Section N – e-Learning Policies and Procedures

What is e-Learning?

E-Learning includes classes that utilize a learning [course] management system (LMS) to assist with instruction or present classes fully online. e-Learning also supports the integration of technology in the learning environment, use of the Internet as a resource in the classroom, email, compressed/stream video, Web conferencing and other instructional technologies.

Palm Beach State College offers e-Learning classes in both credit and non-credit areas that require few (if any) on-campus meetings. Classes are designed to provide close interaction with instructors while also allowing greater time and space flexibility to serve the students' needs.

Use of course-mail, discussion boards, synchronous online chat rooms, blogs, wikis, Web conferencing, and face-to-face meetings occur to encourage effective communication with students and instructor or student-to-student interaction. These courses are rigorous and cover the same material as on-campus classes. Credits earned though e-Learning course work are transferable and appear on transcripts just like any other class.

Organizational Information

The e-Learning Director supervises the Department and reports directly to the Vice President of e-Learning at Palm Beach State College. The e-Learning Advisory Committee provides opportunities for faculty/instructors and staff to discuss pertinent e-Learning issues and offer guidance to maintain a quality program.

Quality of Courses

The course name and number of e-Learning courses shall be the same as traditional in-class courses. The course goals and objectives, learning outcomes and the time frame for completion of all instructional activities will also be equivalent to the traditional in-class courses.

Curriculum

Academic Services maintains course outlines for the courses offered at Palm Beach State College (www.pbsc.edu/utilities/CourseOutlines). From these course outlines, faculty/instructors will create individual class syllabus. The course outlines are continuously updated through curriculum actions and State Course Numbering System transactions. e-Learning classes use the same course outline as face-to-face classes.

Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) Criteria: "The Commission recognizes the legitimacy of distance learning, such as that conveyed through off-campus classroom programs, external degree programs, branch campuses, correspondence courses and various programs using electronically based instruction offered geographically distant from the main campus."

In 2001, Palm Beach State College (PBSC) was approved to offer e-Learning (distance learning) by SACSCOC through a substantive change. In 2012 SACSCOC reaffirmed PBSC accreditation.

E-Learning Goals:

• To provide an alternative education delivery system for greater access by our students;
• To provide flexibility of time and location;
• To promote the integration of technology in the learning environment;
• To promote globalization of education through electronic access to information and experts worldwide;
• To ensure quality of online course structure and delivery;
• To ensure student LMS (Canvas) readiness and provide online student support.
• To provide faculty, instructors and supporting staff continuous quality training and technical support.

Who are Palm Beach State College’s e-Learners?

E-Learning courses and programs at PBSC serve students in the community in order to provide access to students that do not have the ability to attend classes on campus for the following reasons:

• No transportation
• Disability
• Work commitment requires extensive travel
• Personal commitment requires time flexibility
• Lack of child care
• Work/place….

Currently 85% of the e-Learning students at Palm Beach State attend class on one of the campuses as well as take e-Learning courses.

E-Learning Delivery Systems

Palm Beach State College’s commitment to students is to provide anytime, anyplace learning opportunities through an array of e-Learning technologies and delivery systems. The primary difference between e-Learning courses and face-to-face (traditional) courses is the delivery format, not the content. e-Learning courses go through the same rigorous curriculum process as face-to-face courses.

Online courses allow students to take courses on the Internet providing greater flexibility and convenience. Students can access the course from a computer with an Internet connection 24 hours a day/7-days a week from home, work, library, or a college facility. Each course will have specific deadlines for the completion of assignments, projects, and quizzes/exams that meet course learning outcomes just like classroom-based classes.

All courses in the Bachelor Degree Programs and a selection of Associate Degree courses require students to take exams using a Respondus LockDown browser and Respondus Monitor online test video-proctoring system (see the course syllabus for details/requirements). Palm Beach State College’s learning (course) management system is Canvas.

