Distance Education Faculty Handbook

Distance Education

Faculty Handbook

EVC Distance Education Handbook

Welcome!

Teaching online, hybrid or web-enhanced courses opens new opportunities to

transform your classroom. While there are many similarities between teaching an

online class and a traditional brick and mortar class, distance education requires

alternative methods of engaging students and delivering course instruction. This

faculty handbook contains essential information about requirements, guidelines,

and procedures for teaching Distance Education (DE) courses at Evergreen Valley

College and aims to support you in your professional development as an online

instructor.

The Distance Education Committee

respectfully submit this Distance

Education

Faculty Handbook to the Academic Senate for

approval. It is understood that the content of

this handbook will be annually reviewed and

updated as needed.

Approved by DEC

Approved by Academic Senate

Last Update: May 2024

EVC Distance Education Handbook

“

Technology will not

replace great

teachers, but

technology in the

hands of great

teachers can be

transformational”

EVC Distance Education Handbook

Table of Contents

Welcome! ............................................................................................................................................. 2

Introduction ........................................................................................................................................ 6

Distance Education Committee (DEC) ............................................................................................... 6

DEC Charge ..................................................................................................................................... 6

DEC Membership ............................................................................................................................ 7

I. DE Definitions, Policy & Regulations .............................................................................................. 8

2. Curriculum Approval Process for DE Courses ............................................................................... 8

3. DE Modalities .................................................................................................................................. 9

4. CANVAS – EVC’s LMS (Learning Management System) ............................................................. 11

4.1 Instructional Canvas Shells ...................................................................................................... 11

5. DE Course Standards at Evergreen Valley College ........................................................................ 11

5.1 Weekly Contact Hours ............................................................................................................. 12

5.2 Attendance in Online Courses ................................................................................................. 12

5.3 Accessibility ............................................................................................................................. 12

5.4 Regular Substantive Interaction (RSI) ................................................................................... 13

5.2.1 Welcome Letter ................................................................................................................. 14

5.2.2 Orientation ........................................................................................................................ 14

5.2.3 Announcements ................................................................................................................ 15

5.2.4 Discussion Forums ........................................................................................................... 15

5.2.5 Email & Chat ..................................................................................................................... 16

5.3 EVC Blank Course Template ................................................................................................... 16

5.4 Proctored Exams ..................................................................................................................... 16

5.4.1 Proctoring Center .............................................................................................................. 17

5.5 Distance Education Course Reports ....................................................................................... 17

6. DE Certification (Faculty Eligibility to teach DE courses) ........................................................... 17

6.1 New or Continuing Distance Education Instructors ............................................................... 18

6.2 Training Waivers and Postponements .................................................................................... 18

6.3 Maintaining Eligibility to Teach Online ................................................................................. 19

6.3.1 Process for submitting documentation to maintain eligibility to teach online. .............. 20

6.4 Self-Reflective Assessment Survey ......................................................................................... 20

7. DE Faculty Support Resources ..................................................................................................... 21

EVC Distance Education Handbook

8 Local Peer Online Course Review (POCR) committee .................................................................. 21

8.1 Qualifications ........................................................................................................................... 22

8.2 Duties and Responsibilities .................................................................................................... 22

9. Appendices. ................................................................................................................................... 23

9.1 Appendix A: Faculty Online Teaching Certification form ...................................................... 23

9.2 Appendix B: Self Reflective Assessment form. ....................................................................... 23

9.3 Appendix C: Title 5 Regulations ............................................................................................. 23

9.3 Appendix D: Instructions for completing DE addendum. ..................................................... 24

EVC Distance Education Handbook

Introduction

Distance education (DE) at Evergreen Valley College offers a wide variety of quality online classes

both asynchronously and synchronously with excellent learning resources and support to give

students a flexible online alternative to achieve academic success. In support of Evergreen Valley

College’s Mission, Vision, and Values, the Distance Education program offers students access to

quality instruction and support in online and hybrid environments to empower a global

community of learners.

Distance Education Committee (DEC)

This distance education handbook has been developed and compiled through the collaborative

efforts of the DE coordinator, DE committee members, and faculty mentors.

DEC Charge

The purpose of the Distance Education Committee (DEC) is to oversee and guide the college by

providing training and implementation of all the online and hybrid courses across the curriculum

and programs. The committee shapes the college's approach to create robust and quality online

learning by implementing a common Learning Management System (LMS). The committee

strives to support a campus culture to create innovative and cost-effective solutions to overcome

the challenges in Distance Education (DE). Specifically, this committee will:

• Provide guidance in identifying appropriate approval process of online and hybrid

courses.

• Provide campus-wide training utilizing the Online Education Initiatives (OEI) Rubric.

• Promote LMS and OEI Rubric through division/departments and campus activities.

• Provide input to the online evaluation form(s) (ex: online courses and faculty).

• Provide input to the Distance Education Plan

Academic Senate supports DEC work by:

• Actively contributing to the culture of online and hybrid learning while helping to lead

campus efforts to increase DE courses.

• Supporting OEI assessment activities by participating in assessments, and adopting best

practices rubric and the LMS to offer GE courses through the State of California Exchange

program.

