 7:30 a.m.-7:00 p.m., Saturday 9 a.m.-6 p.m., and Sunday 2 midnight Students also have direct access to their instructor via WebCT interfaces.There are over 700 computers available on campus in open laboratories giving students

p.m.-the service area with broad band connectivity to p.m.-the campus servers Currently p.m.-there is athree year cycle for up-grading computers owned/leased by the Fairmont State.

1e The internal organizational structure which enables the development, coordination, support, and oversight of electronically offered programs will vary from institution to institution Ordinarily, however, this will include the capability to:

• Facilitate the associated instructional and technical support relationships

• Provide (or draw upon) the required information technologies and related support services.

• Develop and implement a marketing plan that takes into account the target student population, the technologies available, and the factors required to meet institutional goals.

• Provide training and support to participating instructors and students.

• Assure compliance with copyright law.

• Contract for products and outsourced services.

• Assess and assign priorities to potential future projects.

• Assure that electronically offered programs and courses meet wide standards, both to provide consistent quality and to provide a coherent framework for students who may enroll in both electronically offered and traditional on-campus courses.

institution-• Maintain appropriate academic oversight.

• Maintain consistency with the institution’s academic planning and oversight functions, to assure congruence with the institution’s mission and allocation of required resources.

• Assure the integrity of student work and faculty instruction

Fairmont State determined that an electronically delivered M.Ed degree in OnlineLearning and a M.Ed degree in Professional Studies were important in meeting itsmission The service region for Fairmont State constitutes 13 contiguous counties innorth-central West Virginia, one of the most rural states east of the Mississippi river Thetopography is mountainous, making travel difficult to the main campus in Fairmont or toone of the two larger delivery sites within the service region; i.e., Clarksburg orMorgantown There is adequate computer connectivity and bandwidth throughout theregion to support delivery of courses via internet; therefore, the decision was made tooffer a significant number of courses within these graduate degree programs via the Web.Once this decision was made steps were undertaken to assure that there was aninfrastructure in place to support the delivery

Fairmont State chose to use WebCT as their Learning Management System (LMS)software because:

• there was a statewide license for WebCT

• it was currently being used by most higher education institutions

in West Virginia and

• it was being used by the Southern Regional Education Board(SREB) of which Fairmont State is a member

Support for the WebCT server hardware and software resides in the Computer Center.Organizationally, the Center falls under Academic Services Maintenance on the server isprovided by the Computer Center Staff In October 2003, a WebCT administrator washired to support the WebCT server and provide a level of technical support beyond what

is provided by other staff

In September 2001, the Learning Technologies Center (LTC) was established to assist thecampus community in their efforts to develop the online two-year associate degreeprogram The Center’s Director initiated the Online Course Development Grant program

to support faculty who were developing online courses The grants are available through

an application process and require the signature of the department chair A personseeking a grant must be a full-time faculty member or an adjunct faculty member whohas previously taught the course for the college A committee consisting of the Provost ofFSC&TC, the Vice President and Provost for FSC, the Vice President of AcademicServices, and the Director of Learning Technologies review applications and award thegrants Grantees must sign a waiver form indicating that they give up ownership of thecourse to Fairmont State The LTC staff is also responsible for all faculty training,support, and documentation

The first line of support for students is the reference desk at the Library All referencedesk staff members have completed a six-hour training course on the use of WebCT from

a student perspective Second tier support is currently being offered by the LTC staff.The newly hired WebCT administrator will also offer second tier support

1f In its articulation and transfer policies the institution judges courses and programs

on their learning outcomes, and the resources brought to bear for their achievement, not

on modes of delivery.