E-Learning courses are offered at four delivery modes:

1. Face-to-Face – The class meets in the classroom.  The instructor utilizes a companion website for the face-to-face class where students may interact through messaging, the instructor may provide handouts, presentations slides, and/or administer assignment or tests.
2. Live Online – Live Online courses require no physical classroom meetings.  Instruction is synchronously scheduled/delivered with days/times for instruction and interactions.  Uses electronic delivery methods (i.e. Zoom, Microsoft Teams, remote labs, video conferencing, chats, collaborations, or social learning technologies) to transmit instruction/information. 
3. Hybrid – In this type of class, 40-60% of the content must be in a face-to-face (classroom) environment. The remainder of the instruction is conducted online asynchronously utilizing the Canvas LMS.
4. Online – In this class, all instruction is delivered asynchronously via the Canvas LMS. Students may be required to take examinations utilizing a video-proctoring system, i.e., Respondus Monitor), or to take major exams in the College Testing Labs.

E-Learning Course Design and Development

In order to better meet the needs of Palm Beach State College’s students participating in the College e-Learning programs; to better serve faculty/instructors in development of their online course material; to serve the needs of the College; and to enhance the quality of College online courses, the following guidelines and services are provided. These guidelines address several key factors identified as opportunities to enhance the College’s e-Learning program, including:

• Standardizing the “look” of the online courses to create a branding image for the College’s online programs;
• Standardizing and thus simplifying navigation of the courses in order to improve student engagement and retention;
• Growing class offerings to meet student needs;
• Assisting faculty/instructors in development of course material to meet set standards for online courses;
• Providing quality control and continuous enhancement of our e-Learning program.

The e-Learning Department provides the following services:

• Design and maintain a course template to provide a standard look of the online course sites. The department assigns these templates to instructional staff for development of course material;
• Provide workshops and online tutorials on course development standards, policies and best pedagogical practices;
• Provide assistance with development of course material, including general advice on site organization of material, as well as assistance with file formatting and development of course material;
• Certify courses to ensure quality and compliance with course standards/requirements;
• Work with assigned faculty/instructors to develop PBSC College-owned course templates;
• Develop and provide instructional staff with training/personal-development resources for Canvas, best practices, and various other instructional software;
• Meet with faculty to provide one-on-one coaching and workshops.
• Manage/distribute Bachelor Degree Programs’ and other various departmental master course templates;
• Meet with the e-Learning Advisory Committee on regular basis to review policies, procedures and possible course site certification resolutions.

E-Learning Certification Policies and Certification Guidelines

Course Site Certification and Site Requirements

All Online and Hybrid courses must be certified by the eLearning department to qualify for instructional use. Certification of Live Online and Face-to-Face LMS support sites/courses is encouraged, but not required. To achieve certification, the course site must adhere to the following guidelines:

Standard Course Home Page Design – Hybrid & Online

The course home page must consist of a College approved page inclusive of the banner, module tile structure/navigation, resource links/icons, color scheme and contain standard information per College developed and adopted course home page design.

Content & Delivery – Hybrid & Online

Hybrid and Online course content must be organized into Modules, each module containing a related set of instructional content and activities. Modules may be titled as lessons, units, chapters, etc. (per instructor/faculty preference), taking into account the module titles must be descriptive to provide students an effective/intuitive navigation structure to locate desired instructional material.

Modules are to contain at minimum:

• Introduction Page (learning outcomes, outline of the lesson components/requirements, special instructions, reading assignments, etc.)
• Instructional Content (i.e., personal faculty expertise presentations, handouts, videos, resource links, animations, etc.)
• Discussion(s)
• Assessment(s) (i.e., tests, quizzes, assignments, student presentations)
• All other material related to that particular LM/CF (lesson, unit, etc.)

Each Module is to engage students in appropriate student contact time – equivalent to classroom contact time. Traditional homework assignments/time (i.e., reading textbook, writing a term paper, etc.) does not count toward online course instructional contact time.

