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Creating Compliant Online

Courses in the Radiologic Sciences

Laurie Adams, Ed.D., RT(T)

AEIRS Annual Meeting

July 12, 2013

Objectives

• Recognize and avoid teaching a correspondence distance

education course.

• Differentiate between a fully online, partially online and a

hybrid distance education course.

• Develop a distance education course that meets

compliance requirements.

• Create assignments for distance education courses that

meet credit hour requirements.

What is Distance Education?

• According to the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS)

• Distance education is a formal educational process in which the majority of the instruction in a course occurs when students and instructors are not in the same place.

• Correspondence education is a formal educational process under which the institution provides instructional materials by mail or electronic transmission, including examinations on the materials to students who are separated from the instructor.

The Importance of Interaction

Distance Education

Course

• Substantive interaction

exists between:

• Faculty and students

and

• Students and students

Correspondence

Course

• Instructor - student

interaction is:

• Limited

• Not regular and

substantive

• Primarily initiated by

student

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Online Education Terminology*

• Fully online –greater than 95% of class sessions are

delivered via technology

• Partially online – between 51% and 95% of class sessions

are delivered via technology

• Hybrid – at least class session but no more than 50% of

class session are delivered via technology

* Armstrong Atlantic State University definitions

(AY2012-2013)

Fully at a Distance*

• Students are physically separated from instructor.

• Instructional delivery is asynchronous and/or synchronous

• Utilize a learning management system and/or other

technologies to deliver instructor and support student

learning, regular, substantive, timely and appropriate

interaction between students and instructors and among

students.

• Courses may be augmented and supported using a myriad

of information technologies

* University System of Georgia definition

Fully at a Distance cont.

• Syllabi and course content must demonstrate instructional time

in the alternate format that is equivalent to and/or in addition to

actual hours of classroom instruction in alignment with US

Department of Education credit hour definition.

• Courses must demonstrate that the student who registers in a

distance course or program is the same student who

participates in and completes the course or program and

receives credit by verifying the identify of a student who

participates in class or coursework……

• Instructional delivery must be reviewed by the college to

ensure alignment with accreditation policies specific to the

degree being offered.

Hybrid Courses

• Hybrid courses are used to complement student learning

in face-to-face settings and are held to many of the same

policies.

• Hybrid courses may utilize a LMS and/or other

technologies to post syllabi and course materials; hold

asynchronous or synchronous discussions; online quizzes;

grade books; text and voice communication; and

assignment submission tools. Videoconferencing between

two or more sites is also possible.

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Federal Regulations

• Title IV

• Federal financial aid

• Definition of a Credit Hour

• Applies to all courses

• Section 508

• Disability accommodations

• Program Integrity Rules (U.S. Department of Education)

• Links title IV funding with requirements for accountability

What is a credit hour?*

A credit hour is an amount of work required to meet

learning outcomes along with evidence of achievement of

those outcomes.

1. Not less than one hour of classroom or direct faculty

instruction and a minimum of two hours out of class

student work each week…...

2. Alternative instructional equivalency is used for

activities such as lab, internship, practica, studio work

and other academic work leading to the award of credit

hours.

* From Credit Hours Policy Statement

Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges, January 2012

Alternative Instructional

Equivalencies

• Instructional activities designed to meet credit hour

requirements.

• Activities must be required of every student and

demonstrate interaction.

• Examples

• Posting

• Case studies

• Journals and blogs

• Use peer review to enhance learning.

Importance of compliance

• Financial aid

• “ Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College Told to Return $42-

Million in Federal Student Aid” Chronicle of Higher Education

April 4, 2012

• Accreditation

• Institutional via Regional Accreditors

• Programmatic via JRCERT

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SACS Best Practices

• Institutional Context and Commitment

• Curriculum and Instruction

• Faculty Support

• Student Support

• Evaluation and Assessment

JRCERT concerns

• Policy 11.407A identifies the following as a substantive

change:

• iii. Addition of an alternative learning option(s) that

includes:

• Distance or hybrid delivery of four (4) or more radiologic

science didactic courses (excludes the general education

component of the curriculum)

http://www.jrcert.org/resources/governance/acc reditat ion-policies/11-400/

Section 508

• Institutions found to be non-compliant are being

successfully sued.

• Arizona State University

• Penn State University

• Florida State University

• New regulations to require website compliance are

coming soon

Section 508 tips

• PowerPoint

• Use high contrast

• Avoid animation, flashing text or images, smart art

• Use alt text to describe images

• Word documents

• Use headings and lists

• Use acceptable font styles and sizes

• Use formatting emphasis with color

• File names should contain no spaces or special characters and be as short as possible

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Section 508

• The rules apply to all courses. However…..

• If technical standards (essential functions) exist the program

may be granted an exemption of some parts of the

accommodations.

• Example, no requirement for alternative text for diagnostic

images.

• Incorporate an accessibility statement on course syllabi

Accessibility Statement

Armstrong Atlantic State University is committed to accessibility and providing

accommodations for all persons with disabilities. Students who need course

accommodations because of a disability must contact the instructor as soon as

possible to speak confidentially about the needed accommodation. Students

should also contact the Office of Disability Service since they are the designated

office responsible for approving and coordinating reasonable accommodations

and services for Armstrong’s courses. Please note that students who need

accommodations must be registered with Office of Disability Services before

requesting accommodations from the instructor.

