TEACHING: MTSU/HYBRID COURSES

• Course Definitions
• Faculty Fulltime
• Faculty Adjunct
• Resources

Course Definitions
Online Courses
Online courses are taught primarily over the internet, and can include video components on DVD or streaming. Frequent interaction with the student is necessary, and response to student questions should be provided within 48 hours.  

All class instruction takes place in an online environment no on-campus or face-to-face meetings may be required. The course may include optional orientations and proctored exams which would be listed in RaiderNet as memo notes.  (Students must click on the CRN to view the notes. Optional meetings will not create time conflicts as students register for other courses.)

All online courses are developed using the university-supported learning environment system (Desire2Learn or D2L), and are usually taught as part of the faculty member's course load.

Hybrid Courses
As with online courses, a significant portion (at least 80%) of instruction and activity takes place online and can include video components on DVD or streaming. Frequent interaction with the student is necessary, and response to student questions should be provided within 48 hours.

Hybrid courses may include up to nine (9) hours of required or mandatory campus meetings (orientations, mid-term, final exams) per semester. Please note that meetings designated as mandatory create time conflicts as students register for other courses.

All hybrid courses are developed using the university-supported learning environment system (Desire2Learn or D2L), and are usually taught as part of the faculty member's course load.

Faculty - Full-Time
MTSU online and hybrid courses are taught within a professor’s course load.

Course and Teaching Preparation

• Copy course content from previous semester into D2L shell provided for the upcoming semester (for faculty who wish to begin transferring content from the previous semester prior to receiving the new D2L shell, a request for a new D2L shell may be made;
• Log into the course before the semester begins to edit the course materials, i.e. calendar, professor contact information, welcome message (faculty may contact the Faculty Instructional Technology Center for assistance);
• Consider MTSU academic calendar when determining assignment deadlines and course activities:  beginning/end of semester; holidays; final grade submissions, etc.;
• Notify the Distance Learning Faculty Services Office if the course delivery date of a new online or hybrid course must be postponed;
• Successfully complete Online Sexual Harassment Training, provided for and required of all MTSU personnel, before (or shortly after) the beginning of the semester.

Teaching Responsibilities

• Instruct the course in the university-supported learning environment system Desire2Learn (D2L);
• Provide a high level of interaction among students and between instructor and students;
• Respond to student questions within 48 hours;
• Grade student projects, assignments, and tests in a timely manner;

Scheduling
       Courses
Faculty should work with their departments to schedule delivery of their distance courses.  Faculty should also include the dates/times/locations of all optional (online) and required (hybrid) on-campus meetings in the semester schedule and in the course syllabus.  The Scheduling Center should be notified each semester of all distance courses being offered.  Meeting type and instructional method codes are as follows:

Online Courses
Meeting Type:  ONLN
Instructional Method Code:  WEB

Hybrid Courses
Meeting Type:  HYBR
Instructional Method Code:  HYB

      On-campus Meetings
As noted in the definitions above, online courses are instructed entirely online, and required on-campus meetings are not permitted.  However, optional meetings may be offered, such as orientations and proctored exams;

(Please note that optional meetings are listed in RaiderNet as memo notes, and students must click on the CRN to view them.  Optional meetings will not create time conflicts as students register for additional courses.

Hybrid courses may require up to 9 hours per semester of mandatory, on-campus or face-to-face meetings;

(Please note that mandatory meetings will create time conflicts as students register for other courses.)

• All on-campus meeting space must be reserved in advance of the beginning of each semester according to the announced Scheduling Center deadlines.
• To reserve academic space for required hybrid, or optional online course meetings, the Distance Learning Meeting Request Form must be completed and submitted for each meeting.  The MTSU Scheduling Center receives this information, reserves the academic space and posts it to the appropriate sites.
• If reservations are required in the College of Business Computer Labs, they may be made at College of Business Computer Labs.
• For reservations in the Computer Lab, or in other non-academic space, it is also necessary to complete the Distance Learning Meeting Request Form to insure that students have access to the information on RaiderNet.
• Because on-campus meetings cannot be added to the semester schedule after registration for that semester begins, departments are encouraged to schedule online optional or hybrid required, on-campus meetings as the semester schedule is built;
• Departments are responsible for scheduling on-campus meetings for all distance courses by the Scheduling Center deadline which includes courses which have not yet been staffed.

Permission of Department (POD) Form

• Faculty are responsible for advising their academic departments of all of their distance courses which require a POD for course registration and the name of the individual to whom the online request should be directed upon submission.
• Students may request permission to register for a distance class by completing and submitting the Permission of Department (POD) Request Form.
• Directions for completion and submission of the POD Request Form are provided on Raidernet (by clicking on the CRN).

Class Size

• The academic department determines class seat limits for its online/hybrid courses.
• It is recommended that consideration be given to a lower class size for first-time online/hybrid instructors.
• After the first online/hybrid teaching experience, and depending upon the course, departments may wish to increase class enrollment.
• After the seat limit is set and the course is full, it is the department’s decision to allow students to add by issuing a POD (Permission of Department).

In order to assist departments with class size, the MTSU Distance Learning Committee has recommended a maximum enrollment for online and hybrid courses.

Recommended Maximum Enrollment

Undergraduate - 25
Graduate - 15

MTSU Minimum Enrollments, based on the Faculty Workload I, G and Summer School Guidelines VI, 1, are as follows:

MTSU Minimum Enrollments

Distance Learning Services

         Student Evaluation of Faculty
An evaluation form designed specifically for distance students is used in the faculty evaluation process. Upon request, Distance Learning Student Services assists departments with the student evaluation process by mailing the distance learning evaluation forms to students. Assistance may be requested at distance@mtsu.edu, and the process is described below.

