Responsibilities of Online Faculty

Faculty Handbook for Online Teaching and Learning

Faculty New to Angelo State and/or to Teaching Online

Academic departments are responsible for identifying and appointing faculty to teach online classes, whether these classes are part of traditional programs or Angelo State’s online programs. Faculty who teach distance education courses are hired, appointed, and credentialed by their academic program, college/school, and the Office of the Provost/VPAA. Accreditation agencies require that faculty are well prepared to teach distance education courses. Faculty may be assigned to teach courses that span an entire semester or shorter, part-of-term courses.

To begin online course development and be eligible for online course instruction, faculty members are required to complete the Online Foundational Practices Training Course offered by the CDLI before teaching online sections. Contact the CDLI for the next time the Online Training Course will be offered.

Preparing to Teach

All distance education courses must be delivered through Angelo State’s institutional learning management system (LMS), currently Blackboard. Consistent use of this LMS ensures that course materials are accessible, student confidentiality is maintained, and record-keeping is properly managed. Furthermore, distance courses must meet the same learning outcomes, course descriptions, expectations, quality, and rigor as their face-to-face counterparts. To achieve this, all courses should be designed with clearly stated learning outcomes and objectives, adhering to the approved versions of the course descriptions from the University catalog and the Texas Academic Course Guide Manual and to any department approved learning objectives for courses that require standardized objectives (e.g. core courses).

Faculty assigned to a course should identify and select any required textbooks and course materials through the Angelo State Bookstore portal by the set deadlines.

Faculty members should develop a syllabus utilizing Concourse which will be posted in Blackboard by the Friday before a term begins. Faculty must use their angelo.edu email address to complete the contact section. Students will have access to Blackboard courses on the Friday before a term begins. The course should be prepared for the students to enter and explore. Please review the policy in OP 06.14 to ensure that your online class and required syllabus elements meet compliance standards.

Content Accessibility

It is the responsibility of the faculty member to ensure that all students can access the course content and related material. Federal and state regulations and University policies govern accessibility, as outlined below.

OP 10.25 outlines faculty responsibilities for making digital content accessible in accordance with federal law. Additional resources and support are available online in the Digital Accessibility section of the Digital Learning and Instruction Hub.

Federal Policy

To address equitable access to educational programs, curriculum, activities, and opportunities, Angelo State University is committed to full compliance with the American with Disabilities Act (ADA), Section 504 and 508 (Electronic and Information Technology Accessibility Standards) of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, which prohibit discrimination against persons with disabilities. Students are encouraged to contact Angelo State University’s Student Disability Services to discuss available services and accommodations.

State Policy

The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB) serves as a partner, resource, and advocate for higher education institutions across Texas. They have established the following Texas Administrative Code (TAC) rules that all institutions must adhere to:

These rules are regularly updated to ensure compliance with evolving federal and accreditation standards.

Angelo State University Policy

Please refer to OP 10.25 Accessibility in Electronic Information, Communication, and Technology Resources to ensure compliance with the rules and regulations stated above.

During your time at Angelo State University, digital course content will be delivered via Blackboard, Angelo State University’s learning management system (LMS). Faculty utilize Blackboard Ally to ensure optimal accessibility. This tool allows course designers and instructors to deliver content that is enhanced to meet the diverse needs of students in digital environments.

You are encouraged to attend professional development around how to best utilize Blackboard Ally to help ensure that your content is accessible for all students. Additional information on how to use Ally.

Teaching the Online Class

Once the course has started, faculty should conduct all course-related communication within Blackboard to prevent confusion for students. Faculty members are expected to foster interaction between themselves and students, as well as among students. Additionally, faculty should be available for student interactions and maintain predictable and scheduled virtual office hours in accordance with university policy. Please consult with your Department Chair for specific expectations for your department.

Deadlines and expected activities must be clearly outlined at the start of the term. Faculty members are expected to respond to student emails and other communications in a timely manner. Regular communication with students, including announcements, discussion board posts, emails, and web conferences, is essential.

Grades and feedback should be provided promptly to give students a clear understanding of their progress. Faculty are encouraged to inform students when they can expect to receive feedback, helping them to learn and adjust future assignments accordingly. Faculty members are expected to keep the gradebook in the Blackboard learning management system up to date, enabling students to track their progress effectively. For compressed courses, such as the Winter mini-session, feedback should be provided more quickly due to the shortened time frame, allowing students to adapt their work for future submissions. Department guidelines may specify a shorter timeline for grading feedback each week. According to OP 06.14 guidelines, faculty should provide feedback on student progress, especially before the last day to withdraw from class, to help students make informed decisions about their academic standing.