According to System Procedure No 31 of the Higher Education Policy Commission(HEPC), students who transfer from one state college or university to another maytransfer core coursework that will count toward fulfillment of institutional requirements

at the receiving institutions Copies of the agreement are available in the office of theRegistrar and online at http://www.hepc.wvnet.edu/academic/index.html

Additionally the Graduate School has a Graduate Transfer of Credit Requirement policyapproved and adopted by the Graduate Council Refer to Appendix B.(NEED B)Thispolicy includes a formal process by which any prospective graduate student can seektransfer credit of any graduate course they have completed The underlying intent of ourpolicy is to insure an appropriate level of quality while remaining flexible to the diversity

of graduate school experiences The mode of delivery has no significant role in thedetermination of transfer credit The essential element is that the course must have beenoffered by an accredited graduate school

1g The institution strives to assure a consistent and coherent technical framework for students and faculty When a change in technologies is necessary, it is introduced in a way that minimizes the impact on students and faculty.

Fairmont State informs faculty and students of new software in several ways First, theLearning Technologies Center (LTC) has a webpage where updated information is posted.Second, information is sent to all faculty members via email Third, the LTC offersextensive training and orientation sessions for faculty In addition, any new resources orchanges that directly affect WebCT are posted as announcements in WebCT Theseannouncements appear on every faculty and the student’s MyWebCT portal

This infrastructure and process was utilized during the spring and summer of 2005 as alead up to the institutional transition to the new VISTA version of WebCT Training andeducation of faculty, staff and students continued during the 2005-2006 academic year

1h The institution provides students with reasonable technical support for each educational technology hardware, software, and delivery system required in a program.

Currently the reference desk at the Library is the first point of contact for studentsneeding help with WebCT The Library’s hours are M-TH 7:30 a.m to midnight, Friday7:30 a.m.-7:00 p.m., Saturday 9 a.m.-6 p.m., and Sunday 2 p.m.-midnight Students maycall the Library, send email, or visit In addition, there is an email link on the standardWebCT template that students can use to send email to the LTC LTC staff monitors andcheck the email at least three times a day The LTC also maintains a webpage thatincludes a student FAQ, a series of online tutorials for students, and a student handbook

1i The selection of technologies is based on appropriateness for the students and the curriculum It is recognized that availability, cost, and other issues are often involved, but program documentation should include specific consideration of the match between technology and program.

Fairmont State chose to use WebCT as their Learning Management System (LMS)software because:

• there was a statewide license for WebCT,

• it was currently being used by most higher education institutions

in West Virginia, and

• it was being used by the Southern Regional Education Board(SREB) of which Fairmont state is a member

The state recently acquired a statewide license for the next generation of WebCT softwarecalled Vista Due to the stability of their current WebCT server, the campus-wide supportfor online learning, and their well-planned faculty development program, Fairmont Statewas selected to serve as one of three host sites for in the state The campus beta testedVista in the Spring 2004 semester and fully implemented it as its online delivery system

in the Fall 2005 semester

WebCT, Inc is the world's leading provider of e-Learning solutions for higher education.

It is used by over 3000 colleges and universities in the world It offers Fairmont Statefaculty the flexibility and features necessary to create and deliver their online courses Itallows for 100% asynchronous courses but offers the ability for synchronous learning ifdesired In addition, WebCT has developed a “PowerLinks” relationship with a number

of software and hardware vendors which provides increased seamless functionality

1j The institution seeks to understand the legal and regulatory requirements of the jurisdictions in which it operates, e.g., requirements for service to those with disabilities, copyright law, state and national requirements for institutions offering educational programs, international restrictions such as export of sensitive information or technologies.

The Director of the Instructional Technology office is the individual primarily responsiblefor keeping the college informed of legal compliance requirements as they relate toonline course systems This requirement is explicitly identified in the director jobresponsibilities The director maintains currency in these matters by attendingprofessional development conferences and seminars For the last three years the collegehas provided support for the director to attend an average of three national and/orregional conferences per year It is expected that this same level of support will continueinto the future

Refer to Fairmont Institutional Self-Study Report of 2003 for a complete discussion ofcompliance issues All students taking courses through electronic delivery modes aresubject to the same rights and responsibilities as stated in the Self-Study Report Severalwidely distributed publications address student rights and responsibilities: FSU andFSC&TC Catalogs, Student Handbook, and the Faculty Handbooks of FSU andFSC&TC (IN GRADUATE CAT?)

