Distance Learning, Course Standards - Communication
Volunteer State Community College | Division of Academic Affairs
Instruction Evaluation Questions: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 9
Select this link to read the Instruction Evaluation Questions
Must:
Faculty must be prepared to meet the special requirements of teaching at a distance: Faculty must become proficient in the resource (My VolState Online, FrontPage, Excel, etc.) and communications technology employed in their course.
List methods of communication on the syllabus that s/he will actually use. (Don’t list an email address on the syllabus if you will never check or respond to email.)
Provide students access (by phone, appointment, e-mail, fax, etc.) on a regularly scheduled basis. (Faculty must be very familiar with e-mail. This will be the most common means of communication with students.)
Timelines for assignments and faculty response times to electronic communication are included in the course syllabus. (Publish response turnaround expectations in the syllabus and on the WEB in more than one place.)
Include office hours and phone #’s in the syllabus or online at a course website. [Review an Office and Class Hours Template]
Publish office hours on the WEB and consistently keep that time open for students. (Provide alternative departmental contact for students who are unable to reach you.)
E-Mails and Student Questions posed to the faculty need to be responded to in a timely manner. (24-36 hour response time is recommended, except weekends)
Faculty teaching video- or CD-ROM-based or online courses must provide students with timely feedback on assignments and grades as well as responses to questions and requests for assistance. (The faculty member is responsible for finding out students' telephone numbers and e-mail addresses at the beginning of the course. This will help to eliminate some common problems.)
All instructors must provide weekly contact with their students.
Return assignments within 1 week of receipt. (Return assignments in time for the student to use the feedback to improve the next assignment.
If the item being graded is a paper, it should be returned within a week from the due date.)
Give students, at least monthly, progress reports and directions for improvement (Distance Education students need feedback more than traditional students.)
Post grades under an alias or use the My VolState Online grades feature to decrease the time from submission to feedback, or e-mail the grade to the student with an explanation of what they missed, and what they need to do to correct the error. (Students should be told when work is going to be graded.)
Provide opportunities during the term for students to provide feedback on their experience
Make sure students have the opportunity, and are encouraged, to complete an end-of-course evaluation.
Should:
We encourage all instructors to post a “welcome message” on the discussion board.