• Distance Learning Student Services emails all academic departments which offer distance courses to inform them that assistance with the evaluation of their distance courses is available.

• Departments that use this service request from ITD, based on the course enrollments, the evaluation forms specifically designed for distance course evaluation.

• The department then forwards the evaluation forms to Distance Learning Student Services at MTSU Box X109.

• As time permits, the Distance Learning Student Services Office emails each student to inform them that they should receive a course evaluation form soon.

• Students are asked to verify their addresses and are given approximately a week to respond

• The forms are mailed, with a return envelope, to all distance students in the designated courses. And Students are given about three (3) weeks to return their completed evaluation forms.

• Follow-up emails are sent to all students encouraging them to complete and return their evaluation forms.

• As the completed evaluations are received, the envelopes are opened, and the evaluation forms are held until Study Day. (The envelopes are opened because students often mail other items to our office along with the evaluation such as a question for their instructor, a graduate application, an assignment, etc.)

• The evaluation forms are hand-delivered to the academic department the first day of final exams.  Whoever accepts the package is asked to sign for it since each department is responsible for sending the evaluations to ITD. If any evaluation forms are received after that date, they are forwarded to Curt Curry in ITD. Mr. Curry makes the determination as to if the late forms can be processed.

• Evaluation analyses are sent directly to the departments from ITD.

• Rate of return data is emailed from Student Services to chairs and their distance faculty at the conclusion of the process.

        Distance Learning Test Center
The Distance Learning Test Center, located in 126 Kirksey Old Main (KOM), provides testing services for students whose schedules conflict with posted exam dates/times. Faculty who wish to provide this service for their students must provide a copy of their exams to the Test Center, and students may schedule their exam dates/times based on the instructor's exam time frames. Sheila Copeland at skcopela@mtsu.edu or 615/898-2743 may be contacted for additional information.

Please note: The Test Center cannot accommodate entire classes. This service is only for students who cannot make a previously-scheduled exam date due to extenuating circumstances.

All exams scheduled through the Distance Learning Test Center must be completed prior to the scheduled on-campus class exam.

Test Center services are provided for MTSU faculty who develop distance education courses through the MTSU Distance Learning Faculty Services Office.

       Test Proctoring  
Students who live at least 50 miles away or cannot make driving arrangements may have their exams proctored at an approved, off-campus location such as a public library, high school, college, etc. The Distance Learning Testing Center requires at least two weeks notice for this service. Students may request that their exams be sent to an approved off-campus proctor by contacting the Test Center or by calling 615-898-2743. The proctor must have at least a bachelor's degree and not be related to the student. The exam must be taken in a public setting (i.e. library). Students are not permitted to take exams in proctors' homes or other private settings.

Faculty - Adjunt
Hiring

• Academic departments are responsible for hiring adjunct faculty to teach distance courses at MTSU.
• Hiring information is available at the Office of the Executive Vice President and Provost website.
• Adjuncts hired by academic departments must have prior online teaching experience.
• Adjunct faculty must train on the university-supported learning environment system, Desire2Learn (D2L), or have documented prior experience using the learning environment system supported by this university.
• Additional information is also available at the Distance Learning Adjunct Faculty Resources website.

Course and Teaching Preparation

• Adjuncts not familiar with the university-supported learning environment system, Desire2Learn (D2L), or have documented prior experience using D2L, must schedule training with the Faculty Instructional Technology Center (8189) prior to the beginning of the semester;
• Log into the course before the semester begins to edit the course materials, i.e. calendar, professor contact information, welcome message (faculty may contact the Faculty Instructional Technology Center for assistance);
• Consider MTSU academic calendar when determining assignment deadlines and course activities:  semester beginning/end dates; holidays; final grade submissions, etc.;
• >Successfully complete Online Sexual Harassment Training, provided for and required of all MTSU personnel, before (or shortly after) the beginning of the semester.

Teaching Responsibilities

• Instruct the course in the university-supported learning environment system Desire2Learn (D2L);
• Provide a high level of interaction among students and between instructor and students;
• Respond to student questions within 48 hours;
• Grade student projects, assignments, and tests in a timely manner;

Scheduling
The department is responsible for scheduling dates/times/facilities for on-campus course meetings--optional for online/mandatory or required for hybrid.

Distance Learning Services

            Please see information above.

RESOURCES

Faculty Instructional Technology Center
The Faculty Instructional Technology Center, located in the Telecommunications Building, assists Middle Tennessee State University faculty with the creation of online and hybrid courses and with technology-based instructional materials for their traditional courses.

Learning, Teaching and Innovative Technologies Center
The Learning, Teaching and Innovative Technologies Center (LT&ITC) is a partnership between Academic Affairs and the Information Technology Division to further faculty development in learning and teaching excellence.  The objective of the LT&ITC is to create a community of faculty who develop, improve and integrate creative and effective use of appropriate pedagogy and technologies to enhance student learning. 

Library, James E. Walker – Distance Librarian  
          Instructor Resources
          Embedded Librarian

MTSU Contacts

RODP Virtual Library

Sloan Consortium

Southern Regional Education Board (SREB) Standards for Quality Online Teaching

Southern Regional Education Board (SREB) Electronic Campus

Student Handbook
MTSU's definition of plagiarism may be found in the Student Handbook.

Turnitin Educational Suite
Turnitin is an online educational suite which assists distance educators with plagiarism detection and prevention.  Some students may not know what plagiarism is or that they are violating copyright laws, especially if the information they are using is obtained from the internet.  The Distance Learning Faculty Services Office provides Turnitin accounts for all MTSU distance educators.  Please contact the Distance Learning Faculty Services Office at cladams@mtsu.edu or 615/904-8276 to request an account.