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Quick Links
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 do not create time conflicts as students register for other courses.)
All online courses are developed and taught using the university-supported learning environment system Desire2Learn (D2L) and are usually taught as part of the faculty member's course load.
Hybrid 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 (D2L) and are usually taught as part of the faculty member's course load.
Web-Assisted Courses
Faculty may choose to teach web-assisted courses which blend classroom and online instruction utilizing the web to reduce the time traditionally spent in the classroom (10 hours and up per semester required on campus). Web-assisted courses are not considered distance learning classes, and 'D' section numbers are not attached.? Courses taught this way should be listed as such with the Scheduling Center using the following:
Meeting Type: WAST;
Instructional Method Code: WAS.
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 instruction of online/hybrid courses.
- 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) Form.
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*
| No.Students |
Course Levels |
| 6 |
7000 |
| 8 |
6000 |
| 10 |
3000/4000/5000 |
| 15 |
1000/2000 |
*Based on the Faculty Workload I, G and Summer School Guidelines VI, 1.
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 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.
- Serve as lead designer of your course if other faculty are teaching it or sections of it, including:
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- Meeting face-to-face with the new instructor to review the course and provide instructional training.
- Obtaining the required textbooks for the new instructor, or requesting that his/her department do so.
- Serving as an instructional mentor throughout the semester.
- Completing the following activities each semester his/her course content is taught by another instructor:
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- updating and preparing the course for instruction;
- requesting access to current semester courses that will utilize the content by completing and submitting the appropriate form found at the D2L Faculty Support website - http://www.mtsu.edu/d2lsupport/faculty/index.shtml
Note: This service will be provided by the lead designer even if he/she is not teaching a section of that course that semester.
- Copying course content into the new semester courses.
- Working with new instructors to revise:
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- welcome page;
- faculty contact information; and
- calendar.
- Instructions for moving content between D2L shells:
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- Open the blank course that you want to copy the course content into.
- Click the Import/Export/Copy Components link on the right side of the home page
- Choose to copy from another org unit
- Scroll down and choose the development shell (or regular course) that contains the course content you want to move.
- The screen will refresh. ?Choose the Select All check box.
- Click the next buttons at the bottom of the screen until you work through the wizard.
- When the button displays 'done' go to the home page to review.
Teaching Responsibilities
- Access the course(s) in D2L via PipelineMT or directly at https://elearn.mtsu.edu/
- Log into class at least three times per week
- Respond to student e-mails and discussion postings within 48 hours
- Grade assignments, discussions, quizzes, etc., and post the grades within two weeks of the assignment's posted due date
- Create a high level of interaction between students and instructor.
- Submit final course grades by MTSU semester deadline - Online Grading Tutorial
- Incorporate effective teaching techniques to enhance the student learning experience. ???
- Student Attendance Reporting and Unofficial Withdrawals Tutorial - required for students enrolled in MTSU online and hybrid courses only.? Attendance of RODP students is not reported.
Faculty - Adjunct
Distance Learning Services
http://www.mtsu.edu/learn/testing/
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.
Student Evaluation of Faculty
The MTSU Student Evaluation of Faculty Instrument is used in the faculty evaluation of distance educators. Distance Learning Student Services facilitates the student evaluation process by mailing the distance learning evaluation forms to students enrolled in distance learning courses.
Distance Learning Student Services will evaluate ALL distance learning courses every spring and fall semester. During summer semesters ITD selects a small percentage of courses to be evaluated.
The process is described below.
- ITD will forward the evaluation forms to Distance Learning Student Services.
- As time permits, the Distance Learning Student Services Office emails each student to inform them that evaluation forms will be mailed 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. 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 returned to ITD on the first day of final exams. 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 compiled by ITD and distributed to chairs and their distance faculty at the conclusion of the process.
Instructional Resources
Faculty Instructional Technology Center
Located in the Telecommunications Building, the staff of the FITC 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
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.
Instructional Recommendations
Student Readiness for Online Learning
Instructors may assess student readiness to take online classes by asking them to complete:
Testing Tip - D2L
To prevent students from timing out of online exams, inform them that they should access D2L through https://elearn.mtsu.edu/ instead of through PipelineMT.
First Day of Class
(Based on Best Practices for Student Success and RODP Policies & Guidelines)
- Send an email and post a message on the Discussion Board to students welcoming them to class and encouraging them to actively communicate with their classmates.? Encourage them to email you regarding any learning problems or issues.
- Direct students to review the course syllabus and any 'Getting Started' information.? This will help students to understand the organization and requirements of the course.
- In an effort to establish a positive and respectful classroom environment, encourage your students to review your course expectations and remind them of appropriate behavior in an online environment.
First Week of Class
(Based on Best Practices for Student Success and RODP Policies & Guidelines)
- Be prepared for registration adjustments during the first week of class.
- Students on financial aid may be delayed in obtaining their textbooks due the processing of the materials. Therefore, please provide some alternative options for students without books to access the information for the first week (Internet, etc.).
