Behrend schools and academic programs play an essential role in the development of fully online and hybrid courses in their areas. Rather than promote the development of isolated web-based curriculum, academic units will require a programmatic and strategic approach to eLearning.
Approval for a new online/hybrid course
Schools will communicate to instructors its processes for identifying and approving courses to be delivered in a hybrid or online format. At a minimum, the proposing faculty member will formally consult with their program chair and school director. Having expressed an interest in online or hybrid course development, the proposer will complete the Proposal for Online/Hybrid Course Development Form. If approved by the program chair and school director, the Director of eLearning Initiatives will identify the appropriate offering platform for the course and refer the proposer to a designer who will collaborate with the instructor to ensure that the course meets its educational goals and satisfies Penn State quality standards.
Approval for major revisions to an online/hybrid course
Instructors are expected to ensure the relevancy of the content in their courses and make necessary updates from year-to-year as they would for their face-to-face courses (e.g., new textbook, modifications to activities).
Courses are eligible for a major revision (25% or greater change to course content) with development assistance from CEI and possible author compensation (or course release time) after all of the following have been met:
- The course has been offered at least 4 times
- At least 4 years have passed since the course was initially developed for an online or hybrid offering
- A course revision proposal has been approved by the program lead and school director.
If a course meets the first two requirements, a proposer will complete the Proposal for Online/Hybrid Course Revision Form. If approved and signed by the program chair and school director, CEI will refer the proposer to an Instructional Designer who will collaborate with the instructor to ensure that the course meets its educational goals and satisfies Penn State quality standards. If the overall topics and description for a course are changed as part of the revision process, a proposal must be submitted for approval based on university curricular procedures (see: senate.psu.edu/curriculum/guide-to-curricular-procedures).
