4.30 - Online Learning

Policy Statement:

I.             Online Learning Policy

To extend academic offerings for students through electronic and virtual means, Piedmont University applies the following core principles:

1. The University will provide accessible teaching and learning resources and support to students, faculty, and staff, which ensures student confidentiality and secure information as required by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) Federal Requirements 10.6, 2018 SACSCOC Policy Statement on Distance and Correspondence Education, and Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA).

   The University will ensure faculty autonomy in creating and maintaining course content for online courses.

2. The office responsible for the implementation of online learning guidelines will be the Office of Online Facilitation (OOF). This office will be administered by the Director of Online Facilitator. This Office of Online Facilitation (OOF) will report to the Office of Vice President of Academic Affairs, unless otherwise instructed by the Office of Vice President of Academic Affairs.
   1. The Office of Online Facilitation will be overseen by a Director. The Director of the Office of Online Facilitation (OOF) will help administer the online Facilitators and the administration of all online courses in the Learning Management System (LMS).
   2. The Facilitators from the Office of Online Facilitation can be contacted by faculty or colleges to help and assist the faculty in designing an online course.

Section A: Defining Online Learning at Piedmont University

1. Definition of Online Learning
    Online learning is defined as a form of distance learning where the delivery of the course occurs when the instructor and students are not in the same location or place but are linked together through a network. All Piedmont courses, regardless of delivery format, use the official University learning management system (i.e., Canvas).

1. Definitions of Online and Hybrid Courses

1. Online synchronous (OLS): An online synchronous course holds no face-to- face sessions; however, a minimum of twenty-five percent (25%) of course sessions are conducted synchronously (at same time online). Online courses use the current, official university learning management system as the primary platform for content delivery and communication.

1. For synchronous class meetings, instructors use only communication tools approved for such use by the University.
2. The scheduled time and day of synchronous class meetings are available at the time of registration.
3. Synchronous class meetings meet at the scheduled time and for the scheduled duration.
4. For any class sessions or weeks not held synchronously, rules and policies for asynchronous courses apply.
5. Piedmont University adheres to federal guidelines for seat time in all courses regardless of format.
6. Students in online courses complete at least one graded activity per course module.
7. Instructors must post assignment scores to the learning management system within 7 days of an assignment deadline.
8. Instructors must respond to student inquiries within 48 hours (about 2 days).

1. Online asynchronous OLA: An online asynchronous course holds no required face-to-face or synchronous (at same time online) sessions.  

1. Any synchronous meetings held for an asynchronous course must be optional for students and cannot create a scenario that disadvantages students in the course or their academic program.
2. Piedmont University adheres to federal guidelines for seat time in all courses regardless of format. The Office of Online Facilitation (OOF) determines the interpretation of these guidelines and communicates this interpretation to department chairs, who will then communicate any concerns with faculty.
3. Online courses must satisfy the Regular and Substantive Interaction (RSI) requirement as set forth by the Department of Education.
4. Instructors must post assignment scores to the learning management system within 7 days of an assignment deadline.
5. Instructors must respond to student inquiries within 48 hours ( 2 working days). 

1. A Hybrid Course (HYB) holds a minimum twenty-five percent (25%) of meetings face-to-face (i.e.., at the same time and in the same physical location) with remaining course sessions held online, either synchronously or asynchronously. An initial, introductory face-to-face or online meeting may or may not be required. Hybrid courses must use a the current, official university learning management system as the primary platform for content delivery and communication. The use of videoconferencing technologies such as Zoom or Big Blue Button may not be substituted for the requirement to meet face-to-face in a hybrid course.
2. The schedule and format of all class sessions is made available on the course schedule for registration.
3. Depending on weekly session format, all rules for both synchronous and asynchronous courses apply to hybrid courses.
    

Section B: Faculty Responsibilities and Resources

1. Student Information and Privacy
   1. Protection of student information, course data, and student participation is required by all Piedmont University faculty and staff involved in the design, development, delivery, and administration of distance learning in any form. The utilization of learning management systems (LMS) used by the University, including third party sources, must ensure the protection of student data, student participation, course information, and evaluative grades and feedback. The institutional application of user-identification and password protected logons must be used in all online learning environments for Piedmont University courses. Faculty will be trained in methods and policies to ensure student privacy in compliance with FERPA and accrediting agencies.
   2. Faculty/instructors must first consider if the information is accessible to anyone other than the student who submits it and/or Piedmont University employees who need access to the information. If the information is accessible online, the following actions should be applied to ensure student information confidentiality:

1. Acquire "voluntary" and written student consent to use the information without being denied academic opportunity or adverse academic consequences if they do not acknowledge consent. Additionally, students should be made aware of the inability to ensure privacy when directed to sites outside of the institution’s LMS. It is recommended that students use a non-identifiable username and that they notify the professor of the name selected for that purpose. OR,
2. Ensure that student information (non-assessment), postings, discussions, etc. are accessible only to other students enrolled in the course; that they are posted by the student, not the faculty/instructor; and students are notified by syllabus or faculty/instructor that electronic posting is a course requirement. OR,
3. Where an outside party, such as a vendor, receives student information (e.g., for grading, or access to online supplemental materials provided by a textbook publisher), the third-party recipient must be bound by contract to preserve confidentiality.
   • Authorized Use of Student Work: Piedmont University recognizes the intellectual property rights of students. Faculty wishing to use student work beyond the context, and within the official dates, of a regularly scheduled course must secure permission from the student in writing. Electronic signature is permissible. The permission statement signed by the student must state why the work is requested, where and how the work will be displayed, when the work will be displayed, and the duration of the display. Additionally, the student may withdraw this consent at any time and for any reason. The faculty member must retain the original, signed document and make it available upon request. Finally, attribution information for the student’s work must be credited for each displayed instance unless the student has requested the work to be posted anonymously. An anonymous posting request by the student does not alleviate the instructor’s obligations under this section.
4. Student tutors may be enrolled in a course Canvas section (for online or face-to-face course) only with the permission of the course instructor or faculty. Otherwise, it is violating the student privacy policy, as stated in 4.30, Section B.