• Reporting back to divisions, and linking with the DE policies of the State of California.

EVC Distance Education Handbook

DEC Membership

The DEC membership was updated and approved by Academic Senate on 11/16/2021 to ensure it

had representation from all constituent groups

Faculty

(7) - one from each division as determined by the division

Adjunct Faculty

(1) - from EVC adjunct faculty

Administrator at Large

(2) - Deans, VPAA, appointed by President

Classified

(2) -

CTSS

(1)

Curriculum Chair or designee (1)

At large (1) - EVC faculty

Past Coordinator (1

)

Student representative (1) - nonvoting member

Chair: Current DE Committee member elected by DE committee.

Term: All members are elected/appointed for two years, renewable by appropriate constituent

group.

Meeting: 2nd & 4th Tuesday of each month, 3:00pm- 4:30pm

Attendance: The committee may elect to enforce the three consecutive unexcused absences as a

term of vacancy but must make reasonable attempts to contact the member prior to announcing

the vacancy to the appropriate constituency.

EVC Distance Education Handbook

I. DE Definitions, Policy & Regulations

I. “Distance education” means education that uses one or more of the technologies to deliver

instruction to students who are separated from the instructor(s) and to support regular

and substantive interaction between the students and instructor(s) either synchronously or

asynchronously (34 C.F.R. §600.2) This definition of “distance education” does not include

correspondence courses.

II. Academic freedom – freedom in the classroom in discussing their subject.

III. Distance Education classes or classes taught in the DE modality are defined, in accordance

with California Community College and ACCJC standards, as course sections in which

instructor and student meet in a classroom on campus part of the time or none of the time.

IV. Substantive interaction means engaging students in teaching, learning, and assessment,

consistent with the content under discussion and includes three or more of the

following:

• Providing direct instruction

• Assessing or providing feedback on a student’s coursework

• Providing information or responding to questions about the content of a course or

competency

• Facilitating a group discussion using tools integrated in LMS regarding the content

of a course or competency

• Other program specific instructional activities as approved by institution or

program accrediting agency

V. Distance Education Programs, in accordance with the ACCJC standards are those in which

100% of the required courses have an approved DE addendum through Evergreen Valley’s

curriculum process.

2. Curriculum Approval Process for DE Courses

Title 5 requires that all types of distance education courses be separately reviewed and approved.

This includes both new courses and courses already offered in the traditional mode. Distance

Education courses are required to be virtually equivalent to their on-campus version in all but the

methods of instruction and methods of evaluation. Therefore, the existing course outline's

expectations and parameters establish the requirements of the course quality. The course must

adhere to the approved course outline in terms of depth and breadth of content and student

EVC Distance Education Handbook

learning outcomes. Methodologies, assignments, interaction, and evaluation methods should be

the virtual equivalent of the on-campus class.

All-College Curriculum Committee (ACCC) has determined that methods of evaluation

used should ensure the same level of integrity, security and scrutiny associated with equivalent

on-campus classes. Depending on the assessment method designed for each course, certain

subjects may require that testing be done in a proctored environment or on-campus, rather than

online. On-campus or synchronous online meetings are not required for asynchronous online

courses but are required for hybrid and synchronous online courses at formally scheduled times

as listed in the Schedule of Classes.

At Evergreen Valley College, faculty must complete the DE addendum in CurriQnet (the

curriculum management system) to offer DE courses in any of the approved five modalities.

Separate approval is required for each type of a DE modality. See Instructions for completing and

submitting the DE addendum in Appendix D. Acting on the recommendations of the Distance

Education Committee on distance learning courses, the Curriculum Committee approves the

information requirements set forth in the Distance Education Addendum form, which is part of the

course documentation materials reviewed by the ACCC. It is the intent of this documentation to

clearly identify how the distance education class is comparable to on-campus class.

Since any change in the load value of a course from that stated on the approved course

outline is subject to collective bargaining, all distance education class maximums must be the

same as those for the equivalent on-campus classes, except if otherwise specified in the contract.

The Chancellor’s Office requires that the curriculum for each DE course and its associated

materials and resources be reviewed and revised, as necessary, when the course undergoes

curriculum review pursuant to Title 5, sections 55002 and 55206, every six years as part of the

accreditation process. The purpose of this review is to verify that such courses are virtual

equivalent to on-campus classes in terms of rigor, scope, and conduct.

3. DE Modalities

Distance education means instruction in which the instructor and student are separated by time

and/or distance and interact through the assistance of communication technology (§ 55200). On

February 2

, 2022, the following DE modalities that all meet this definition were approved by the

Evergreen Valley College Academic senate as part of the new DE addendum.

EVC Distance Education Handbook

Fully Asynchronous (fully online): All Course content is delivered through the college’s

Learning Management System (LMS) with no required meetings. All approved instructional

contact hours, including online assessments, are delivered through these online interactions in

the LMS. No in-person, on campus meetings or assessments should be required. An online

orientation is required. Instructor may choose to conduct the orientation via web conferencing

tool that must be recorded and posted in the LMS for students who may not be able to attend the

orientation.

