SECTION EBA.1

INSTRUCTION
ALTERNATIVE METHODS OF INSTRUCTION
DISTANCE EDUCATION

Procedure

DEFINITIONS

For the purposes of this procedure, “distance education” means education that uses one or more of the technologies listed below to deliver instruction to students who are separated from the instructor and to support regular and substantive interaction between the students and the instructor, either synchronously or asynchronously. The technologies may include:

the Internet;
software applications, media, or instructional content if used in conjunction with any of the above technologies.

Navarro College adheres to the following Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board definitions of online and hybrid courses as defined in Texas Administrative Code Title 19, Part 1, Chapter 2, Subchapter J, Rule §2.202:

100-Percent Online Course - A distance education course in which 100 percent of instructional activity takes place when the student(s) and instructor(s) are in separate physical locations. Requirements for on-campus or in-person orientation, testing, academic support services, internships/fieldwork, or other non-instructional activities do not exclude a course from this category.

Hybrid Course - A distance education course in which more than 50 percent but less than 100 percent of instructional activity takes place when the student(s) and instructor(s) are in separate physical locations.

STANDARDS AND CRITERIA

With respect to distance education, Navarro College shall:

Comply with the standards and criteria of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges.
Adhere to criteria outlined in Principles of Good Practice for Degree and Certificate Programs and Courses Offered through Distance Education.
Provide distance education students with academic and student support services appropriate for distance education, such as, but not limited to, advising, career counseling, counseling, library, tutoring, and other resources.
Report enrollments, courses, and graduates associated with distance education offerings as required by the commissioner.

OUT OF STATE

Navarro College is a member of the National Council of State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements (NC-SARA) and is therefore authorized to permit out-of-state students to enroll in distance education classes. Out-of-state students must follow the same admissions processes and requirements as in-state students.

DISTANCE EDUCATION COURSES

Each course shall support the mission, vision, and values of Navarro College and shall be on its inventory of approved courses.

All courses shall meet the quality standards applicable to on-campus courses.

Navarro College shall report to the Coordinating Board, in accordance with Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB) policy and procedures, all distance education courses and programs.

Students shall satisfy the same requirement for enrollment in an distance education course as required of face-to-face students. The instructor of record shall bear responsibility for the delivery of instruction and for evaluation of student progress.

Prior THECB approval may be required before Navarro College can offer programs in certain subject area disciplines or under other conditions specified by the Coordinating Board or the commissioner.

DISTANCE EDUCATION FACULTY

Faculty shall be selected and evaluated by equivalent standards, review, and approval procedures used by the institution to select and evaluate faculty responsible for on-campus courses.

The Instructional Design Consultant and the Coordinator of Instructional Technology shall coordinate training and support to enhance the added skills required of the faculty teaching courses through electronic means.

Prior to approval for a faculty member to teach a distance education course, the faculty member shall attend a Canvas training workshop provided by the Instructional Design Consultant and demonstrate competency to the appropriate dean.

Faculty who have completed training in the Canvas Learning Management System (LMS) at an institution other than Navarro College may be permitted to teach online or hybrid courses if they meet the following conditions:

Instructor provide documentation of having successfully completed Canvas LMS training provided by another educational institution (K-12, Higher Ed, etc.). This documentation may be in the form of a certificate, letter, etc. and should include a date of completion. A minimum of 3 hours of Canvas instruction is preferred, but not required.
Documentation will be evaluated by the appropriate dean and (if necessary) the Instructional Design Consultant for approval.

The supervising, monitoring, and evaluating processes for faculty shall be equivalent to those for on-campus courses.

TECHNICAL SUPPORT

The College provides technical support to ensure that online classes are delivered to students with minimal disruption. Instructors should document technical problems that interfere with instruction and communicate that information to both the Information Technology (IT) Department and the Coordinator of Instructional Technology. Suppliers of third-party applications and software used by the College will also provide technical support to students as necessary. Whenever possible, routine IT maintenance is completed within a time frame which prevents disruption of the class schedule.

For technical issues, including difficulties accessing Navarro College user accounts or questions regarding Canvas access, students may contact the Contact Center using the Contact Center Email form. Please include your Full Name, Date of Birth, and Student ID Number in your email to facilitiate assistance.

For Canvas non-technical issues related to online courses, students may contact the Online Department using the Online Department Email form for support.

EVALUATION

Faculty who teach online or hybrid classes will follow the faculty appraisal process as outlined in Navarro College Board Policy Manual, Section DH.1: Personnel – Employee Performance.

STUDENT SUPPORT SERVICES

Students enrolled in online or hybrid courses have access to academic support services, including academic advising, counseling, library, and other learning resources, technological access support, tutoring, and financial aid.