Course Certification Criteria

The course site certification review evaluates the following online course site design and content delivery pedagogical principles:

• Hybrid and Online Course
  Must use approved standard course Home page design (e-Learning department provides a template of the approved Home page for instructor adoption) and must satisfy the following four online learning pedagogical principles:
  1. Contact Time and Content Organization
     1. For every instructional hour removed from the classroom, an equal one hour of online instructional activities must be provided.
     2. Instructional content must be organized into a set of 'Modules' (titled as lessons, units, chapters, etc.), with each Module presenting a series of related activities (presentations, discussions, assignments, assessments, etc.).
        

        The time it takes to complete all Modules (lessons, units, etc.) needs to equal traditional 'in-class' contact time. Traditional 'homework' (i.e. reading textbook, writing term paper, etc.) does not count for online instructional activity time.

  2. Periodic Assessments
     1. Students must receive continuous/periodic feedback to let them know how well they are doing.
     2. Faculty need to assess whether students are completing assigned instructional material, and assess students’ comprehension/achievement of the learning outcomes.

        Assessments can be applied in a variety of formats. It is recommended to provide this assessment/feedback in every Module (lesson, unit, etc.). In an online environment, the need to provide periodic assessments is much greater than in a traditional classroom -- a 'midterm and a final' is not enough to ensure an effective assessment schedule. Since faculty do not see if the students are attending class and paying attention, more frequent assessments are required.

  3. Interactive (critical-thinking-skill) Exercises
     1. Online Instructional Activities need to include faculty and student interaction.

        This can be accomplished in a variety of ways, students need to interact with faculty and be given the opportunity to discuss concepts and theories to stimulate conceptual thinking and provide an additional learning modality. In the online course environment faculty need to initiate these interactions -- since students are not in a controlled environment (classroom), 'online class time' competes with many external stimuli, and thus many students are not likely to initiate the collaboration  on their own account.

  4. Present Personal Expertise
     1. The course must be enhanced with instructor's personal expertise to provide instructional material comparable to the traditional in-classroom lecture presentations and/or demonstrations.
        

        This can be accomplished in a variety of ways, such as voiceover presentations, video, text based material, scripted discussions, feedback on assignments, etc. The Instructional Design Technology (IDT) Department assists faculty with development of this multimedia material upon request.

E-Packs, Cartridges, Building Blocks and Third-Party Instructional Sites

The majority of course instructional content must reside in the College Learning Management System -- Blackboard (Bb). The use of e-Packs, Cartridges, Building Blocks and/or Third-Party Instructional Sites cannot constitute the majority of the course content. Instructional components such as discussions and assignments must be performed/submitted within Bb. If external sources are used for testing purposes, grading criteria must be provided in Bb and all grading records must be transferred/posted into Bb’s grade book.

Course Instruction

Courses cannot be instructed in an auto-run delivery, utilizing only auto-graded activities as periodic assessment/feedback and without instructor initiated collaborative components. Collaborative components and faculty assessment/feedback on students’ performance must be present periodically within the course activities.

Course Certification Requests

When an instructor finishes development of their Bb course site, a request for certification needs to be sent to the e-Learning department. The site will be reviewed using the 'Online Course Certification Guidelines' and the instructor will be notified of the result. PantherNet (Workday) will be updated to reflect instructor's approved certification status.

The instructor needs to notify their department of their approved certification(s) and request to have their course(s) listed/updated in PantherNet (Workday) with a special designator(s) to reflect the Component, Hybrid or Online status for the next semester. This designator needs to be added into PantherNet's (Workday) Instructor Resource Management system in order for the course to be offered (and have a course site available) via the Blackboard learning (course) management system. If this course modifier is not in place before first day of registration of the upcoming semester, the Bb course site will not be activated for that term and delivery of instructional content via Blackboard will not be possible.

Granting of Certified Course Use

Individual faculty members can volunteer to allow other instructors to use a copy of their certified course for instruction or designate the course as a ‘departmental template.’ Permission of such must be granted in writing (sample form below) and be authorized (co- signed) by the supervising administrator. A copy of the form must be forwarded to the e-Learning department for record keeping. Once such form is received, the e-Learning department will provide a certification record for the faculty granted to use the certified course and copy the designated certified course into the receiving faculty’s section. This instructor can then be assigned to instruct such course as long as the instructor possesses basic skills for online instruction. If the course is designated as a departmental template, e-Learning will archive the course and distribute copies per departmental needs. The department must assign a course template manager to provide management/updates of the course template and serve as a course template liaison to the e-Learning department.