It should be noted that this course may include website links and electronic

documents to support teaching, learning, and engagement. If any of the

website links or electronic documents are inaccessible, please contact the

course instructor immediately.

Program Integrity Rules

• Attendance verification

• Loan repayment

• Employment outcomes

• Disbursement and reimbursement of financial aid

• Satisfactory academic progress

• State authorization of distance education courses

Attendance Verification

• Required assignment or posting by the deadline set by your financial aid office (generally before the end of the first week of class).

• Ideas for compliance

• Self introduction

• Pre-test

• Syllabus review assignment

• Incorporate an attendance verification statement on course syllabi

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Crossing State Lines

• Institutions must be in compliance with state laws in all

states where distance education courses are offered in

order to receive title IV funds.

State Authorization

Reciprocity Agreement

• Commission on the Regulation of Postsecondary Distance

Education has developed a comprehensive proposal to

provide a framework for:

• interstate reciprocity with uniform standards for state

authorization

• a regional approach for governing reciprocity

• avoiding redundant requirements

• protection of consumers

Quality Matters

• The Quality Matters Program is an international organization

representing broad institutional collaboration that promotes a

shared understanding of online course quality.

• Quality Matters uses a faculty centered, peer review process to

certify the quality of online and blended courses.

• Provides rubrics to institutional members that may be used to

assess compliance in eight general standard areas.

• More information available at:

• https://www.qualitymatters.org/about

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General Strategies

• Always use the Learning Management System of your

institution

• Instructions should be clear

• Course navigation should be logical

• Technical requirements should be stated on the syllabus

• Student support options should be available

• Use rubrics whenever possible

Armstrong example Consider

• Do you want to use synchronous online requirements?

• Can you set up virtual office hours?

• Do you want to have automatic notifications of student

posts?

• Do you want to answer emails, posts etc. over the

weekend?

• How will you limit opportunities to cheat?

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Practical Examples

• Cross Sectional Anatomy

• Fully online

• Radiation Therapy Procedures

• Hybrid

• Clinical Education I

• Technology enhanced

Fully Online Course Cross Sectional Anatomy

• Attendance Verification

Getting Started Interaction

• Student student interaction

• Mandatory reply to a classmates self

introduction

• Group presentations

• Peer review assignment

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Group presentations

• Set up a discussion forum for each group.

• Students create and record a PowerPoint presentation

pertaining to one disease or disorder from assigned chapter.

• Within the PowerPoint, students must include the disease or

disorder definition, epidemiology, diagnostic workup and

radiologic images that demonstrate the chosen disease or

disorder. The radiologic images should come from different

diagnostic modalities and the anatomy should be labeled.

• The PowerPoint presentation should be built, recorded and

archived within the Collaborate classroom.

Peer Review Assignment

• Students must review a minimum of 2 other Collaborate

Presentations and contribute additional information

Peer Review Rubric Interaction

• Faculty Student Interaction

• Discussion boards

• Narrated presentation with required assignment

• Audio directions and feedback in assignment drop box

• Announcements

• Response to email

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Hybrid Course Radiation Therapy Procedures

Course Description:

Introduction to principles of patient simulation and treatment with emphasis upon radiation therapy equipment operation and utilization.

• This course is a hybrid course that includes a laboratory component. Less than 50% of classes will be replaced by an online component and most classes will meet on campus. However, all course materials and announcements will be posted within the Learning Management System. The laboratories for this course are designed to supplement the didactic information and prepare students for the first clinical course.

Course Expectations

Students enrolled in this course are expected to be active learners

and participants. Evidence of active learning includes:

• Engagement in on-campus sessions

• Engagement in online assignments

• Completing readings and watching assigned media content

• Checking the course within the learning management system

each day for announcements and emails

• Completing assignments on time

Exam Policy

• All quizzes and exams will be given online and must be

taken during the exam window. Make up exams will not

be given without appropriate documentation of technical

difficulty or proof of emergency.

• The RESPONDUS LOCKDOWN Browser must be

installed on your computer in order to access the online

quizzes and exams.

• Some exams will be taken online as part of normal class

time. These are noted on the syllabus. Others may be

taken from home or another location of your choice.

Weekly Schedule

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Assignment Technology Enhanced

Clinical Education

• Policies and procedures

• Forms

• Compliance documents

• Clinic site information

• Websites

• Equipment lists

• Instructor photos

Compliance Clinical Education Courses

• Use assignment drop box

• Electronic submission

• Timely feedback

• Use discussion boards

• Guided topics

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Assignment Dropbox Guided Topics

Clinical conferences

• Use “ virtual office” for video conferencing with students

and clinical instructors/preceptors etc.

• Address questions and/or issues of performance.

• Minimize travel to distant sites.

Resources

• Quality Matters Program • https://www.qualitymatters.org/

• State Higher Education Executive Offices Association • http://www.sheeo.org/projects/state-authorization-postsecondary-education

• Section 508 resources

• http://www.section508.gov/

• http://www.hhs.gov/web/508/accessiblefiles/checklists.html

• Journal of Online Learning and Teaching • http://jolt.merlot.org/index.html

• Compendium of distance learning resources from University of Wisconsin • http://depd.wisc.edu/html/mags3.htm

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The End