APPROVAL TO TEACH ONLINE COURSES AND STUDENT SUPPORT

Technical Competency: Before an instructor is approved to teach an online course, he/she must demonstrate proficiency in technical skills and effective online teaching strategies.
Online course assignment: Teaching assignments and the number of online course sections needed in any given semester will be determined through a centralized scheduling process in consultation with Department Chairs and Program Directors/Coordinators.
Approval to teach online or hybrid courses: Deans will approve assignments to teach online or hybrid courses based on course quality, faculty load, faculty skill set and other appropriate criteria.

REVIEW OF ONLINE POLICIES AND PROCEDURES

The Online Advisory Committee, which is made up of the Executive Dean of Academic Studies, Department Chairs and Faculty representatives, will recommend appropriate adjustments, amendments, and/or changes to the Distance Learning Policies and Procedures as necessary on an ongoing basis. The Committee will consult the appropriate departments and/or administration, for approval of any amendments.

FACULTY RESPONSIBILITIES

Faculty teaching online or hybrid courses must meet the appropriate Navarro College credentialing qualifications and will be evaluated by the same standards, go through the same review process, and follow the same approval procedures that apply to all other instructors.

INSTRUCTOR LOAD

Full-time and adjunct faculty teaching online or hybrid courses will comply with faculty teaching load procedures as outlined in Board Policy and Administrative Procedures DCB.1 - Faculty Teaching Loads.

COMMUNICATION WITH ONLINE STUDENTS

Faculty are expected to respond to student communication in a timely manner. Instructors should respond within 24 hours during weekdays.

Faculty should provide several means of communication including email, virtual office hours, messages via the LMS (ie. Canvas Inbox), “frequently asked questions” pages in the course site, and phone numbers for student use.

Faculty are not required to publish personal phone numbers. However, a Navarro College office telephone number with voice message system must be published for all courses taught by full-time faculty.

STUDENT ACCESS TO INSTRUCTORS

Faculty teaching distance education courses must provide and post student support hours.

Faculty should be available to students on all days when assignments are due or make clear provisions for a “grace period” for circumstances beyond student control.

Faculty should make provisions for calm, anxiety-free problem resolution when students who are genuinely acting in good faith are unable to complete the assignment on time due to circumstances beyond their control.

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY

To ensure the academic integrity of student work, the instructor must take necessary steps to determine that the student is meeting all ethical expectations of college students and is abiding by academic integrity guidelines outlined in Board Policy and Administrative Procedures FKB.3 - Academic Integrity.

COURSE CONTENT

All subject content, testing schedules, course rigor, and other content-related issues will be the responsibility of the instructor and will parallel in-class/on-campus course content, testing, and rigor. All College policies and procedures related to attendance and withdrawal will apply to online classes.

ENROLLMENT

Students desiring to enroll in an online course must satisfy the same requirements as all students for admission to the institution, to the program of which the course is a part, and to the class/section itself. Before enrolling in an online class, students must make formal application to Navarro College and satisfy all admission requirements. Currently enrolled high school students may have additional admission requirements from their ISD, but in no manner may the enrollment requirement be less than those required by Navarro College. All admission requirements are the same, regardless of the method of course delivery.

Admission to Navarro College does not automatically admit the student to specific programs or courses. Individual course prerequisites must be met, and all Texas Success Initiative requirements must be satisfied before a student is admitted to a class that might require established proficiency in related skills.

STUDENT GRIEVANCES

Students enrolled in online courses have access to the same student grievance procedures as on-campus students. All online student complaints will be addressed in accordance with formal procedures published online in the Navarro College Student Handbook and/or College Catalog.

TESTING

Departments will determine which courses require proctored testing. A notation must be made in Colleague and on the syllabus to inform students of the proctored exam requirement for each course. Exams will be proctored at the College Testing Centers and/or other approved locations at the instructor’s discretion.

In instances where tests require a proctor, students will be responsible for making necessary arrangements with the Testing Center locations at the Corsicana, Waxahachie, Midlothian, and Mexia locations. Students who are unable to access a Navarro College testing center because of distance or other extreme circumstances must procure an instructor-approved testing location prior to the test deadline. Students may be required to pay additional fees when testing at a non-Navarro College testing location.

EQUIPMENT

Computers for online courses are available on the Corsicana, Waxahachie, Midlothian and Mexia locations and may be used by online students when available. However, online students must obtain access to computers and appropriate software from non-College sources when those resources are not available.

COMPENSATION

Compensation for online courses will be consistent with the approved Navarro College compensation standards and will follow faculty compensation procedures as outlined in Board Policy and Administrative Procedures DCB.1.

Approved: 2015
Updated: 2017, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2024
Reviewed: 2022

TOOLS & RESOURCES

SECTION E | INSTRUCTION

SECTION EBA.1