Faculty members are responsible for ensuring that all copyright provisions are followed and that permissions have been obtained for any materials used in the course. Additional information is available on Angelo State’s Copyright Guidelines web page.

When posting course materials, use common file types and adhere to accessibility standards. Each instructor’s course includes Blackboard ALLY, a tool that assesses the accessibility of uploaded materials and provides feedback and guidance on improving accessibility. Additionally, the tool offers alternative formats of materials for students. For further information, visit the CDLI Hub.

Completing the Class

A link will be available within each Blackboard course for students to complete an IDEA course evaluation before a course ends. Faculty should encourage students to complete the questions by the deadline communicated by the Office of Accountability. The IDEA survey is automatically placed in each course; however, faculty should notify students when it is available for them to submit their feedback at the end of the semester.

Faculty should prepare grades for submission by the deadline designated by the Registrar. Detailed instructions, including deadlines and submission procedures, will be provided by the Registrar. Additionally, the Final Grade Submission in Blackboard Knowledge Base contains directions on how to submit final grades. Final grades are generally due the Monday after a session ends, so it is important to ensure you have enough time to grade final assignments and submit your final grades before the due date.

If a student is unable to complete the coursework due to extenuating circumstances, faculty should assign a grade of ‘Incomplete’ when appropriate and later change that grade once the work is completed. Students with an ‘Incomplete’ will automatically continue to have access to the course. The grade ‘I’ is given when a student cannot complete the course due to illness or personal misfortune. An ‘I’ that is not removed before the end of the next long semester automatically becomes an ‘F’. Instructors should follow the procedures for Grade Change Requests to change a grade from ‘I’ to the final determined grade.

If a student either “never attended” or “stopped attending,” faculty should assign an “F” grade. For students who “stopped attending,” faculty must also provide the date of the last known active participation in any instructional activity, such as responding to discussion boards, participating in study groups, completing assignments, attending lectures, labs, or tests. Note that simply logging into the class does not count as “active participation.”

Student attendance in online/hybrid courses is defined as active participation in the course as described in each individual course syllabus. Online/hybrid courses will, at a minimum, have weekly mechanisms for student participation which can be documented through ASU’s Learning Management System by any or all of the following methods:

Completion of tests or quizzes
Discussion forums
- A posting by the student showing the student’s participation in an online study group that is assigned by the institution
- A posting by the student in a discussion forum showing the student’s participation in an online discussion about academic matters
Submission/completion of assignments
Documented student participation in an interactive tutorial or computer-assisted instruction
Required synchronous class meetings

Course Document Retention

Academic departments should inform faculty about the policies and procedures for retaining student records and documents, such as tests and assignments, used to determine course grades. Most of these items are typically stored in the Blackboard course shell. If a hybrid course uses paper tests and does not store them in the Blackboard course shell, they need to be retained for future reference. It is highly encouraged to keep all assessment information within your Blackboard course shell. According to policy, these documents must be available for at least one year after the course ends to support grade appeals, although some accreditation criteria may require a longer retention period.

Once a course has ended, faculty should not make any changes or updates to that specific course shell. If faculty need to prepare for a future course, they should request a course template to make any updates or revisions, ensuring the integrity of the course is maintained.

Grade Grievance Request & Appeals

A student may request a review of their final grade by addressing their concern directly to the faculty member. If a grading error is identified, a grade change form can be completed. If a student disagrees with the faculty member’s decision, they may follow the steps for a grade appeal.

If you have a student who you believe has cheated or some type of academic discipline this should also be reported through Student Affairs and addressed through the student conduct process. Submit the student incident form.

If a student needs to appeal a grade in an online course, the process does not differ from that of a face-to-face course. Visit Angelo State University’s policy on the grade appeal process.

Student Complaint Assistance

We aim to resolve all student issues at the faculty level. Students can talk to their Department Chairs and Deans where that respective course lies if their issue is not resolved with the individual faculty member. If for some reason a student can not get their concerns resolved the student can work with the Dean of Students office. Faculty members can also reach out and talk through student issues with their Department Chair or Dean of Students. More information can be found on the Dean of Students website.

Although Angelo State University does not anticipate being unable to resolve an issue internally, the following resources are available to students if they encounter any issues with an online course or program:

SACSCOC
THECB
NC SARA - National Council for State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements

Title 19 of the Texas Administrative Code, Sections 1.110-1.120 outlines the student complaint procedure to comply with the United States Department of Education’s (DOE) regulations.