Faculty Staff

WAOL Standards for Course Development

Purpose

The purpose of the Standards for Course Development for the WashingtonOnline Virtual Campus (WAOL) is to provide a set of guiding principles for providers of online learning. The Standards focus on learning outcomes, elements that comprise a WAOL distance education course and guidelines for quality online instruction.

Goal

The goal of WAOL is to enable all Washington's community and technical colleges to provide expanded access to learning opportunities for the citizens of Washington State and beyond by cooperatively providing instruction, resources, and technical support to enhance learning and improve student outcomes. The shared use of a common technical infrastructure and course delivery will enable students to complete all or part of the requirements for a degree or certificate program, or to achieve specific learning objectives in a learner-centered environment supported by distance learning technologies.

To ensure that all WAOL learning activities meet the stated goal, the elements of a WAOL distance education course and instructional quality guidelines are provided below.

Elements of a WAOL Distance Education Course

The majority of the course requirements and instructor-student communications are completed using the Internet. Other forms of communication such as interactive materials, video, and text are distributed to the learner. Activities normally described as on-campus are limited or not required. Traditional on-campus activities are accomplished by interactive television (K-20), Internet audio, lab packs, audio-teleconference, and resource centers.

Course considerations include orientation, interactivity, and presentation strategies and accessibility.

Orientation

(A required component of all distance education classes.) Orientation information must contain the following items as a minimum:

Assessment methods
Minimum requirements such as attendance at on-campus sessions, written assignments, examinations, grading criteria, etc.
Technical requirements such as Internet access, video cassette player, computer capabilities, etc.
Required texts/readings.
Detailed information concerning assignments and due dates.
Dates of required examinations.
Detailed information on how to contact the instructor (e-mail, fax, telephone).

Interactivity

Students must be involved in a variety of activities that involve the student in interactive exchanges between other students and between the student and the teacher. Interactive involvement should constitute a significant portion of the course structure. Student interactivity in a five-credit WAOL course should be equivalent to at least ten hours of face-to-face classroom discussion.

Interactivity in a WAOL course can be accomplished in one or more of the following ways:

Chat Room. A Chat Room can be asynchronous (students join and leave a continuous discussion) or synchronous (students are required to join and participate together at a fixed time).
Threaded Discussion. A discussion is started around a topic and the participants respond to the topic and to comments made by the others.
Listserve. Questions or notices are posted by any participant and are automatically sent to all participants' mailboxes.
E-mail. A critical component for private communications between students and faculty and for delivery of written assignments, critiques and testing.
Other. Online discussion, recorded lecture, and/or distributed orientation sessions.

Presentation Strategies (Distance learning courses need to be multi-modal by design.) WAOL courses should contain more than one of the following instructional methods:

Alternative Experiences. Activities such as lab packs, site visitations or on-campus labs are all activities that address direct and indirect learning.
Videotaped Elements. Video elements may be produced to support a course or copyrights secured to allow the use of commercial materials. Videotaped materials can be distributed to individual students as part of the course package or viewed at the college-based distance learning access centers. WAOL courses can be created based upon an existing telecourse. Some video elements may be delivered online, however, that capability is limited. Video elements need to be captioned. Copyright restrictions must be observed and followed.
Interactive Elements. Activities that involve computer-assisted instructional elements or multi-media presentations can be included; however, both delivery and development must be considered. Simple graphic images may be delivered via the Internet, but because of the time necessary for downloading, courses with intensive use of complex graphic images may need to furnish supplemental graphic materials by computer disc or CD/ROM.
Audio Materials. The use of audio can be supported in several ways: As part of an Internet-delivered medium or as supplemental tapes mailed to the student. Internet audio will support oral discourse, language supplements, and other similar needs. Copyright restrictions must be observed and followed.
External Links. External links must be meaningful in description.
Textbooks and Study Guides. Texts with a unifying study guide, either electronic or printed, can be a core part of any distance education course. Electronic publishing or text information is an alternative to hard copy distribution. Copyright restrictions must be observed and followed.

Accessibility:

The enrolling college will be responsible for acting in a timely manner to make curriculum, materials, or other resources used in a distance education course available to students with disabilities, unless doing so would significantly alter the nature of the instructional activity or result in undue financial and/or administrative burdens on the college.

