Course Certification Criteria
Hybrid and online courses must use a standardized Home page template provided by the PBSC Online department and adhere to four key pedagogical principles. First, the contact time and content organization must ensure that every hour of classroom instruction removed is replaced with an hour of online activities. Content should be organized into modules (lessons, units, etc.), with each module containing related activities, and the total time for all modules must equal traditional in-class contact time, excluding homework. Second, periodic assessments are essential, with continuous feedback required to monitor student progress. Faculty must assess students' completion and understanding regularly, as frequent assessments are more crucial in an online environment. Third, interactive exercises must include faculty-student interactions to encourage conceptual thinking, with faculty initiating these interactions. Finally, courses should integrate the instructor’s personal expertise to enrich the material, making it comparable to traditional classroom instruction.
Additionally, the majority of the course content must reside in the College Learning Management System (Canvas). While external resources like E-Packs and third-party instructional sites can be used, they cannot constitute the majority of the course content. All instructional components such as discussions and assignments must be performed within Canvas, and any external testing must have grading criteria and records posted in Canvas. Courses cannot rely solely on auto-graded activities and must include instructor-initiated collaborative components. Once an instructor finishes developing their course, they must request certification from the PBSC Online department. Certified courses can be shared with other instructors upon written permission and proper authorization. The PBSC Online department will then manage and distribute these certified courses as needed, ensuring instructors possess the necessary skills for online instruction.
Sample Form:
I (name of faculty) give permission for (name of faculty/department) to use my certified(course prefix/number) Canvas course (reference number of section to copy) for instruction.
Granting Faculty Signature: _____________________________
Supervising Administrator: _____________________________