Online Course Development Policy

Dawson College Online Regular Day Course Policy (Provisional)

1. Introduction

Regular Day courses that are given in accordance with this policy are henceforth referred to as online courses. Online Courses refer to courses which are web-dependent and immersive. They differ from web-supplemented courses in that the teacher moves beyond posting information and course materials online, to proactively scaffolding online learning opportunities for students to engage with. Implicit concepts in online course design include: teacher presence, social presence and cognitive presence. Although the class must physically meet at least twice throughout the term, all course components/content appears online. Subsequent class management vis-à-vis time interactions, student groups and assessment activities/venues are at the discretion of the teacher, provided he/she complies with the online course policy. As a general rule, courses that rely on an online learning environment as opposed to physical class presence more than 50% of the time are considered online courses and must follow this policy.

2. Courseware

The courseware used by the college is Moodle. All online courses offered by the College must use this platform to maintain a consistent look and feel among online course offerings. This serves both the purpose of facilitating the administration and management of the online course initiative and in decreasing the learning curve for the student body.

3. Administrative Considerations

3.1  Teachers who offer online courses are bound by the same conditions specified by College policies and in the Collective Agreement as are teachers offering traditional courses.

3.2  For purposes of the charge individuelle (or CI) calculation, the number of students enrolled in the online course will be calculated in the same way as a traditional course, and the ponderation associated with the online course will be the same as if the course were offered in the traditional manner for purposes of establishing remuneration, workload, preparation and other aspects pertaining to the application of the Collective Agreement.

3.3 The start and end dates which define the period during which an online course must be completed are the same as those defined by the academic calendar of the College for the regular day courses. Exceptions may be approved using the process defined in the College intensive course policy.

3.4 Courses that are to be offered online will nevertheless be scheduled according to normal College scheduling procedures and assigned a room and meeting time at least once a week. Appropriate annotation in the College timetable will be made to notify students that these courses will be offered online.

The College does not force students to register for online courses unless a student has been admitted to a program that identifies online courses as a required part of the program.

4. Approval Mechanism

4.1 Teachers considering the option of online courses are advised to discuss the matter with their Chair, Sector Dean and the Office of Instructional Development.

4.2 Normal Departmental and Program approval policies must be followed. In all cases, the Program Committee must be informed that an online course will be offered by a member discipline. In the case where an online course is mandatory in the student’s program of study, the Program Committee must approve the offering of an online section.

4.3 Prior to the first implementation of an online course, a completed course outline proposal must be provided to the appropriate Dean and the Dean of Instructional Development, who must express approval no later than the scheduling deadline for the semester in question.

4.4 Subsequent implementations of online courses are subject to the approval of the appropriate Dean and the Dean of Instructional Development (please refer to section #7 of this policy), who must express this approval no later than the scheduling deadline for the semester in question.

4.5 All offerings of online courses are subject to the availability of the College resources.

5. Training Considerations

Teachers who intend to give online courses for the first time are advised to consult with an educational advisor from the Office of Instructional Development, with a view to reviewing online course development. Teachers are encouraged to take an online course on the subject of pedagogy and/or educational technology either externally or as offered through the office of Instructional Development in order to support their creation of online courses.

6. General Guidelines for Online Course Design

In order to guarantee adherence to the objectives and standards defined for each course and recognize the priority placed on student success, as well as the special conditions imposed by the nature of online courses, the following guidelines must be observed:

6.1 Course Outlines: In addition to the terms of the College’s Institutional Student Evaluation Policy (ISEP), online course outlines must clearly specify the following:

  1. Online Criteria:  A requirement that the student possesses basic computer skills and have personal access to computers, including the necessary hardware and software required, if any, to complete the course.
  2. Contact Information
    1. A telephone number, email address and office number that the student may use to contact the teacher during the stated office hours;
    2. Office hours during which the student may communicate with the teacher in person;
    3. A schedule of virtual office hours during which time the student may communicate with the teacher in real time using electronic means.
  3. Live-Time Meeting Requirements
    1. The date for the first orientation meeting must be conducted in live-time;
    2. The last day of the course must be conducted in live-time;
    3. Other live-time meetings for the whole class, if any;
    4. Group activities requiring live-time meetings, if any;
  4. Assessment Scheme & Participation Requirements: The evaluation scheme employed must clearly state:
    1. The specific schedule of dates by which evaluation items are due;
    2. The required electronic format for items to be submitted for evaluation;
    3. The penalty for work submitted late;
    4. The timing for formative feedback on work submitted for evaluation;
    5. The format and frequency of electronic communications that constitutes evidence of participation in the course on behalf of the student, including a communication schedule that requires each student to make regular contact while taking the course;
    6. How/Where to access the evaluation grid/rubrics for each assignment found on Moodle;
    7. That if the course has an examination component, at least forty percent (40%) of the material submitted for evaluation purposes must be completed in an invigilated environment which allows the teacher to know the identity of the student being examined. This component of the course must be passed in order for the student to complete the course.
  5. Technical Requirement & Support for Students
    1. Students who require technical support address their request to the teacher who may provide the necessary help relating to course requirements, or forward the request to the Office of Instructional Development;
    2. Specify a list of all software and educational technologies to be used throughout the course in what context they will be used.
  6. Webography: provide a list of web references for students that pertain to the course and/or how to use the specified educational technologies and software.
  7. Netiquette: Specify your expectation of students’ online conduct in terms of
    1. Use of photographs/icons/emoticons;
    2. Creating an online profile;
    3. Use of language;
    4. Email etiquette;
    5. Possible consequences of failure to observe etiquette.

6.2  The design of online courses must ensure that students have the opportunities to acquire the same set of skills specified in the course description.

6.3  Courses must be implemented so that students with disabilities registered in the course can complete all course requirements.

6.4  In order to allow students to judge their performance in the course before being subjected to summative evaluation components, courses must offer a significant amount of self-testing opportunities. Courses must be designed to ensure that the teachers monitor each student’s progress and that critical feedback is given to students, especially those identified as at risk of failure.

6.5 All emails and documents submitted in the online course must be archived for at least a period of time as identified for equivalent components of traditional courses (normally 6 months).

7. Evaluation

Online courses are subject to the same evaluation policy as courses offered in the traditional manner. However, the instrument of evaluation may be modified to reflect the method of delivery.

Should a faculty member wish to offer an online course again, he/she must submit an online course review template (also available in 4B.3, OAD office) to the Dean of Instructional Development. This review will focus on “lessons learned” and/or a brief overview of how the course has been revised in light of student feedback (either observed by the teacher or documented during the evaluation process). This report will accompany the course outline and be submitted to the Dean of Instructional Development, as #4 Approval Mechanism.

8. Policy Revision

This policy, once implemented, will be reviewed after a period of 2 academic years, in order to benefit from the experiences acquired and to stay current with pedagogical and technological innovation.

If you have any questions, please contact Rafael Scapin by email at rscapin@dawsoncollege.qc.ca.



Last Modified: February 3, 2017