Print Material. Provide alternatives to print material including Braille, large print, audiotape, digital sound files and e-text.
Audio Material. Provide a text telephone (TTY) link in the studio or classroom, provide TRS service, provide a dedicated electronic chat room and real-time transcription of conversations, or provide an interpreter at the student's location.
Video Conference/Live Transmission. Provide real-time closed or open captioning, an on-screen interpreter, or an interpreter at the student's location. Provide a TTY link in the studio or classroom, provide TRS service, or provide a dedicated electronic chat room for real-time conversation exchange.
Pre Recorded Video Transmission. Provide closed or open captioning, an on-screen interpreter, or an interpreter at the student's location. Provide all print materials in alternative formats. Provide real-time descriptive narration of significant visual elements.
World Wide Web. Content developers should make content understandable and navigable. This includes making the language clear and simple as well as providing understandable mechanisms for navigating within and between pages. Providing navigation tools and orientation information in pages will maximize accessibility and usability. Not all users can make use of visual clues such as image maps, proportional scroll bars, side-by-side frames, or graphics that guide sighted users of graphical desktop browsers. Users also lose contextual information when they can only view a portion of a page, either because they are accessing the page one word at a time (speech synthesis or Braille display), or one section at a time (small or magnified display). Without orientation information, users may not be able to understand very large tables, lists, menus, etc.
Instructional Software, Laser Video Disc, CD/ROM, DVD. The Trace Research and Development Center at the University of Wisconsin-Madison has designed a comprehensive set of software development guidelines, which address these issues. These guidelines should be used in combination with the guidelines for multimedia access developed by the Web Accessibility Initiative.

Guidelines for Quality Online Instruction:

Quality online instruction consists of many interdependent components. An overall plan of institutional support must be in place, with separate responsibilities carried by the WAOL and the colleges. Technology, course development, course structure, student support, faculty support, and program evaluation are all critical parts of the online instructional environment that must be addressed.

Institutional Support

A documented technology plan is required at each institution.
The technology delivery system is as fail-safe as possible.
A centralized system provides support for building and maintaining the distance education infrastructure.
A plan for each course will define the technical requirements and compatibility needed to support learning activities.

WAOL and the participating institutions will ensure that coordination of distance learning activities is consistent with the overall mission of the colleges, and that policies regarding distance learning are integrated into the college's overall policy framework.
WAOL will, in collaboration with the colleges, develop a plan that ensures the financial and administrative commitment to maintain distance learning programs through completion, and to support faculty and learner services necessary to ensure a successful learning environment.
WAOL will work in collaboration with other college services to ensure that administrative and student support systems such as registration, advising and assessment, are compatible with learning delivery systems that provide a successful learning environment.
WAOL will facilitate research and development of distance learning and will maintain a systematic evaluation of the content, process, and support systems involved in distance learning activities.
WAOL will work with the colleges to ensure that every effort is made to utilize the best available resources for supporting distance learning professional development for faculty and support staff.
WAOL will continue to ensure that policies, management practices, learning design processes, and operational procedures for distance learning are regularly evaluated for effectiveness and currency.

Distance learning initiatives are backed by a system-wide commitment to quality and effectiveness in all aspects of the learning environment.
Technologies and learning systems employed assure the integrity and validity of the information shared in the learning activities and ease of use by the learners.
Technology systems are fully accessible, understandable to learners, and can support the learning goals.
The technologies used for learning, through training, assist learners as well as faculty and staff to understand their etiquette, as well as to acquire the knowledge and skills to manipulate and interact with them and to understand the objectives and outcomes that the technologies are intended to support.
The technology meets the needs of the learners and learning facilitators for presenting information, interacting within the learning community, and gaining access to learning resources.
Each participating college will ensure that its curricular and administrative policies incorporate the needs of distance learning as well traditional learning activities.
Participating colleges will work to ensure that the realization of learning outcomes will be consistent for both distant learners and on-campus students.

Course Development

Minimum standards used for course development, design, and delivery are such that learning outcomes, subject matter, characteristics and circumstances of the learner determine the technology being used to deliver course content, and are cost effective.
Instructional materials are reviewed periodically to ensure they meet program standards.
Courses are designed to require students to engage in analysis, syntheses, and evaluation as part of course and program requirements.
Learning activities are designed to fit teaching/learning requirements and clearly defined learning outcomes.
Course content, instructional methods, technologies and context complement each other.
Outcomes address content mastery and increased learning skills.
Students with skills in subject matter, instructional methods, and technologies work collaboratively to create learning opportunities.
Instructional offerings are evaluated on a regular basis for effectiveness; evaluation results are utilized for improvement.
Classroom materials developed by third parties, such as publishers or course cartridges, will be evaluated by the same standards as materials developed by system instructors.

