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Faculty Peer Assistant (FPA) Program
A peer review and chair approval system was created in 1995 to promote online and hybrid course excellence and quality. This system pairs a course designer with a mentor who assists throughout course development and peer reviews the new course upon completion. Peer reviews are conducted on all new online and hybrid courses and on existing courses after revision. Department chairs are responsible for the final review and approval of each course.
Online course designers and instructors who have earned the LERN Certified Online Instructor (COI) designation are eligible to serve as Faculty Peer Assistants (FPAs), or mentors, for new course developers and for faculty revising existing courses. FPAs are assigned by the Distance Learning Faculty Services Office, and serve as mentors during:
- Online/hybrid course development and revision;
- course review;
- course approval;
- initial course delivery.
Course Assignments
- Course assignments are made by the Distance Learning Faculty Services Office upon receipt of the following documents:
- Course Proposal Form and Syllabus - New courses;
- Revision contract – Existing courses being revised.
- FPA assignments are made based on the number of courses already assigned, the schedule/availability of the FPA during the projected development period, and course discipline. Assignments are not usually made between FPAs and course designers within the same discipline.
Peer and Chair Reviews
When course development is complete:
- The course designer conducts a self-review using the Peer Review/Evaluation Form.
- The course designer adds the assigned FPA and department chair to the course by completing the; Add A User Request Form. The course designer must designate the name of the course shell and its status (development or active) on the request.
- The self-review is shared with the Faculty Peer Assistant. Peer reviews are conducted only after the FPA receives the completed self-evaluation, and all course development must be complete before the peer review is requested.
- The FPA conducts the peer review accessing the course through Pipeline or at http://elearn.mtsu.edu using his/her regular user name and password. The course will appear in his/her list of courses on the D2L My Home page after he/she has been added to it as a reviewer.
- Course content is not addressed in the peer review.
- All action taken and/or comments should be documented on the official Peer Review/Evaluation Form.
- All areas of the Peer Review/Evaluation Form must be rated.
- When the peer review is completed, the FPA shares it with the course designer who then has the opportunity to make any recommended course revisions and to have those areas of the course re-reviewed and re-rated prior to chair review.
Please Note: FPAs rarely recommend that a course not be offered. They are careful to recognize the difference between course design preferences and course design problems/issues. If that type of recommendation is made, however, the course designer can take steps to amend the areas in question or to discuss the reasons for the course design with the assigned FPA.
The recommendation that a course not be offered does not necessarily mean that the course will not be offered—the department chair is the only person who can make that decision. However, if an FPA makes this recommendation, it usually signals a significant issue with the course design.
- When the course designer and FPA are satisfied with the course, the signed (FPA’s signature is required on the completed form--electronic signatures are accepted) review form is forwarded to Distance Learning Faculty Services at MTSU Box 54 or to cladams@mtsu.edu.
Course Approval
- When the completed Peer Review/Evaluation Form is received from the FPA in Distance Learning Faculty Services, the Course Approval Form is attached, and both documents are sent to the respective department chair for final review and course approval.
- Upon receipt of the Chair Approval and Peer Review/Evaluation Forms, the chair or dean (if the course designer is the chair) reviews the course design and content. Any notes may be made on the Review Form. The chair’s signature approves the course for delivery. (A signature line is also provided for non approval.)
The signed Course Approval Form is returned to the Distance Learning Faculty Services Office at MTSU Box 54. To expedite the approval process, the chair may email course approval to cladams@mtsu.edu and place the approval form in campus mail.
Course Not Approved for Delivery
If the course is not approved by the chair, the Distance Learning Faculty Services Office contacts the course designer to discuss the recommended revisions as noted on the peer review form and/or Approval Form. If revisions are made, the areas in question are again reviewed by the department chair in order for the course to be approved for delivery.
Scheduling Course
- When course approval is received from the department chair (via campus or email), Distance Learning Faculty Services notifies the Scheduling Center that the course may be added to the semester schedule. The course is also added to the Approved Distance Learning Course List. This applies only to new courses.
- New distance courses may be added to the semester schedule no later than four weeks prior to the start of the semester if the review/approval process has been completed. Exceptions must be approved by the VPAA's office.
Payment of Course Development Fees
When the Chair Approval Form is on file in the Distance Learning Faculty Services Office, development fee pay instruments are generated by Distance Learning Faculty Services.
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