Course and Class Section Requirements

Course and Class Section Requirements Policy

Effective: Fall 2024

Version History: Policy development/review process confirmed by UCC April 23, 2024, approved by EVCAA June 26, 2024

Policy Owner: Academic Affairs

Policy Contacts: Jennifer Mencl, Undergraduate Education; Erik Brown, Graduate Education; Tracey Bolen, Registrar

 

Purpose and Scope

UMD is committed to providing high quality education. This policy affirms UMD’s obligations to help ensure all sections of a course, regardless of instruction mode and class schedule, will be consistent in content, level, rigor, and quality. 

  1. Course Instruction Modes. In addition to traditional, face-to-face education, UMD is approved by the Higher Learning Commission for distance education and courses; UMD is not approved for correspondence education. University of Minnesota curriculum guidelines permit programs to approve the “instruction mode(s)” for courses as Completely Online, Primarily Online, Partially Online, In Person. Completely Online and Primarily Online meet the U.S. Department of Education’s standards for distance education, in which 75% or more of the course is delivered through distance education. 

    1. Completely Online: Technologies are used (a) to deliver 100% of instruction to students who are separated from the instructor and (b) to support regular and substantive interaction between the students and the instructor, either synchronously or asynchronously.
    2. Primarily Online: 75% or more of the course is delivered Completely Online and the remainder of the course is In Person; the general guideline is 1-3 scheduled, in-person class meetings per term, however, the number may vary based on the class’s credits, instructional time, and meeting pattern. 
    3. Partially Online: Less than 75% of the course is delivered Completely Online and the remainder of the course is In Person; the general guideline is 4 or more scheduled, in-person class meetings per term, however, the number may vary based on the class’s credits, instructional time, and meeting pattern.
    4. In Person: 0% of the course is delivered Completely Online; the class is delivered only in-person with scheduled class meetings.
       

  2. Class Attributes. Each class section of a course is assigned a “class attribute” when the class is scheduled; class attributes include online, remote, blended, and in-person. 

    1. Online (Instruction Mode = Completely Online): the class has no set times or days; also known as “asynchronous.”
    2. Remote (Instruction Mode = Completely Online): the class has one or more set meeting times and days; the set meetings are known as “synchronous.”
    3. Blended (Instruction Modes = Primarily Online or Partially Online): the class has one or more set meetings in-person and the remainder of the class is online (asynchronous) or remote (synchronous). Departments and colleges are responsible for determining whether a blended class is Primarily Online or Partially Online based on the percentage of the class that is provided online (see 1.B. and 1.C.).
    4. In-person (Instruction Mode = In Person): the class is only scheduled with set, in-person meetings.
       

  3. Class Terms and Sessions. All class sections are scheduled in sessions within academic terms that are identified by the official academic calendar. Asynchronous online classes and blended classes with an asynchronous online component are expected to be available to students on the session start date and run through the scheduled end date. The academic calendar also identifies dates when the campus is closed and no classes are held as well as additional dates when no classes are held (e.g., fall break; spring break). 

    1. Fall and spring terms: 15-week regular session; 7-week session; 5-week session.
    2. Summer term: multiple sessions with variable lengths.
       

  4. Course Learning Outcomes. To ensure consistency of course content and learning, every course must have comparable learning outcomes across all class sections regardless of instruction mode, class attribute, and class schedule. Each instructor of the course may include additional learning outcomes for their specific class. All course learning outcomes must be included on the class syllabi (UMD Policy: Syllabus).

  5. Regular and Substantive Interaction (RSI). Instructors are expected to design and deliver all classes with “regular and substantive interaction” (RSI) between themselves and students. The ways in which an instructor provides RSI should be evident on the class syllabus.

    1. Regular interaction includes both:

      1. Providing the opportunity for substantive interactions with the student on a predictable and scheduled basis commensurate with the length of time and the amount of content in the class; and

      2. Monitoring the student’s academic engagement and success, and ensuring that an instructor is responsible for promptly and proactively engaging in substantive interaction with the student when needed on the basis of such monitoring, or upon request by the student.

    2. Substantive interaction refers to engaging students in teaching, learning and assessment, consistent with the content under discussion. Substantive interaction includes at least two of the following:

      1. Providing direct instruction

      2. Assessing or providing feedback on a student's coursework

      3. Providing information or responding to questions about the content of a course or competency

      4. Facilitating a group discussion regarding the content of a course or competency 

      5. Other instructional activities approved by HLC or the program's accrediting agency (only for classes scheduled as asynchronous online)

    3. Characteristics of RSI include:

      1. Initiated by the instructor; 

      2. Scheduled and predictable; 

      3. Frequent and consistent; 

      4. Academic in nature and relevant to the course.

       For RSI examples please refer to the UMD RSI Resource Guide listed in #7. Teaching and Learning Resources.
 

  1. Class Section Enrollment and First-Day Attendance. For any class with scheduled in-person meetings, class enrollment may be less than the assigned room capacity, however, class enrollment must not exceed the assigned room capacity due to building code requirements. In the case of a cross-listed or dual-listed class that has combined class meetings, total enrollment for the combined sections must not exceed the room’s capacity. 