Asynchronous Hybrid (partially online, partially on campus): A portion of the on-

campus instruction (1%-99%) is replaced with activities and assessments delivered through the

LMS. An orientation is required. Instructor may choose to conduct the orientation via web

conferencing tool or during the scheduled-on campus, in-person meeting. The Online orientation

via web conferencing tool must be recorded and posted in the LMS for students who may not be

able to attend.

Fully Synchronous (scheduled online meetings via video conferencing): All class

meetings are scheduled online via web conferencing tool in the LMS to meet the weekly

instructional contact hours requirement. The LMS is used to augment instruction, evaluations,

and course content delivery. No in-person, on campus meetings or assessments should be

required. An online orientation is required.

Synchronous Hybrid (class meetings are partially online and partially on campus):

A portion of on-campus instruction (1%- 99%) is replaced with activities and assessments

delivered synchronously via web conferencing. An orientation is required. Instructor may choose

to conduct the orientation via web conferencing tool or during the scheduled-on campus, in-

person meeting. The Online orientation via web conferencing tool must be recorded and posted

for students in the LMS who may not be able to attend.

Online Blend (partially asynchronous and partially synchronous): A portion of the

asynchronous course (1%-99%) is replaced with scheduled online meetings via web conferencing

tool in the LMS. No in-person, on campus meetings or assessments should be required. An

online orientation is required.

EVC Distance Education Handbook

4. CANVAS – EVC’s LMS (Learning Management System)

Canvas is the learning management system we use at EVC. Faculty and students log in through

SSO (single sign on) from the EVC website. Keeping up to date on the LMS features and college’s

distance education update is the responsibility of each instructor. There are professional

development activities offered each semester and announcements and information sent regularly

through college’s email. Faculty are encouraged to utilize the faculty resource course: Innovation

in Online Teaching and Learning (IOTL) as resource. You may also sign up for the free @One

course, Introduction to Teaching with Canvas to familiarize yourself with Canvas.

4.1 Instructional Canvas Shells

Every credit and noncredit course, scheduled in Self-Service automatically results in an

instructional Canvas course shell being created and populated with the instructor and enrolled

students. Instructional Canvas course shells become available 6 weeks before the term starts.

They are populated with student enrollment two weeks before the semester starts.

Faculty are encouraged to develop their courses in sandboxes prior to loading content into

instructional shells. To create a sandbox shell, simply click on Start a New Course button on

the dashboard. Once the course is ready, transfer your sandbox shell content to your instructional

shells and publish this ‘live” course shell by the first day of the semester.

At the end of the term, the course does not disappear but does change in how it may be accessed

and used. It moves automatically to Past Enrollments section under All Courses.

5. DE Course Standards at Evergreen Valley College

The online course must adhere to the approved course outline in terms of depth and breadth of

content and student learning outcomes. Methodologies, assignments, interaction, and evaluation

methods should be comparable to the equivalent on-campus class.

All-College Curriculum Committee (ACCC) has determined that methods of evaluation used

should ensure the same level of integrity, security and scrutiny associated with equivalent on-

campus classes. Depending on the assessment method designed for each course, this may require

that testing be done in a proctored environment or on-campus, rather than online.

Since any change in the load value of a course from that stated on the approved course outline is

subject to collective bargaining, all distance education class maximums must be the same as those

for the equivalent on-campus classes, except if otherwise specified in the contract.

EVC Distance Education Handbook

On-campus or synchronous online meetings cannot be required for asynchronous online courses

but are required for hybrid courses at formally scheduled times as listed in the Schedule of

Classes. All online courses at EVC need to follow the OEI course design rubric standards.

5.1 Weekly Contact Hours

Online classes, both synchronous and asynchronous, must be virtual equivalents of on-campus

courses (cover the same content and meet the same student learning outcomes and appropriate

interaction). Thus, online course design should incorporate time devoted to instructional

activities and student support, ensuring regular opportunities for learning and communication in

the online learning environment reflective of the content and the duration of the course as

defined in COR. This ensures weekly contact hours and total learning time per credit unit are met.

For hybrid courses, in addition to the online weekly contact hours, instructors are required to

meet the face-to-face contact hours as listed in the course schedule.

5.2 Attendance in Online Courses

Attendance is critical to an institution appropriately using federal aid funds. Taking attendance

allows the institution to make clear determinations of when a student last attended class (‘Last

Day of Attendance’), which then has implications to the use of federal funds and what federal

funds must be returned. Attendance in DE courses works differently depending on the modality:

attendance in an online synchronous course refers to attending virtual meetings and participating

at the levels indicated by the instructor. Attendance in online asynchronous course is defined as

active participation through completing academic work such as submitting assignments, quizzes,

participating in discussions, or other activities individually or in groups. The type and level of

participation will be defined by the instructor in the course syllabus and during orientation.

5.3 Accessibility

Both State and Federal law require community colleges to operate all programs and activities in a

manner which allows full accessibility to students with disabilities. Accordingly, as the system

develops its capacity for creation of technology-based instructional resources and the delivery of

distance learning, it must proceed with the needs of all students in mind, including the needs of

students with disabilities. Under the CCC DE Access Guidelines, Chapter 6, Standards and

Criteria for Courses, Section 55200 ("Definition and Application"), CA Code 11135, and Section

508 of the Rehabilitation Act as amended in 1998, the Access Board has established standards for

electronic and information technology. The regulations require that electronic and information

EVC Distance Education Handbook

technologies developed, procured, maintained, or used are accessible to students with disabilities.