Curriculum and Instruction

2a As with all curriculum development and review, the institution assures that each program of study results in collegiate level learning outcomes appropriate to the rigor and breadth of the degree or certificate awarded by the institution, that the electronically offered degree or certificate program is coherent and complete, and that such programs leading to undergraduate degrees include general education requirements.

After extensive review of the few existing Masters of Distance Education and Masters ofOnline Learning programs that existed as of Sept 2003, The Masters of Education inOnline Learning was developed This degree includes the type of classes typically found

in this type of degree program as well as the core classes associated with all MastersDegrees at Fairmont State University Discipline specific courses include, Introduction toOnline Learning, Instructional Design for Online Courses, Online Course Management,Online Assessment Techniques, and Copyright and Fair Use As is standard with mostmaster level programs that either requires a thesis or a practicum, this degree programrequires a practicum Students must also complete a comprehensive exam prior tograduation

Instructional, the program was set up to model Chickering and Gamson's SevenPrinciples of Good Practice, i.e., encourages active learning In all of the OnlineLearning classes students are expected to complete online activities and develop projects,checklists, papers, etc

Technically, the classes in the program are designed so that they are Section 508compliant Course content is validated at the W3C web site to ensure accessibility Allcourses also meet the checklist guidelines developed by the Fairmont State UniversityLearning and Technology center This checklist includes items such as what should beincluded in the syllabus, the size of page files, etc

Finally, all courses in the program model best practices as described by the SloanFoundation and the Southern Regional Education Board

2b Academically qualified persons participate fully in the decisions concerning program curricula and program oversight It is recognized that traditional faculty roles may be unbundled and/or supplemented as electronically offered programs are developed and presented, but the substance of the program, including its presentation, management, and assessment are the responsibility of people with appropriate academic qualifications.

Academic responsibility for online graduate program curricula and for recommendingestablishment of new online graduate programs rests with the Graduate Faculty ofFairmont State University The Graduate Faculty’s members all have an appropriateterminal degree in the field in which they will perform The Graduate Faculty delegatescertain of these powers to the Graduate Studies Council

The Graduate Studies Council reviews, coordinates and serves as an advocate forgraduate education at Fairmont State University The Council initiates and reviewsproposals for new graduate programs and policies, evaluates substantive revisions ingraduate curricula, coordinates periodic program reviews, establishes the Universitycriteria for Graduate Faculty membership, and considers such other matters affectinggraduate education as are brought to the Council by the Dean of Graduate Studies, theVice President for Research and Graduate Studies, a Graduate Faculty member, or agraduate student.

Evaluation of individual new graduate courses, course deletions, prerequisites, andgraduate course credit hour determination are under the jurisdiction of the GraduateStudies Council which makes its recommendations to the Vice President of Research andGraduate Studies and the Dean of Graduate Studies, working in consultation with theProvost and Vice President for Academic Affairs

2c In designing an electronically offered degree or certificate program, the institution provides a coherent plan for the student to access all courses necessary to complete the program, or clearly notifies students of requirements not included in the electronic offering Hybrid programs or courses, mixing electronic and on-campus elements, are designed to assure that all students have access to appropriate services.

Course information for the online M Ed Degree programs in Online Learning andProfessional Studies are available on the Graduate Studies homepage, which is part of theFairmont State website Detailed information will also be in the Graduate School(published online only) bulletin and students will have the opportunity to select thesecourses for the degree All students selecting these courses will be kept informed of therequirements and offerings through College publications and electronic messages Allcourses offered electronically are listed in the printed semester schedule that is alsoavailable online

Courses delivered electronically are different from those offered in a more traditionalformat As such, the student who is interested in pursing an electronic delivery of eithercourses or an entire program needs to know what they are embarking upon All interestedstudents are referred to the Fairmont State homepage, www.fairmontstate.edu where they

can click on “Distance Learning” and then on “Online Courses” where they will find a

link to a site that helps them learn about the characteristics of successful online learners.There is also a resource site for online learners By following the step by step directionsstudents can determine if this is the modality they would prefer and whether this deliverymechanism would be most helpful in meeting their needs

2d Although important elements of a program may be supplied by consortial partners or outsourced to other organizations, including contractors who may not be accredited, the responsibility for performance remains with the institution awarding the degree or certificate It is the institution in which the student is enrolled, not its suppliers or partners, that has a contract with the student Therefore, the criteria for selecting

consortial partners and contractors, and the means to monitor and evaluate their work are important aspects of the program plan.