    Instructors are expected to manage student enrollment in their courses, which includes taking attendance during the first scheduled class meeting. For classes that are scheduled asynchronously, instructors are expected to manage first-day attendance by confirming class participation through a specific action a student would need to take within a time period established by the instructor to be considered as having attended. 

    Students may enroll in the class if seats are available after first-day attendance is confirmed in accordance with their college/department policies/procedures; student enrollment may involve waitlist procedures (One Stop Wait List Information). Confirming attendance early allows students to adjust their class schedules and manage their degree progress. 

  2. Teaching and Learning Resources. 

    1. Instructors are strongly encouraged to:

      1. Seek assistance from and work with UMD ITSS Academic Technology and Course Design Team members.

        Course Design Consultations

        Academic Technology Appointments

      2. Draw information and ideas for instructional activities from the UMN Teaching Support website and the UMD RSI Resource Guide. [guide to be developed by a workgroup in fall 2024]
      3. Participate in professional development opportunities for teaching that are provided by the University’s Center for Educational Innovation (CEI) and by the University’ Academic Technology Support Services (ATSS).
         

    2. Students are strongly encouraged to: 

      1. Contact the ITSS TechCenter & Help Desk or UMN Technology Help for technology problems and questions.
      2. Complete the Canvas module "Learning Online 101" if taking a class scheduled as online, remote, or blended.
      3. Regularly and actively engage with the learning activities structured into their learning experiences regardless of how the experience is presented (e.g., read printed materials; read online materials; watch/listen to video/audio recordings; take notes on required materials; read and post/respond in online discussions multiple times and/or on a regular basis; complete assigned class components with sufficient time to seek clarification if the need arises).  
      4. Meaningfully interact with their class instructors (e.g., reply to instructor comments in online, remote, and in-person discussions; email instructors with course content and assignment questions; attend office/drop-in hours or meet with instructors through appointments; participate in scheduled tutorials or review sessions).

 

Definitions 

Definitions are provided for distance education and correspondence education, which are distinct forms of teaching and learning requiring approval by the Higher Learning Commission (HLC). UMD is approved by HLC to deliver distance education courses (please refer to the UMN Office of Information Technology’s Technology for Courses for Instructors webpage for information about technologies available to UMN faculty). UMD is not approved by HLC to deliver correspondence courses.

Distance education (from Higher Learning Commission; based on federal definition): Education that uses one or more of the technologies listed below [a] to deliver instruction to students who are separated from the instructor or instructors and [b] to support regular and substantive interaction between the students and the instructor or instructors, either synchronously or asynchronously.

The technologies that may be used to offer distance education include:

  1. The internet;
  2. One-way and two-way transmissions through open broadcast, closed circuit, cable, microwave, broadband lines, fiber optics, satellite or wireless communications devices;
  3. Audio conference; or
  4. Other media used in a course in conjunction with any of the technologies listed in items 1–3 above.

Correspondence education (from Higher Learning Commission; based on federal definition): A course provided by an institution under which the institution provides instructional materials, by mail or electronic transmission, including examinations on the materials, to students who are separated from the instructors. Interaction between instructors and students in a correspondence course is limited, not regular and substantive, and is primarily initiated by the students. If a course is part correspondence and part residential training, it is considered a correspondence education course. A correspondence education course is not distance education. 

 

Frequently Asked Questions


1. How does an instructor seek HLC approval or confirmation for a specific instructional activity to be identified as substantive interaction for an asynchronous online class?

UMD’s accreditation liaison officer for HLC will coordinate all instructor requests for HLC approval of instructional activities as substantive interaction. Please contact Jennifer Mencl, [email protected]; 218-726-7385.
 

2. What is HyFlex teaching and can instructors use it? 

A HyFlex class is one in which the instructor would design the class for In Person and for Completely Online instruction modes; the class would be scheduled as in-person and the instructor would allow each student to choose either modality throughout the session/term. In effect, the formal delivery mode would be classroom, but a student could take the entire class online. Although the method allows for all students enrolled in the same class to choose their modality, UMD does not allow for HyFlex classes because some students may not have the option to choose. For example, international students on certain visas cannot take more than one online course per term based on federal regulations. 

3. Can a student use technology to attend an in-person class remotely?
Instructors are not obligated to use technology, such as Zoom, to accommodate students enrolled in an in-person class who are unable to attend a class meeting in-person. The use of technology in the classroom is at the instructor’s discretion. If instructors use technology to accommodate students, they should explain any applicable limitations (e.g., how a student’s experience not being in the classroom and relying on the technology may differ from the in-person experience).
 

4. Can an instructor modify a class that has already been scheduled?

The ability to make a class change depends on whether students are enrolled in the class. Change requests may not be approved due to the nature of the change. All class change requests must be submitted by the department class scheduler using the “Change in Class Schedule Request Form” for the appropriate term.

Resource for faculty and staff: Office of the Registrar internal website

 

Related Policies