All distance education courses must meet the following accessibility requirements:

• Videos with audio are captioned.

• Audio files have text transcripts.

• Images have alternative text and, if needed descriptions.

• Color alone is not used to convey meaning.

• Tables include row and column headers.

• Meaningful (descriptive) links are used.

• Consultation with Disabilities Support Program (DSP) is required if other accommodations

are needed.

The college provides the necessary training and resources for faculty to ensure accessibility in

Web-mediated courses. Since Spring 2021, EVC has been offering a 3.0-unit college credit course

to all called EDIT023: Accessible Course Content

5.4 Regular Substantive Interaction (RSI)

DE courses require frequent communication with students. Research shows that instructor's

contact is the most important factor contributing to DE student success. Title 5 section 55204

requires that in addition to locally established requirements applicable to all courses, any

portion of a course conducted through distance education must include regular and substantive

interaction between the instructor(s) and students and among students.

• Instructors will initiate substantive interactions with the student on a frequent and

regular basis reflective of the content and the duration of the course as defined in

the Course Outline of Record (COR).

• All instructional tools in use by students must be fully integrated or embedded into

LMS and meet regulatory compliance standards such as Family Educational Rights

and Privacy Act (FERPA), Accessibility, and Student Authentication.

• Each week of instructional time should be aligned with the duration of the course

and number of credit units. A week of instructional time is any week in which the

institution specifies availability of the instructional materials, other resources, and

instructor support necessary for academic engagement and completion of course

objectives. The institution expects enrolled students to perform educational

activities demonstrating academic engagement each week.

EVC Distance Education Handbook

At EVC, evidence of Regular and Substantive Interaction (RSI), to meet state and federal

requirements (see Appendix C), includes but is not limited to the following: Welcome letter,

Orientation, Home page that includes response time for communication and feedback,

Announcements, Discussion forums, Canvas inbox, Zoom Student hours and Chat rooms,

integrated into the LMS, and use of speed grader and rubrics to provide timely feedback. In

addition, field trips, group meetings/seminars, individual meetings, lab activities, library

workshops, review/study sessions, supplemental seminars, telephone/voicemail, video

conferencing all contribute to RSI.

5.2.1 Welcome Letter

One of the best practices in distance education is to send a “Welcome letter” to your students

prior to the first day of class. At EVC, we recommend you send the Welcome letter 1- 2 weeks

before class begins. The welcome letter must include

• The date your course starts.

• Canvas login information (usually found on your institutional website.)

• Links to supporting information for connecting to student services like counseling,

financial aid, disabled students’ programs, and technical assistance for their connectivity

or computer work.

• The work required to demonstrate attendance and engagement.

In addition, it is recommended that you have a warm and welcoming tone throughout and include

• A link to the Canvas overview video like the one found in our orientation.

• And other course specific information for a smooth start – log into Canvas and access the

course content.

5.2.2 Orientation

A common rationale for requiring students to attend an online course orientation (live or

recorded) is that students often require reviews and refreshers of orientation content to fully

internalize the information. Therefore, an online version of the orientation can provide the

opportunity to review information. It is mandatory for faculty to offer Orientation for online

courses; it can be offered in-person for hybrid courses and virtually via the web conferencing tool

SJECCD Zoom integrated into Canvas. Orientations can include audio/video material (e.g.,

instructor’s presentation or screen captures, etc.) and be recorded for later viewing for students

unable to attend the live orientation. Note that students in fully asynchronous courses are not

EVC Distance Education Handbook

required to attend the live orientation meeting. The following is a list of items to be included in

an orientation meeting and syllabus:

• LMS (Learning management System) Navigation

• Instructor contact information and Response time

• Course Syllabus and Schedule

o Accessibility Statement

o Diversity and Inclusion Statement

• Required materials.

• Hardware and software requirements

• Guidelines on how to prepare for and succeed in online courses

o Electronic resources available at EVC

o Technical support

o Academic Support

5.2.3 Announcements

Announcements on the course Announcement page are used to address all students at once, for

general information such as additions made to learning modules, test date reminders, etc. An e-

mail distribution list can be used for the same purpose, but should not replace the Announcement

page, since some students may access the course without reading their email first. Also,

Announcements, unlike the email distribution list stay in the course and can easily be reviewed

and tracked.

5.2.4 Discussion Forums

Contact among students provides the opportunity for students to receive the benefit of peer

interaction in the learning environment. Graded threaded discussions with required peer replies

are one way to ensure student to student interaction. Instructors are expected to read all their

students' posts in each module and to mark them as part of the grade as determined in each

course. While instructors do not have to respond to each student post, they are required to

monitor that students stay on the discussion topic designed for the class, and that they respond to

other students' posts in addition to responding to the instructor's topic. Students appreciate it

when instructors comment on their post as it helps them clarify content and/or validate their

comprehension and analysis of the material they are learning.

