PPCC Standards

Standards for Online and Hybrid Course Design at PPCC

DESIGN

Course Overview and Introductory Materials

  1. First-day Announcement that includes: a welcome to students, a brief course description, contact info for faculty (or instructor widget—see below) and clear instructions about what to do to begin the course.
  2. Introduction module under Content that includes syllabus tailored to delivery method and divided into smaller documents: course description and competencies, college-wide policies, class policies, schedule of due dates and other information students need but that isn’t part of a specific unit of the course

Course Materials

  1. Content divided into logical modules, units, chapters, etc.
  2. List of outcomes (competencies) for each module
  3. Instructor –produced overview of each module (can also be a News item)
  4. Documents in accessible formats
  5. Publisher materials as appropriate
  6. Instructions about accessing publisher materials if they are not inside course shell
  7. Links to other sites as appropriate
  8. Make course materials accessible: add descriptive alt tag to images; avoid mixing colors with text; post transcripts for audio files; video content has accurate captions.

Learner Engagement, including Discussions

  1. Discussions that are clearly tied to course outcomes
  2. At least one ongoing discussion available throughout the semester
  3. Discussions as a bridge between online and F2F in hybrid classes
  4. Open discussion topic in which students can talk about issues not tied to specific unit
  5. Clear explanation of requirements for graded discussions: number of postings, length, grammatical correctness, timing

Assessment and Measurement

  1. All assessments clearly tied to course outcomes
  2. Varied assignments that tap into a variety of learning styles
  3. Clear instructions about how exams will work that students can access before opening exam itself: timing, ability to skip questions and go back to them, etc.
  4. Clear explanation of requirements for assignments and how assignments will be evaluated
  5. Gradebook includes a column for each graded assignment, discussion, or assessment

TEACHING PRACTICES

Course Overview and Introductory Materials

  1. Double-check all dates for accuracy before term begins
  2. Add Announcements at regular intervals throughout semester
  3. Always keep following four NavBar tools: Course Home, Content, Discussions, Classlist

Course Materials

  1. Update availability for Content modules and topics before term begins
  2. Make sure all links are working before semester begins
  3. Review all content items for potential updating and additions to enrich course

Learner Engagement, including Discussions

  1. Update availability for Discussions before term begins
  2. Monitor discussion postings every 48 hours and participate as appropriate to reinforce, correct, redirect
  3. Deal as quickly as possible with inappropriate postings
  4. Respond to student emails within 48 hours

Assessment and Measurement

  1. Update deadlines on all Assignments and Quizzes items before semester begins
  2. Monitor course closely during testing periods to troubleshoot student problems
  3. Grade all Assignments and Quizzes items promptly