Adapted from the FERPA Privacy Checklist for Online Course Hosting by North Carolina State University as cited by Diaz, Golas, and Gautsch (2011, p.5).

1. Use of Images, Audio, or Video of Minors

   Images, audio, and/or video of minors may not be posted to a published course without the signed consent of the parent or guardian, including indication of the specific type and duration of the particular use. (This excludes appropriately licensed, third-party content.) Parents/Guardians must be made aware that consent may be withdrawn at any time and for any reason. The instructor must retain the original copy of signed consent and make it available upon request. Authorized use forms on file with K12 school districts are not sufficient to satisfy this requirement.

    

   Piedmont University will make reasonable accommodation(s) for students with disabilities which includes access to media, online information, and Internet-based resources for online and hybrid course students.

    

2. Faculty Professional Development

   Piedmont University shall provide appropriate training with professional development and support services to faculty who teach online, hybrid and blended learning courses. Training may take various forms, including face-to- face, live online (i.e., webinars), or performance support tools such as instructional and/or interactive video.

    

    

    

    

3. Certification Requirements

Any faculty member, or instructor, who desires to design or teach online, or hybrid courses is required to complete the yearly online Canvas LMS training required by the Office of Online Facilitation.

c.   Canvas Courses

1. Canvas receives updated course and enrollment data from the student information system in use by the Registrar’s office at Piedmont. Students experiencing problems logging on to Canvas, or accessing a specific course, should communicate with the course instructor. The instructor will assist the student in verifying course enrollment.
2. Students are only able to view Canvas courses once the instructor has published the course and made it available to students. Students should first check with the instructor when experiencing issues accessing any aspect of a course.
3. To mitigate unintentional infringements of copyright protections and student privacy, the following procedures have been established with respect to the visibility of courses on Canvas. These procedures apply to all courses equally.

1. Published courses are available to students no sooner than the day of the official course start date.

1. Courses on Canvas are closed to student view 30 days following the official course end date.

1. Course access may be extended on a case-by-case basis for students with approved status of Incomplete or In Progress.

1. Proprietary Ownership of Online Content

Individual learning objects developed by faculty and used in Piedmont University online, blended, or hybrid courses are governed by the Policy on Patents, Copyrights, Trade Secrets, and Intellectual Property in General Policies 3.19. Any content, including resources, activities, and/or online modules, created in association with the compensated design, development, or implementation of any Piedmont University course is the property of Piedmont University Faculty Best Practices

1. Piedmont University supports academic freedom and encourages faculty control and autonomy to provide academic quality and integrity of the University's courses, programs, and degrees. This responsibility extends to online, hybrid and blended courses and programs.
2. Pre-Course

1. All synchronous meetings for an online OLS course must be included with the syllabus and clearly posted on the schedule of courses. Likewise, all face-to-face meetings for hybrid courses must also be posted.

1. An introductory email from the online professor/instructor to all enrolled students prior to the first class meeting is Required.
2. Best practices for course creation beyond what is stated in this policy, it will be permitted. However, no college-wide or departmental standard policy for online course creation can violate the principle of faculty control of course content, as stated in policy A. of Faculty Best Practices. Course Delivery

1. Attendance will be monitored for online courses for the following: including financial aid benefits, government regulations, and faculty recommendations which may require information about a student's class attendance. In an online class, the "date of last attendance" is the last date that a student actively contributed to the course. Active, weekly participation is required as a minimum standard to register attendance in a course. Merely logging onto a course, in the absence of active participation, is not sufficient to register attendance.

1. Online professors/instructors are expected to clearly define the course objectives, assignments and assessments. Section C: Procedures to Verify and Protect the Identity of the Distance Learning Student

1. Piedmont University outlines the following procedures to effectively verify student identity in online courses and protect identity:
   1. Piedmont University issues each student a seven-digit student identification number at the time of initial registration. This student ID becomes the unique identifier for the student throughout his/her academic career at the University. The student ID is required to access all University resources.
   2. Additionally, a secure email address is assigned to each student upon enrollment. This email address is unique in that it consists of the student’s first letter of the first name, last name, plus a four-digit numeric component e.g., jsmith0123@lions.piedmont.edu). The student creates an eight-digit, alphanumeric password that uniquely identifies and provides access to university resources. Once established, these credentials act as a student’s credentials for all of Piedmont’s online resources. Students accept responsibility for the security of their passwords.
2. Procedures for Assuring Distance Learning Student Identity:
   1. Secure Email and Password: Each distance learning student gains access to the Canvas system by using their pre-established credentials mentioned above. Once registered, students are automatically assigned to the appropriate Canvas course sections for the current term.

Section D: Canvas Course Management

1. Piedmont University outlines the following procedures to effectively provide faculty with access to Canvas LMS resources:
1. Future term’s courses will appear on the Canvas dashboard of faculty approximately sixty days prior to the start of the term. Courses will be removed from the Canvas dashboard of faculty approximately thirty days after the term’s end date. Faculty members will always maintain access to courses that were taught by themselves, despite the course not appearing directly on the Canvas dashboard.

1. Faculty members who seek to use the Canvas course content of another faculty member must be granted permission, in writing, by their Department Chair, as well as the faculty member from whom they are copying content from.