EVC Distance Education Handbook

5.2.5 Email & Chat

Email communication should happen as follows, either through Canvas Inbox or college email.

When the semester begins, all communication should be through Canvas Inbox. Prior to the

semester, faculty can use college email to communicate with students. Faculty’s personal email

(non-EVC) should not be used for communication with students.

• Prior to the beginning of the course: Instructors are expected to send a "welcome"

email to all registered students. See 5.2.1 Welcome letter. During the first two weeks of the

course - instructors are expected to initiate contact with all students who did not contact

them at least once a week, to verify that they were able to access and navigate the course

properly, and to remind the students of their expected activities for that week, as well as to

help with the required assignment(s) and discussion(s).

• During the rest of the course: Instructors are expected to respond to individual email

messages within 24- 48 hours. Individual reminders of class assignments and required

activities are best if both are sent individually and announced on the course

Announcement page. This form of individual attention has been proven to have a direct

effect on students' attitudes and consequently on their success.

• Chat App Integrated into Canvas: Students today communicate, interact, connect and

support one another through text messaging. Instructors may also use Chat Apps

integrated into Canvas such as Pronto for interactions. Using integrated chat apps protect

student’s privacy.

5.3 EVC Blank Course Template

Faculty are encouraged to use the EVC Blank Course Template located in Canvas Commons to

build their courses. This template is both OEI course design rubric (developed and adopted in

2019) and Peralta Equity rubric aligned (template updated and aligned in 2022) and meets both

RSI and accessibility requirements. The course template has pre-built modules for faculty to use

and customize and is updated regularly by EDIT faculty. The template is updated annually by

EDIT faculty in collaboration with DE Coordinator.

5.4 Proctored Exams

A common rationale for requiring students to take proctored exams is so that the integrity of tests

can be guaranteed, along with the authenticity of the student who is taking the exam. However,

EVC Distance Education Handbook

such exams, typically used in on-campus courses, may not be appropriate for the online modality.

Instead, remote proctoring software that ensures test integrity may be used if it has not been

already replaced. EVC adopted the Respondus Proctoring software in Fall 2022. Overview and

Information for faculty on using Respondus Software can be found in Appendix E. Faculty may

also use an alternate method(s) of assessment.

5.4.1 Proctoring Center

On-campus or online proctored testing situations may be required, depending on the evaluation

methodologies listed in the Course Outline of Record (COR) If proctored exams are required in an

online class then they need to be setup using Respondus Proctoring software to establish the

integrity of the courses and the authenticity of the students. If students cannot take the proctored

exam(s) either online or on campus or, it is the student’s responsibility to reach out to the

instructor and arrange alternate arrangements.

5.5 Distance Education Course Reports

Distance Education courses require the same reports as on-campus courses (such as syllabus

submission, first census or grade sheets).

To ensure that students attend class and access the material designed for the class, instructors are

expected to include at least one content-specific assignment due before first census date (first

census date is the Monday nearest one fifth of the course). If a student does not hand in the

assignment (or enter a content-related post to the discussion forum) by the first census date, they

should be considered a No Show and dropped from the course. While initial contact for class

management purposes and posting of a student bio indicate the student had some involvement in

the course, these parameters are not content-specific and thus are insufficient to determine first

census attendance in the class. With the increase in BOTS (fraudulent students) in online classes,

it is recommended that faculty help identify possible fraudulent student by engaging students

early and frequently during census period and managing their rosters. Best practice is to have

between 3 -5 required check-in assignments using a variety of assessments and activities.

6. DE Certification (Faculty Eligibility to teach DE courses)

Teaching a DE course requires both pedagogical and technical knowledge. In January 2016, EVC

joined the Online Education Initiative (OEI). The aim of the Distance Education program at EVC

is to ensure that faculty build quality courses following the OEI course design rubric standards.

EVC Distance Education Handbook

The DE Coordinator at EVC ensures that all instructors assigned to teach Asynchronous,

Synchronous or hybrid courses have the required qualifications. The Technology Resource Center

offers a variety of workshops both in-person and virtually for faculty who teach distance

education courses. Training is also offered through EDIT courses. Faculty are encouraged to self-

enroll and access the faculty resource Canvas course: Innovation in Online Teaching and Learning

(IOTL). Please review the eligibility standards below approved and authorized by the Academic

Senate in Spring 2022.

Note: DE courses taught at EVC use CANVAS as the LMS (Learning Management System)

6.1 New or Continuing Distance Education Instructors

Faculty who are new to distance education and would like to teach an online or hybrid course at

EVC will need to become DE Certified. Certification (Approved by Academic Senate in Spring

2022) is attained as follows:

 To teach in Asynchronous and Asynchronous hybrid modality, complete

EVC’s EDIT 022 OR the equivalent @One Certificate in Online Teaching & Design course.

 To teach Synchronous, Synchronous hybrid and Online blend, complete

EVC’s EDIT 022

EDIT 028 or EDIT 015 or the equivalent 2-week @One Introduction to Live Online

Teaching & Learning course

Note: The EDIT courses are part of the Online teaching certificate offered at EVC. EDIT 022 and

EDIT 015 are 3-unit courses and EDIT 028 is a 1-unit course.