Sample Form:

I (name of faculty) give permission for (name of faculty/department) to use my certified (course prefix/number) Bb course site (reference number of section to copy) for instruction.

Granting Faculty Signature: Supervising Administrator: _____

Online Course Template Development (Department/Cluster Owned Templates)

Based on the needs of a department and/or cluster, development of an online course template can be requested by the department’s dean, associate dean or director. The department’s dean, associate dean or director needs to fill out the ‘Scope of Work – Online Course Template Development Form’ (http://edtech.palmbeachstate.edu/elearn/Resources/Academic- Manual/Scope-of-Work-Work-for-Hire---Course-Template-&-QM-Certification.pdf) and submit the Form for approval per procedure designated in the Form.

Upon approval, the department/cluster may contract with a content expert to develop the instructional material per compensation guidelines listed below. The content expert will be expected to work closely with an assigned e-Learning instructional designer that will assist the content expert with development of the course template and instructional content, ensuring the course template meets the College’s online course certification standards. The e-Learning instructional designer will format, structure and publish the instructional material into the course template. Instructional Technology staff member will be assigned to assist with development of multimedia instructional material.

The course template will then undergo a review process (as listed in the Scope of Work – Online Course Template Development and Maintenance Form). Upon approval, the content expert will be compensated for the development of the instructional material and the course template will become property of the College.

The department/cluster must appoint a template manager (must be a full-time employee) that will serve as a liaison to e-Learning, and ensure the template’s instructional material remains current and ready for deployment for instruction. The e-Learning department will assist with template updates and revisions.

The department/cluster must adopt the course template for instruction in all online sections of this course for subsequent terms. The department’s dean, associate dean or director will submit to eLearning a list of all online sections at least 10 workdays before the first day of each term, and the e-Learning department will manage the template’s distribution, populating all course sections based on the provided list.

The department/cluster may assign any instructor to teach the courses – e-Learning will provide template-based faculty certifications. It is the department’s dean, associate dean or director responsibility to ensure the instructor has the skills to instruct online utilizing the College provided LMS. Should any training needs be identified by the department, e-Learning will provide such training based the department’s request.

The following guidelines govern the compensation for online course template development/redevelopment as requested by Palm Beach State College.

Online Course Template Department Cluster Owned Templates

College Requested Online Course Template Development

1. A department/cluster must submit the ‘Scope of Work – Online Course Development and Maintenance’ form and receive an approval from the Vice President of e-Learning before any compensation is offered to a content expert/developer and development of the template is started.
2. A scope of work, with deliverables and timelines will be completed and signed by the contracted course content expert/developer. The document will state that once the course is fully developed and approved, the course belongs to the College and can be assigned to any faculty member.
3. The content expert/developer must request a mid-development review by department dean, associate dean or director and the e-Learning director to ensure course instructional content (at mid-point of development) meets department’s standards, is aligned to course outcomes, and meets approved course template structure.
4. Payment of $2,100 for a completed course template will be issued upon approval of the Vice President of e-Learning. Additional $700.00 compensation is provided for facilitating Quality Matters (QM) Template course Certification.

College Required Online Course Template Redesign

1. When a department/cluster and/or e-Learning requests that a College-owned course template be substantially redesigned, the department/cluster must submit the ‘Scope of Work – Online Course Development and Maintenance’ form and receive an approval from the Vice President of e-Learning before any compensation is offered to a content expert/developer and development of the template is started.
2. The needed changes have to be clearly identified by the department/cluster. The e-Learning director will review the needed changes and determine the percentage of course modification to be developed.
3. A scope of work, with deliverables and timelines will be completed and signed by the contracted course content expert/developer. The document will state that once the course is redeveloped and approved, the course belongs to the College and ca n be assigned to any faculty member.
4. The content expert/developer must request a mid-redevelopment review by department’s dean, associate dean or director and the e-Learning director to ensure course instructional content (at mid-point of development) meets department’s standards, is aligned to course outcomes, and meets approved course template structure.
5. Payment for redevelopment will be calculated based on the percentage of the course to be redeveloped and calculated as a percentage of the full course development payment of $2,100 (e.g., 50% of template redevelopment = $1,050). Payment for template revision will be issued upon approval of the Vice President of e-Learning.