It is common practice for Fairmont State to purchase the services of qualified facultyalready employed by the institution as well as faculty members from other highereducation institutions in West Virginia These adjunct faculty employed by FairmontState are evaluated in the same manner as the full-time faculty Each semester facultymembers are required to administer the IDEA student evaluation instrument.(www.idea.ksu.edu) Results are given to the faculty member as well as the appropriateDepartment Chair and Deans who are responsible for monitoring and assessing facultyclassroom performance

2e The importance of appropriate interaction (synchronous or asynchronous) between

instructor and students and among students is reflected in the design of the program and its courses, and in the technical facilities and services provided.

Online courses at Fairmont State are developed using Chickering and Gamson’sprinciples of good practice for undergraduate education Faculty teaching online coursesmust participate in an online class in which they identify how they will use WebCTVISTA’s discussion, email, and chat tools for student interaction while meeting theircourse objectives The Director of Learning Technologies reviews all courses to makesure that an appropriate amount of interaction between the student and faculty memberoccurs, that faculty includes contact information in their course syllabus, and that rubricsare developed to assure quality interaction

FS has developed a standard template for online syllabi Syllabi must contain instructorinformation, including a brief bio, a picture, their electronic or regular office hours, andcontact information More information on the syllabus template can be found at:

• I received the appropriate amount of feedback from the instructor on my firstthree assignments and/or postings (1) Strongly Agree, (2) Agree, (3) Disagree (4)Strongly Disagree

• There was an appropriate amount of participation between me and my classmates

in this course (1) Strongly Agree, (2) Agree, (3) Disagree (4) Strongly Disagree.Beginning in the 2005 Fall Semester, seven questions are being added to the FSUgraduate course evaluations based on the seven principles of good practice

1 This online course supports the principle that good practice communicates highexpectations by including a list of assignments and their point values in the coursesyllabus, by providing examples of model assignments, etc.

(1) Definitely False, (2) More False than True, (3) In Between, (4) More True thanFalse, (5) Definitely True

2 This online course supports the principle that good practice encouragescooperation among students by including opportunities for students to work ingroups, by encouraging students to assist each other with problems, byencouraging student interaction, etc

(1) Definitely False, (2) More False than True, (3) In Between, (4) More True thanFalse, (5) Definitely True

3 This online course supports the principle that good practice encourages time ontask by including due dates for assignments and tests, by outlining the stepsnecessary to complete assignments, etc

(1)Definitely False, (2) More False than True, (3) In Between, (4) More True thanFalse, (5) Definitely True

4 This online course supports the principle that good practice encourages student/faculty contact by listing online and offline contact information for the instructor,

by the faculty member responding to student’s questions and concerns, etc

(1) Definitely False, (2) More False than True, (3) In Between, (4) More True thanFalse, (5) Definitely True

5 This online course supports the principle that good practice encourages activelearning by including assignments and materials that require active participation

by the student, etc

(1) Definitely False, (2) More False than True, (3) In Between, (4) More True thanFalse, (5) Definitely True

6 This online course supports the principle that good practices gives promptfeedback by the instructor grading assignments in a timely fashion, by theinstructor responding to student’s emails and other correspondence in a timelymanner, etc

(1) Definitely False, (2) More False than True, (3) In Between, (4) More True thanFalse, (5) Definitely True

7 This online course supports the principle that good practice respects diversetalents and ways of learning by providing a variety of teaching and assessmentmethods

(1) Definitely False, (2) More False than True, (3) In Between, (4) More Truethan False, (5) Definitely True