Please reach out to the DE coordinator for details on the certification process and getting added to

the Faculty Eligibility for Online Teaching (FEOT) list.

6.2 Training Waivers and Postponements

Note: Due to lack of funding and other resources, POCR review was put on hold since Fall 2021

• Previous Online Teaching Experience: Faculty members who have continuously

taught DE courses the past 3 years may be eligible to waive some of the faculty training

requirements for initial DE certification. It is highly recommended that refresher training

be taken to maintain skills with changing technologies and to meet State legal

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requirements for online instructor certification and submitted through the DE eligibility

form, housed in the IOTL canvas course.

• Previous Online Training/Certification: Faculty who have not taught online but have

taken the equivalent training coursework for certification within the past 3 years may be

eligible to waive some or all the training requirements. Faculty applying for certification

need to submit appropriate evidence of the completion of the coursework/certificate and

course descriptions to the DE committee. Since technology changes so quickly, any training

coursework that was finished more than 5 years ago needs to be repeated.

• Emergency Hires: In the case that an emergency hire does not fulfill the training

requirements prior to teaching online, the faculty member must complete the training

requirements within their first semester of employment. Even if some of the training

requirements have been waived, faculty will need to go through Peer Online Course Review

(POCR) process by using the Faculty Online Teaching Certification form to request POCR

review prior to being cleared to teach. Additionally, Canvas training is highly

recommended.

6.3 Maintaining Eligibility to Teach Online

To maintain DE certification, the faculty member shall demonstrate continued professional

growth through distance education related activities such as, but not limited to course work,

attendance at workshops, seminars, professional meetings, professional reading and study,

publications, and conference presentations.

These activities, for a total of at least 4 hours, must be documented and completed at least once

every two years and be approved by the DE Committee.

The following are a few examples of DEC (Distance education Committee) approved workshops,

professional development sessions, and courses related to DE. This is by no means an exhaustive

list.

• Attend Innovation in online teaching and learning (IOTL) workshops offered at EVC

• Attend DE sessions at PDD.

• Complete EDIT courses (EVC faculty get a fee waiver to take these courses)

• Complete Facilitated @One courses (they cannot be self‐paced)

EVC Distance Education Handbook

• Attend POCR norming sessions (Please note: CVC requires certified POCR faculty to attend

at least two (2-hour) workshops each year)

• Attend CVC‐OEI workshops on best practices in online teaching.

• Attend Conferences related to DE

o CCC – TechConnect’s Online Teaching Conference

o Peralta Online Equity Conference

o InstructureCon

• Obtain ACUE Micro credentials related to online teaching.

• Selected Instructure facilitated courses related to online teaching from Coursera (Please

check with the DE Coordinator).

• Curate/Create OER that is published on LibreText and adopted for teaching at EVC.

• Technology Training offered at SJECCD.

• Equivalent DE Training offered at other Community colleges (subject to review and

approval. Please check with DE Coordinator)

• POCR LITE review of faculty's online course (subject to funding)

If you intend to participate in a DE-related activity not listed above, please reach out to the DE

coordinator before participating in the activity, who will take it to the DE committee for approval.

6.3.1 Process for submitting documentation to maintain eligibility to teach online.

Faculty will complete and submit the DE eligibility form, housed in the IOTL canvas course as a

canvas quiz, to provide documentation of DE-related activities to maintain their eligibility to

teach online at EVC. They will receive notification regarding their eligibility as a feedback

comment on the quiz within four weeks of submission.

Faculty Show & Tell - DE Refresher Training Incentive

Faculty who host - participate and present at an IOTL Show & Tell workshop will get double

credit – that is 2 hours credit for presenting a one-hour IOTL workshop.

6.4 Self-Reflective Assessment Survey

To ensure all distance education courses meet the new Federal and State legislation and

accreditation standards for distance education, the DE Committee in collaboration with office of

EVC Distance Education Handbook

Academic Affairs, conducts a Self-Reflective Assessment Survey (Appendix B) every Spring that

faculty teaching distance education course must complete.

Feedback from this important survey is used to guide topics for IOTL workshops and training

offered by the DE coordinator. The aim is to help faculty meet the Title 5 regulations (listed in

Appendix C) and support them in achieving continued excellence in instruction and robust

student success.

7. DE Faculty Support Resources

• Faculty Resource Canvas course: Innovation in Online Teaching and Learning (IOTL)

• @One Free and Self-paced courses: This link takes you to the catalog of courses offered by

@One, Online network of Educators.

• Instructor Resources: List of Canvas Instructor Guides

• Student Resources: List of Canvas Student Guides

• District Helpdesk for Technical Support:

o Hours: M-TH: 7:00 am to 7:30 pm; Fri. 7:00 am to 5:30 pm)

o Phone: (408) 270-6411

o Email - helpdesk@sjeccd.edu

• Evenings and Weekends Helpdesk for Technical Support

o Phone: (844) 303-5596

o Email: support@instructure.com

• EVC - Online Library.

• Online Campus Tutoring Center.