Development and/or Revision of a Faculty’s Personal Online, Hybrid and/or Face-to-Face Courses

Such development and/or revisions will not be compensated, as they are considered part of normal job responsibilities of teaching faculty and instructors.

For the Scope-of-Work Form, please see the website at: http://edtech.palmbeachstate.edu/elearn/Resources/Academic-Manual/Scope-of-Work-Work- for-Hire---Course-Template-&-QM-Certification.pdf

Canvas Training & Faculty Development

The eLearning department provides course certification guidelines on the eLearning Website and the following Canvas Courses to familiarize faulty/instructors with course certification requirements and the functions and use of the Canvas course delivery system.

Growing with Canvas - Faculty Training / Basics of Canvas
This course instructs how to use/apply the most used Canvas Tools.

Converting your Bb Courses - Where to Begin / Bb-to-Canvas Conversion
Highlights/ explains  applicable concepts to restructure/ organize Blackboard courses for Canvas delivery and instructions on how to make courses ready for live sections.

PBSC Canvas Faculty Corner
This faculty-mentor discipline-based interactive course facilitates discussions on instructional content, course delivery and best practices within specific academic disciplines.

Using Kaltura Video and Media Storage in Canvas
Provides instructions on how to record video with Kaltura and highlights best video hosting practices.

Canvas Training Course Participation Requirements
Completion of these four asynchronous courses is highly recommended for faculty/instructors working on making their courses ready in Canvas, new course development / course certification, new faculty wishing to teach Hybrid or Online courses, and/or faculty practicing online instruction and wanting to expand their knowledge of Canvas and related instructional tools.

Additional Training Opportunities

Many additional resources are provided.  They can be accessed through the main navigation bar buttons in Canvas:

• Commons: Utilize the Filter and the Search function within the Commons area to identify the type of resources and subject area(s)in which you are interested.
• Help: Exploring the following five training resources provided by Canvas inside the Help section:
  
  
  • Canvas Field Guide demonstrates basic tools used for instruction.
  • Training Services Portal offers a collection of instructional videos, courses, and webinars. You will also be able to check Canvas’s Training Calendar to browse

    and register for live webinars hosted by Canvas’ Training Teams.

  • Canvas Training Shop provides a plethora of training opportunities.
  • Search the Canvas Guides provides a list of guides for Canvas products. The following products/services are available to you: Canvas, Commons, Community, and Mobile.
  • Ask the Community is a great place to ask for help and collaborate with peers across the globe

Requesting Canvas Support

The College has contracted Tier 1 Support services. Canvas Tier 1 Support is available 24/7, 365 days per year. The same Help icon in the navigation bar will direct faculty and students to the following support choices, based on their contact preference:

• Chat with Canvas Support - Connect live in a chat room with a Support Agent.
• Canvas Support Hotline - Connect live by telephone with a Support Agent.
• Request Assistance - Fill out a support request ticket and a response will be received via email or phone (based on your indicated preference).

Tip: it helps to be as specific as possible when describing the nature of the requested assistance. Based on the type of assistance requested, Canvas Tier 1 Support staff, PBSC’s eLearning staff, or the PBSC Information Technology (IT) department will respond to provide assistance.

General e-Learning Policies and Guidelines

Acceptable Use Policy for the Internet at Palm Beach State College

PBSC provides access to the internet and World Wide Web for purposes directly related to education in an environment. Access to resources is shared equitably among all Palm Beach State users to allow a learning environment. All Internet use is to be free of illegal or malicious acts and must show respect for others through proper Network Etiquette.

