1. Distance education at MUW is a way of building, maintaining, and extending quality programs that complement the traditional work of the University. Therefore, all distance learning programs and courses shall be consistent with MUW’s mission.

2. At MUW, distance learning refers to courses delivered on-line and courses delivered predominantly in the interactive video classroom. Other delivery methods for distance learning that may be implemented in the future shall conform to this policy.

3. This policy does not apply to regularly scheduled campus instruction augmented by electronic media or other media, in which at least 60% of instruction occurs within a traditional face-to-face setting, including the requisite number of contact hours with students (scheduled class meeting times, internship hours, or independent study meetings with the instructor).

4. Distance learning policy shall conform to the policies of the Mississippi Board of Institutions of Higher Learning and, unless specifically excepted within this policy, to all other policies of Mississippi University for Women.

5. All distance learning courses shall be scheduled during the regular academic calendar, including special sessions, and shall conform to the regulations regarding the minimum number of weeks scheduled for such courses, following IHL and SACS guidelines. (All courses shall be scheduled for a minimum of one week per credit hour generated.) Registration for and withdrawal from on-line courses shall be conducted according to the same time frame as other courses as established in MUW’s published calendar.

6. Academic divisions approve distance education course and program offerings, assign teaching faculty, determine quotas, and accrue student credit hours for courses taught.  The Distance Learning Advisory Committee will review all courses scheduled for distance delivery for adherence to best practices, as defined by SREB the semester prior to initial on-line delivery.

7. Distance learning courses shall be taught by regular faculty (full-time or adjunct) who meet the same standards as faculty who teach on campus sections of similar courses.  The hiring of faculty for distance learning courses shall be conducted by the division that houses the course or courses, according to accepted university policies and procedures.

8. All distance learning courses shall provide a syllabus in accordance with PS #1309. A printed copy of this syllabus shall be on file in the division office. In addition, the syllabus for a distance learning course shall inform students about technical skill prerequisites and any required hardware, software, and supplementary materials necessary for participation. The course content in distance learning sections of a course shall not vary significantly from the content of sections taught using traditional methods. Oversight of course content and syllabi shall be conducted by the head of the division in which the course is taught.

9. All distance learning courses shall be evaluated using a standard evaluation form that is based on the evaluation forms used in traditional classroom courses, but includes questions about the distance learning environment. The Distance Learning Advisory Committee shall develop additional questions tailored to each delivery method. Evaluations shall be conducted during the same time frame as other university courses.

10. Distance learning courses and programs shall provide the opportunity for personal and timely interaction between faculty and students and among students, which shall be equivalent to the number of hours required in a course taught using traditional methods. When attendance cannot be measured by traditional means, the attendance policies of MUW or the division housing the course shall be adhered to by keeping a record of participation. In such cases (i.e. in on-line courses), the course syllabus shall clearly indicate how attendance or participation will be determined and what the penalties for excessive absences or insufficient participation will be.  If students have not signed on to an on-line course by the end of the first week, they are considered as not attending the class.

11. All distance learning courses shall include an approved method of identifying students.   Faculty should take reasonable measures to ensure that students have completed their own work.

12. All distance learning students shall have access to admission, financial aid, advising, and library resources. Admissions standards for distance learning students shall be the same as for other students, and all admissions forms shall be available on-line. Financial aid forms and advising shall be accessible to distance learning students. The advising center and academic divisions shall make advisors available to distance learning students. The library shall provide access to electronic resources to distance learning students by working within its licenses for these materials, augmenting the terms of these licenses, or forming cooperative arrangements with other libraries to provide similar services.  For access to the physical resources of the library, the student may need to travel to MUW, but shall have equal borrowing privileges.

13. The Distance Learning Advisory Committee shall work with faculty and Division Heads to ensure the effective delivery of individual courses and of distance learning programs. It shall work with divisions to plan and implement distance learning in their programs.

14. The Office of Continuing Education and Distance Learning shall provide on site support and faculty training for on-line course delivery and the interactive video classroom. Scheduling of the interactive video classroom and off-site classrooms for remote delivery must be done through the Office of Continuing Education and Distance Learning. The Office of Continuing Education and Distance Learning shall coordinate listing appropriate MUW courses with the Southern Regional Electronic Campus (SREC) Institutional website and the MS e-Campus web site.

15. The university maintains its intellectual property right to offer a course on a given topic by distance learning (or any other method) after the instructor who developed the course has left the university’s employ; however, the instructor shall maintain her or his intellectual property rights to course content (syllabus, lectures, supplemental materials, etc.), unless a contractual agreement has been signed between the university and the instructor who assigns these rights to the university.