- Make students aware of support services that may enhance their success online (free tutoring, virtual library, ADA services, etc.) Share with them that within their class are links to all of the services.
- Be sure to help students practice any tools they will need later on, such as a special quizzing browser, an online writing or math lab with a code required to get in, a certain type of file or program, a media player, an audio recorder, a video camera, etc. Get problems solved during the first week so that students can focus on learning content - not technology - later on.
- If your students will require a proctor, urge them to schedule this during the first week or two of class. ?Most testing centers are not heavily staffed, and trying to accommodate latecomers can become a nightmare for them.
- Especially during the first week of class, try to be online every day.? This will help students by:
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- reducing concerns;
- addressing questions;
- establishing bonding;
- assisting students in preparing for the class;
- assisting students in learning to navigate the course.
Studies have shown that instructors who are available online every day during the first week have a significantly higher retention rate, increased communication and bonding, and fewer classroom problems.
After the Second Week of Class
(Based on Best Practices for Student Success and RODP Policies & Guidelines)
- Identify students who have not participated in the course and contact Susan Jones, Academic Outreach and Distance Learning, at smjones@mtsu.edu.? Susan will try to contact the students to confirm that they are still enrolled and to offer assistance.
- When it is evident that a student is falling behind in his/her work, email them immediately to try to get back on track.? Make sure that your policies on accepting late work are clear.? If no late work is allowed, communicate this at the start of the semester.? Also, quickly contact students who miss an assignment in an effort to assist them before the next assignment is due.
Semester Instructional Tips
(Based on Best Practices for Student Success and RODP Policies & Guidelines)
- Log into class at least three times per week to initiate communication with your students in an effort to serve as "facilitators of learning" and "motivators".
- Respond to student e-mails and discussion postings within 48 hours, unless the students have been notified of any change beyond the required 48 hours.
- Grade assignments, discussions, quizzes, etc., and post the grades within two weeks of the assignment's posted due date.
- MTSU online courses are to be taught asynchronously, and professors cannot require synchronous student interaction or assignments where students must be online at the same time as other students or with the instructor.
Communication Tips
Dr. Jay Sanders, Professor, Educational Leadership Department, states "the tone of what you post is very critical. Trying to joke without using :-)'s is impossible. They (students) will take whatever you write literally. Getting to know the students and using positive comments work wonders in solving problems before they occur. Asking a student if they need help many times will spur the procrastinator to get caught up. Also, following up quickly after an assignment due has been missed helps create a positive environment instead of the 'usual guilt' they feel. Online you get to know the 'quiet' students better because they cannot hide in the back of the room like they can in a regular classroom. ?I would caution professors against trying too 'out-kool' the students by trying to use their online language....they will LOL to each other about you!"
Discussion Board Examples
The discussion board is a useful teaching tool and allows for student-to-student interaction.? If you intend to grade discussion, provide students with guidelines.
All students will post a response to each of the discussion questions. In addition each student will respond to the comments left by at least one of the other students. You may only respond once to any particular student and that student must respond to your comments. You may however respond to as many students as you like, and they may respond once to you.
General criteria used to assess class discussions include:
(1) Content Mastery: Students must evidence an understanding of the fact, concepts, and theories presented in the assigned readings and lectures. This ability is the basis for all higher-level skills and must be made evident by comments and/or response to questions.
(2) Communication Skills: Students must be able to inform others in an intelligent manner what he/she knows. Ideas must be communicated clearly and persuasively. Communication skills include listening to others and understanding what they have said, responding appropriately, asking questions in a clear manner, avoiding rambling discourses or class domination, using proper vocabulary pertinent to the discussion, building on the ideas of others, etc.
(3) Synthesis/Integration: Students must be able to illuminate the connections between the material under consideration and other bodies of knowledge. For example, one could take several ideas from the reading or class discussions and combine them to produce a new perspective on an issue, or one could take outside materials (from other classes, personal experiences, etc.) and combine them to create novel insights. Students who probe the interdisciplinary roots of the theories presented or who are able to view the author or the materials from several viewpoints demonstrate this skill.
(4) Creativity: Students must demonstrate that they have mastered the basic materials and have gone on to produce their own insights. A simple repetition of ideas from the articles will not suffice, nor will simply commenting on what others have said. Students must go beyond the obvious by bringing their own beliefs and imagination to bear. Creativity may be displayed by showing further implications of the material, by applying it to a new field, or by finding new ways of articulating the materials, which produce significant insights.
(5) Valuing: Students should be able to identify the value inherent in the material studied. Furthermore, students should be able to articulate their own positions by reference to basic underlying values. Students must not simply feel something is wrong or incorrect; she or he must be able to state why, based on some hierarchy of values. In either accepting or rejecting a position, the operative values must be explicit.
(6) General Enthusiasm and Interest in the Class: This can be shown by regularity of discussion and bringing in outside, ancillary materials that you read or have passed along to you. The more substance that you bring to the discussion, the higher your grade.
Instructional Resource Links
Copyright
Electronic Campus (SREB)
MTSU and RODP
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