Accessibility (ADA)

The Center for Student Accessibility (CSA) is committed to providing an equal educational opportunity for all qualified students with disabilities, in compliance with federal and state statutes. The e-Learning Department is also committed to ensure that the integrity of all college standards and requirements is maintained. ADA compliance will be applied via a prudent method of providing alternate content, which meets the needs of a specifically challenged learner.

Students with disabilities are advised, in compliance with federal and state laws, that accommodations and services are available through the office of The Center for Student Accessibility (CSA).  Students in need of accommodations need to contact the PBSC CSA Manager at the home campus to submit appropriate documentation and request services, including Internet and Canvas Course accessibility accommodation requests. Please see the website at www.pbsc.edu/CSA/. The CSA Office will coordinate with e-Learning and provide all necessary accommodations for every properly documented student disability.

One of the most common Center for Student Accessibility requests is an extension of allowed time for time restricted examinations. This can be applied/achieved by the instructor utilizing Canvas Test Availability Exceptions provided in Test Options. Students that present an authorized letter from the CSA office must be provided with stated time extensions.

Testing Integrity and Verification of Student Identity

It is recommended to provide all Assessments (Tests and Quizzes) via the Canvas course site to Live Online, Hybrid and Online students. In order to prevent dishonesty, the assessments should be designed to draw random questions from large test databases, randomizing answers in multiple choice questions, providing one question at a time and not allowing revisiting of questions, limiting time for submissions, and not allowing checking of results until after submission time expires. Following these guidelines minimizes student ability to share answers and print out sample test.

It is highly recommended to apply the Respondus Test Proctoring System (LockDown Browser and Video Monitor) on all major examinations. The LockDown browser prevents students to copy/paste access the Web (browser) and/or use any other computer files and applications while they are taking their exams,. The Monitor provides the ability to check/record student identification and video-monitor the students during their online examinations.

Each Palm Beach State Testing Center in each campus also provides proctored testing in a secure environment. These centers in coordination with the faculty member can help establish testing sites outside of the Palm Beach County service area. It is possible, but not recommended unless absolutely necessary, to require students to take the Canvas exam at one of the Palm Beach State's or participating partner Testing Center. The Respondus Test Proctoring System is the preferred recommendation. Please see the Testing Center Web page for more information and for procedures to schedule a proctored exam at the Center: www.pbsc.edu/testing.

Video Streaming System

All faculty produced/published instructional audio/video must be hosted on the PBSC licensed Kaltura system, which provides auto-formatting/streaming service based on user’s device and bandwidth. The Kaltura/Bb building block also provides desktop and webcam recording capabilities with one-click-publishing.

Advertisement of e-Learning Courses

A number of marketing activities are used to promote e-Learning classes at Palm Beach State:

• e-Learning website at Palm Beach State
• PantherWeb (Workday) Palm Beach State Class Search
• SREB Electronic Campus Listing
• FloridaShines/Florida Virtual Campus Course Listing

Interaction with Students and Office Hours

Communication between students and faculty is vital for student success in online learning. Specific requirements for frequent use of course-mail, chat or discussion boards should be designed in course materials. Faculty should announce specific feedback timeframes in each course syllabus.

For example: “Instructor’s course-mail will be checked once per day Monday – Friday” or "Email will be responded to within 24 hours."

It is highly recommended that faculty check and respond to course-mail and discussion postings daily Monday through Friday for Online and Hybrid courses. Since students work asynchronously, it is crucial to provide feedback as quickly as possible.

As part of the full-time faculty member’s required 10 office hours per week on campus, faculty are encouraged to use some of the 10 hours per week for online students.

Publishing Courses

All courses must have all courses published by the assigned faculty member 48 hours before the first day of courses. This action is performed by the instructor. All modules and course activities/pages in the courses must also be published.

Observance of Major Holidays and Due Dates

While online courses are generally instructed in an ‘asynchronous’ method and students are provided a certain amount of time/days to complete and turn in assigned activities, general observance of major holidays must be observed. Due dates should not be set for any major holiday and student activity load needs to take into account all major holidays and official PBSC breaks.