Student interaction with faculty and other students is an essential characteristic and is facilitated through a variety of ways including voice-mail and/or email.
Feedback to student assignments and questions is constructive and provided in a timely manner.
Students are instructed in the proper methods of effective research, including assessment of the validity of resources.
Students understand expectations of learner activities.
Distance learning efforts provide flexible opportunities for interaction.
Assessment methods used are appropriate to the course and learning methods employed.
The learning experience is designed and organized to increase the learner's control over the time place, and pace of instruction.
Learning activities and modes of assessment are responsive to the needs of individual learners.

Course Structure

Students are advised about online learning so they can determine if they
o Possess self-motivation and commitment to learn at a distance
o Have access to minimal technology required by course design
Students are provided with supplemental course information that outlines course objectives, concepts and ideas. Learning outcomes for each course are summarized in a clearly written, straightforward statement.
Students have access to sufficient library resources that may include a virtual library accessible through the Internet.
Faculty and students agree upon expectations regarding time for student assignment completion and faculty response.

Student Support

Students receive information about programs, including admission requirements, tuition and fees, books and supplies, technical and proctoring requirements, and student support services.
Students are provided with hands-on training and information to aid them in securing material through electronic databases, interlibrary loans, government archives, news services, and other sources.
Throughout the duration of the course/program, students have access to technical assistance, including detailed instructions regarding the electronic media used, practice sessions prior to the beginning of the course, and convenient access to technical support staff.
Questions directed to student service personnel are answered accurately and quickly, with a structure system in place to address student complaints.
Support systems are reviewed regularly to ensure their currency and effectiveness.
Distance learning opportunities are available to learners through a variety of fully accessible modes of delivery and resources.
A learner support system to assist the learner in using the resources is provided. This system includes technology and technical support, site facilitation, library and information resources, advising, counseling, and problem-solving assistance.
Course development models and support services consider the needs of the learner in relation to the learning mode(s) used and make provision for delivery of appropriate resources based on the design of the learning activities, the technology involved, and the needs of the learner.
Access to support services, such as scheduling, registration and library resources, is convenient, efficient, and responsive to learner needs as well as consistent with the aim of providing learning at a distance.
Distance learning activities provide to the learner all information pertinent to the learning opportunity, such as course prerequisites, modes of study, evaluation criteria and technical needs.

Technical assistance in course development is available to faculty, who are encouraged to use it.
Faculty members are assisted in the transition from on-campus classroom teaching to online instruction, and are assessed during the process.
Instructor training and assistance continues through the progression of the online course.
Faculty members are provided with written resources to deal with issues arising from student use of electronically accessed data.

The program's educational effectiveness and teaching/learning process is assessed through an evaluation process that uses several methods and applies specific standards.
Data on enrollment, costs, and successful or innovative use of technology are used to evaluate program effectiveness.
Intended learning outcomes are reviewed regularly to ensure clarity, utility and appropriateness.
Distance learning programs organize learning around demonstrable learning outcomes, assist the learner to achieve those outcomes, and assess learner progress by reference to those outcomes.
Course design enables individual learners to help shape learning outcomes and how they are achieved.
Learning outcomes are described in observable, measurable, and achievable terms.
Instructional design is consistent with and shaped to achieve the intended learning outcomes.
Distance learning technologies and delivery systems are used in a way that facilitates the achievement of intended learning outcomes.
Learning outcomes are assessed in a way that is relevant to the content, the learner's situation, and the distance learning systems employed.
Assessment of learning is timely, appropriate, and responsive to the needs of the learner.

Documents used in developing the Standards for Course Development and Elements Comprising a WashingtonOnline Virtual Campus Course

Faculty retreats sponsored by LAAP and SBCTC, June and October 2001.

Principles of Good Practice for Electronically Offered Academic Degree and Certificate Programs, Western Cooperative for Educational Telecommunications.

Quality Learning Principles and Distributed Education: Notes From a Retreat, State Board for Community and Technical Colleges and the Communications Technology Center, Palisades Retreat Center, January 1997.

Guiding Principles for Distance Learning in a Learning Society, The Center for Adult Learning and Educational Credentials, American Council on Education.

Distance Education: Guidelines for Good Practice May 2000; this report was prepared by the Higher Education Program and Policy Council of the American Federation of Teachers.

Quality on the Line - Benchmarks for Success in Internet-Based Distance Education, National Education Association, April 2000 - Prepared by: The Institute for Higher Education Policy, 1320 - 19th Street NW, Suite 400, Washington DC 20036

Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.0, W3C Recommendations 11-March-2004. http://www.w3.org/TR/2004/WD-WCAG20-20040311/

Distance Education: Access Guidelines for Students with Disabilities, August 1999. Developed by The High Tech Center Training Unit in Collaboration with the Distance Education Accessibility Workgroup, Chancellor's Office, California Community Colleges. http://www.htctu.net/publications/guidelines/distance_ed/disted.htm