Flexible Access and Delivery Form Procedure

Flexible Access/Delivery courses are classes such as courses delivered through the Internet, "blended" courses which include multiple delivery and media and telecourses. These courses are defined as those that include substantial components of distance and/or asynchronous learning as a substitute for, rather than as a complement to, traditional delivery where students and faculty are in the same place at the same time. Special care must be taken with such courses to make sure that they match the same high standards as any course offered at St. Petersburg College, meet the guidelines of accrediting agencies, meet the appropriate needs of students, and build on the unique strength and talents of instructors.

With that in mind, the following process has been established to initially review the offering of Flexible Access/Delivery courses and to provide a continuing mechanism for reviewing and improving these courses. This review process does not replace the normal Curriculum and Instruction Committee process, which focuses on content, but rather complements it by focusing on the alternate delivery mechanisms.

All Flexible Access/Delivery courses are to follow this process before the original offering.

1. The review process begins when an electronic request is made by an individual or instructional team to offer a Flexible Access/Delivery class. The faculty member submits a completed electronic Flexible Access and Delivery Form, after it has been checked by an Instructional Technologist,
   
   
2. The Curriculum Services Coordinator, upon consultation with the Senior Vice President for Educational and Student Services, appoints a review committee, which will include the following individuals:
   1. (Program) Director of at least one of the following: eCampus and Instructional Computing;
   2. Program Director of department that submitted the Proposal;
   3. Faculty member(s) from various campuses who have taught this course or a closely related course through normal delivery techniques; and
   4. Faculty member(s) who have taught similar remote delivery courses.
   
   
   
3. The Curriculum Services Coordinator will send an email notifying the selected reviewers that a proposal is ready for review. The reviewers will have a deadline of approximately two weeks to review and comment on the proposal.
   
   
4. The committee will review the Form for its content and delivery and will submit one of the following options, electronically to the Curriculum Services Coordinator:
   1. Approve for offering - Flexible Access and Delivery course meets SPC Standards
   2. Approve for offering pending implementation of suggestions outlined (with specific suggestions for modification)
   3. Recommend major revision with additional review before approving (with specific suggestions for modification)
   
   
   
5. If the decision is made to (b) "approve pending revision," the faculty member will make revisions within two weeks of the electronic response from the Curriculum Services Coordinator and resubmit to the Curriculum Services Coordinator, who will resubmit to the Committee for another review.  The Committee will have another two weeks to review the revised proposal and make comments to the Curriculum Services Coordinator.
   
   If the decision is made to (c) "recommend major revisions," the faculty member will make revisions within one month of the electronic response from the Curriculum Services Coordinator and resubmit to Curriculum Services Coordinator, who will resubmit to the Committee for another review.  The Committee will have another two weeks to review the revised proposal and make comments to the Curriculum Services Coordinator.
   
   
6. The Senior Vice President for Educational and Student Services may allow the course to be offered one semester as a "pilot" while revisions to the Proposal are being made.  Before the course can be offered again, the proposal must be promptly revised and resubmitted for review and approval.
   
   
7. The Senior Vice President for Educational and Student Services will make the final decision regarding the approval of any Flexible Access and Delivery Proposals.
   
   
8. All existing Flexible Access Courses will be subject to a cyclical review.  As the normal curriculum review process comes due for a course's three year review with the Curriculum and Instruction Committee, the Flexible Access Course will use the existing Flexible Access and Delivery Form, in addition to any requirements for the course itself, following the same procedure described above.
   
   

Version: 10/04