Ownership of Material / Copyright

Palm Beach State College employees must observe US laws governing copyright. Any violation of copyright or any other law is the sole responsibility of the author of that Web page. Authors or originators using photos and images may need the permission of not only the person or organization that owns the photo or image, but also from any persons included within the images. Any use of other copyrighted material must have the express written permission ofthe person or organization that owns the copyright. Palm Beach State reserves the right to require proof of the written permission and to remove the material if that proof cannot be produced.

Lecture Recordings

Students may audio or video record a faculty lecture, defined as a planned presentation by a PBSC faculty member or instructor, during scheduled class times, delivered for the purpose of transmitting knowledge or information that is reasonably related to the pedagogical objective of the course in which the student is enrolled. Faculty are encouraged to let students know when the lecture portion of a class begins and ends. There are three permitted purposes for students making the recording:

(1) personal educational use, (2) for use in a complaint against the institution, or (3) for use as evidence in a civil or criminal proceeding. Students may not record for any other purpose without the consent of the instructor. Students are prohibited from recording classroom activities other than lectures, including but not limited to, class discussions, student presentations, labs, academic exercises involving student participation, and private conversations. Students are expressly prohibited from recording any other student’s image or voice. Recordings may not be used to engage in academic dishonesty and may not be published or shared in any way without the faculty member’s written consent. Publication is defined as showing or making available or distributing the recorded lecture by any means.

Student Complaint and Course Grade Appeal Procdures

 A student seeking final grade appeal can follow an Informal Appeal and/or a Formal Appeal Process. Please see the current year’s Student Handbook for detailed procedures: http://www.pbsc.edu/studenthandbook.

Canvas Guidelines

Canvas is a Learning [course] Management System that is used for the delivery of instruction online, and supplemental instruction in face-to-face classes and other course delivery modalities.

Every course using Canvas must maintain a standard course design. Canvas can also be used for Organization Sites, Departmental Discussion Boards and/or Webinar Meetings by departments, faculty clusters, committees and sponsored clubs. To request a course and/or an organization site in the Palm Beach State Canvas system, send a request to the Canvas Administrator (CanvasAdmin@palmbeachstate.edu).

Student Support Services/Information and e-Learning

Assessment of Student Capability

Students who are considering an e-Learning course need to determine if they have all necessary skills to be successful. Three (3) self-assessment quizzes are available for students to assess their readiness at the following e-Learning Web page: www.pbsc.edu/elearning/students. A listing of student resources, tutorials and computer system requirements is provided at: www.pbsc.edu/elearning/students.

Attendance Requirements

Faculty must take attendance in online courses for federal government reporting purposes. e-Learning courses do not operate in a traditional face-to-face manner. Students may be dropped or withdrawn from the course by the instructor based on instructor's policies as written in the course syllabus. An example of participation may be submitting assignments, responding to a discussion forum, and/or the use of the course-mail system by pre-determined deadlines. See the specific course syllabus for details.

Student eLearning & Canvas Orientation

Students are provided an online Canvas course: ELO1000 – Canvas for Students. The course is organized into Modules. Start Here highlights important information that will help students be more successful in taking classes on Canvas. Introduction informs students of PBSC policies and lists different Student Support Services available to them in person and online. Each of the Other Modules focuses on one specific Canvas Tool.

When a student completes an entire Module they can claim a badge. When a student completes all Modules, the student can claim a Certificate of Completion. This Certificate may be required by the instructor to be submitted by the students in their course(s).

e-Library/Learning Resources

The Library Learning Resource Centers provide resources and services for the College, including e-Learning students. Students, faculty/instructors, and staff have access to the catalog, databases, library services, and other resources. The e-Library’s website (LINCCweb) can be accessed from: www.linccweb.org/Discover?lib_code=FLCC1901&tab=books. Pre-authenticated student link to LINCCweb can be created in Bb courses utilizing the provided LINCCweb Building Block.