• Online Evergreen Valley College Bookstore

8 Local Peer Online Course Review (POCR) committee

In 2018, EVC joined the CVC-OEI Consortium college with focus on student equity. As part of

CVC-OEI (California Virtual Campus – Online Education Initiative) cohort, EVC has established a

local POCR as a faculty resource to implement OEI Course Design Rubric adopted by the EVC

Academic Senate, Spring 2019. The rationale for establishing local POCR is that it positively

influences student success in courses that have been reviewed and redesigned using the OEI

Course Design Rubric. Research shows that OEI Pilot courses that have been through the POCR

process are performing at +4.9 percentage points above the statewide average of online success.

EVC Distance Education Handbook

8.1 Qualifications

DE faculty who are experienced online instructors (have taught online for at least 2 semesters

within the last 3 years) and completed the six-week (60 hours) POCR online course facilitated

either by @One or EVC based POCR program, to support best practices in online course design.

To become a POCR certified reviewer and complete the 60-hour POCR course please contact the

DE Coordinator and POCR Lead.

8.2 Duties and Responsibilities

• The local POCR serves as resource for professional development of new and experienced

online faculty.

• To ensure that DE courses at EVC meet accreditation requirements, POCR will review and

assess fully online courses for Regular Effective Contact elements in Section B of OEI

Rubric Standard

• Create a community of practice among peers in which they share their challenges, develop

new approaches, and support one another.

• The goal is to have more aligned “Quality Reviewed” courses, certificates, and degrees from

EVC on the CVC Exchange.

EVC Distance Education Handbook

9. Appendices.

9.1 Appendix A: Faculty Online Teaching Certification form

Please use the DE eligibility form in the IOTL Canvas course to submit documentation of your

certification. Contact the DE coordinator for more information.

9.2 Appendix B: Self Reflective Assessment form.

This Microsoft form is sent out each spring to all faculty and is to be completed by faculty who are

teaching online courses that semester.

• Self-Reflective Assessment Survey Spring 2023

• Self-Reflective Assessment Survey Spring 2022

9.3 Appendix C: Title 5 Regulations

Below is a summary of the regulations that you must follow when you teach any Distance Education

Modality. Each item is linked to resources that will help you as you revise your course to remain in

compliance. At the bottom of the list is a link to detailed descriptions of the regulations, including the

actual language or each one. (update the language)

Higher Education Opportunity Act (HEOA) of 2008: “an institution that offers

distance education to have processes through which the institution establishes that the

student who registers in a distance education course or program is the same student

who participates in and completes the program and receives the academic credit.”

How do we meet it? Students must regularly log in and participate in distance education courses via

the college provided learning management system (LMS) under their own college provided identification.

Accounting for the students’ presence in the course via log in or test attempts is not enough to meet this

requirement. Students must also participate in the course work via assignments, activities, discussions

etc. through the learning management system.

How do I do that in my course? Having policies that cover participation levels of your students,

like drop policies and late policies help with authenticating that the student enrolled in the course is the

one taking the course. In addition, making sure that you are checking their participation using the Canvas

analytic dashboard can help you determine the level of participation of your students and give you the

Last Date of Attendance should they stop attending. You should also have activities that happen within

Canvas rather than everything in your course happening off in a publisher website.

Title 5, section 55200: Accessibility. Definition and Application. Distance education

means instruction in which the instructor and student are separated by distance and

interact through the assistance of communication technology. All distance education is

subject to the general requirements of this chapter as well as the specific requirements

of this article. In addition, instruction provided as distance education is subject to the

requirements that may be imposed by the American with Disabilities Act (42 U.S.C.

§12100 et seq.) and section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended (29 U.S.C

§794d)

EVC Distance Education Handbook

How do we meet it? All course content delivered via distance education must be accessible to the

visually and hearing impaired. Captioning and/or other means of providing alternative text and/or audio

must be available for content that is a regular component of the course.

How do I do that in my course? This OEI Canvas Course has a module that will explain what

needs to be accessible and a checklist on the second page of the module that will give you revision

guidance. It may be worth your time to review the entire module. Here is a direct link to the

checklist. Additionally, the information about how to check your Canvas pages for accessible content

using two checking tools that we have available are linked below:

• Canvas Instructor Guide - Accessibility Checker Tutorial

• Pope Tech Canvas LMS integration Tutorial

Title 5, section 55204. Regular Substantive Interaction. In addition to the

requirements of section 55002 and any locally established requirements applicable to

all courses, district governing boards shall ensure that: Any portion of a course

conducted through distance education includes regular and substantive interaction

between the instructor(s) and students and among students, either synchronously or

asynchronously through group or individual meetings, orientation and review

sessions, supplemental seminar or study sessions, field trips, library workshops,

telephone contact, voice mail, e-mail, or other.

How do we meet it? All course content delivered via distance education must show evidence of

regular and substantive interaction between instructor and students and among students. Substantive

means engaging students in teaching, learning and assessment, consistent with the content under

discussion. Regular means instructors will initiate and proactively engage in substantive interaction

with students on a predictable and scheduled basis reflective of the content and duration of the

course.

How do I do that in my course? Please review the topics in the module at this location.