Student Assessment of Courses and Faculty

Student Assessment of Courses and Faculty evaluations are conducted each term. Near the end of the term, students are given the opportunity to assess their instructors on a variety of assessment items via an online survey.

Textbook/Bookstore

Textbook Selection Guidelines must be followed for eLearning classes. Follett’s bookstore provides all books and materials for students taking classes at Palm Beach State College. Students can order their textbook and other required materials online through the Follet Bookstore at: http://www.bkstr.com/palmbeachstcentralstore/home.

Hardware and Software Requirements

All faculty members/instructors teaching an online course require access to a computer. The College provides computers to all full-time instructors at their primary office location. The Student Learning Center (SLC) open lab at each PBSC campus is available to all students and provides all hardware/software necessary to participate in all online courses (including the Respondus test proctoring system and webcam), as well as to all faculty/instructors (adjunct and full-time). The following are the minimum browser and computer system requirements.

Computer Specifications

For best performance, Canvas should be accessed with a computer that supports the most recent browser versions. It is recommended to use a computer five years old or newer with at least 1GB of RAM.

Operating System

Canvas only requires an operating system that can run the latest compatible web browsers. Your computer operating system should be kept up to date with the latest recommended security updates and upgrades.

Internet Speed

Along with compatibility and web standards, Canvas has been carefully crafted to accommodate low bandwidth environments. It is recommended to have a minimum Internet speed of 512Kbps. However, certain content, such as videos and webinar-style meetings require higher bandwidth. It is recommended to have a minimum of 100Mbps download and 5Mbps upload Internet speed to be able to participate in such activities effectively. Internet connection speed can be checked at: https://speedtest.xfinity.com/results or https://www.verizon.com/speedtest.

Screen Readers

Macintosh: VoiceOver (latest version for Safari) PC: JAWS (latest version for Chrome and Firefox) PC: NVDA (latest version for Chrome and Firefox)

To test the system’s compatibility, visit: https://community.canvaslms.com/t5/Canvas-Basics- Guide/What-are-the-browser-and-computer-requirements-for-Canvas/ta-p/66.

Workday Coding for eLearning Courses

https://www.pbsc.edu/canvas

Face to Face courses are traditional, on-campus courses that use an online component to augment or enhance the classroom learning experience. These courses require regular on- campus meetings.

Course Delivery Modality and Changes

The campus Associate Dean is responsible for adding the appropriate special designators and special fees. Changing the modality of course delivery once registration has started may result in student registrations being cancelled due to different fee structures. Students already registered must be contacted personally and advised of the impact of the change (required attendance to campus, asynchronous vs synchronous mode of delivery, etc.).

Instructor Resource Management and Workday Instructor Canvas Course Certification

Before an instructor can be assigned to a class, the instructor must first be credentialed by Palm Beach State College (Campus Academic Dean, Associate Dean). The process of credentialing is the institution’s guarantee that the instructor has met all the necessary credentialing to teach a class. This process differs depending on whether the instructor is teaching a non‐credit class, a preparatory class, or a credit class.

An instructor must receive an Online and/or Hybrid course certification to qualify to teach a course in that respective delivery mode. Once the eLearning department certifies a faculty/instructor's course for meeting the applicable guidelines/standards for a hybrid or an online course, an applicable code is placed in Workday on the Instructor Resource Management screen. Only then will Workday allow the instructor’s assignment to the online or hybrid course.

Syllabi and Faculty / Instructor Web Page

All faculty who have courses that have been approved with Web Content designators must have a faculty web page and syllabi available online on the College designated faculty home page and in the Canvas course site. The syllabus should be posted as soon as the class is loaded, but at least 30 days before the registration period for the semester opens. If the class is added after the registration period opens, the syllabi should be placed online within 24 hours of the class being added to the schedule. Please see the webpage at http://https://www.pbsc.edu/academicservices/information-and-reference/academic- affairs-policies-and-documents/faculty-webpage-syllabi.aspx for syllabus, templates, checklists and posting dates.