Detailed Regulatory Information: This link will provide you with detailed descriptions and

regulatory language for all the requirements and information about how we should be designing to

meet those requirements.

9.3 Appendix D: Instructions for completing DE addendum.

§ 55206 of Title V DE regulations requires a separate course approval via a DE addendum to the official

course outline of record, if any portion of the instruction in a new or existing course is to be provided

through distance education.

Distance Education courses are required to be virtual equivalent to their on-campus version in all but the

delivery modality. Therefore, the existing course outline's expectations and parameters establish the

requirements of the course quality for this proposal.

This document is intended to help faculty complete the new DE addendum section on CurriQnet so it

meets federal, state and local requirements.

EVC Distance Education Handbook

To begin, log into CurriQnet and either open your course proposal or launch a new

proposal. Click on the DE Addendum tab from the navigation menu on the left

(you may need to scroll down a little)

Step 1: Select Modalities

Click the checkbox next to each modality the course can be offered. You can check

one or more boxes in one go. We recommend checking all the modalities. That

way you have DE approval already in place, in the event the course needs to be

offered in another modality. Checking a modality does not mean you have to offer the course in that

modality.

Explanation for each modality

● Fully Asynchronous (fully online): If you would like to offer the course fully online using Canvas

with NO required (on-campus or zoom) meetings.

o If your course is online but has on campus exams – that is considered a hybrid. Please make

sure you check the Asynchronous hybrid modality.

o If all learning content is online but the exams are on Zoom, that is considered an Online

blend.

● Asynchronous Hybrid (partially online, partially on campus): If you would like to teach the course

such that a portion (one or more class meetings) is on campus.

o If all learning content is online but the exams are on campus, that is considered an

Asynchronous hybrid.

EVC Distance Education Handbook

o If all learning content is online but the exams are on Zoom, that is considered an Online

blend.

● Fully Synchronous (scheduled online meetings via Video conferencing): If you would like to offer

the course such that all class meetings are scheduled via Zoom. There can be no required on-

campus meetings.

● Synchronous Hybrid (class meetings are partially online and partially on campus): In this

modality, you have the flexibility to have one or more meeting on campus and the rest are online

via Zoom

o If your course is online via zoom but has on campus exams – that is considered a hybrid.

Please make sure you check the Synchronous hybrid modality.

● Online Blend (partially asynchronous and partially synchronous): This is a new online modality

which allows for limited instructor interactions without requiring the student to come on campus

o If all learning content is online but the exams are on Zoom, that is considered an Online

blend. Please check the Online blend modality.

Note: Each modality checked is good for Fall, Spring and Summer. Once the DE addendum is approved,

the course can be offered during any term.

Step 2: Press Save and make selection from drop down menu

1) After checking the modalities. Press Save.

2) Then select the available option (there will only be one) from the drop-down menu.

It is necessary that you press save and make the selection from the drop-down menu. This is just a step

that needs to be done because of the way CurriQnet is set up. It will ensure that the appropriate section

for step 3 is visible.

Note: This step must be done after modality the box/es is checked. If you go back and change the box

selection, step 2 must be done again.

Step 3: Read through “How will the Class meets online?”

Depending on whether the modalities you chose has Asynchronous or Synchronous portions, you will see

one or both of the following two sections.

How will the class meet asynchronously online?

EVC Distance Education Handbook

How will the class meet synchronously online?

The listed items are what is required for All DE courses. If your course requires or uses other ways of

meeting these requirements please list them in the “Other “ box.

If your course meets the requirements in some or all the ways that are listed, you do not have to do

anything. Go to the next step.

Step 4: How will Regular Substantive interaction be provided in the course?

Please indicate by checking the appropriate boxes, the type of interactions that will be employed by the

instructor to effectively meet Regular and Substantive Interaction (RSI). The most common of these are

listed. You will need to select at least three.

EVC Distance Education Handbook

Please use the other box to describe how, when, and how frequently you will use a different type of

interaction.

If you will not be using any other type of interactions besides the ones checked, go to the next step.

Step 5: Choose Online Adaptations of Methods of Instruction

Please indicate by checking the appropriate boxes the which methods of instruction will be used by the

instructor in the course. At least a few of these activities must be instructor-initiated and in Canvas. You

will need to choose at least two.

EVC Distance Education Handbook

Please use the other box to list and describe if you plan to use a different method of instruction or tool

then the ones listed. Any additional tools must be integrated into the LMS and meet regulatory

compliance such as FERPA, Accessibility, Student authentication and RSI

If you will not be using any other methods of instructions besides the ones checked, go to the next step.

Step 6: Choose Online Adaptation of Methods of Evaluation

Please indicate by checking the appropriate boxes which methods of evaluation will be used by the

instructor in the course. At least a few of these assessments must be instructor-initiated and in Canvas.

You will need to choose at least 2.

EVC Distance Education Handbook

Please use the “other” box to list and describe if you plan to use a different method of evaluation then the

ones listed. For example, if the course uses a Capstone project as a final assessment, please include that in

the “other” box.

If you will not be using any other methods of evaluation besides the ones checked, go to the next step

Step 7: Click Save to finish

That’s it. Click Save and you are done with the DE Addendum!