B: How Departments can Support Online Education Quality

At LATTC College, individual faculty and departments have a great deal of freedom and power (and responsibility) when it comes to developing and offering quality online classes and programs. While all LATTC faculty are responsible for following LATTC's policies and procedures for distance education, departments can and do take many additional approaches to support student success online. 

This appendix to the LATTC DE Handbook provides ideas and examples to inform:

  • Department chairs
  • Faculty who provide online education leadership within their departments
  • Or any faculty who want to learn more about collegial support for online education occurring at the LATTC department level

Please click on the tabs below to move through each element of this appendix. The total reading time for the material in this module is under 15 minutes, depending on your needs and interests.

  • Reading time: 5 min.
  • Video time: 0

Just Before and After the Start of a Term

These ideas may be useful for chairs thinking about departmental leadership for communication and actions around the beginning of a term. Remember that in addition to standard 16 week fall and spring semesters on the credit side, we also have many classes starting in the second, third, fifth, and ninth weeks of those semesters, as well as summer classes. Non-credit schedules may vary somewhat from standard credit terms as well. Each department chair may have slightly different priorities and timing, but here are some items that department chairs should consider:

  • Reminding online instructors about departmental practices, requirements of Course Outlines of Record, and institutional expectations for online teaching
  • Reminding departmental faculty about departmental resources supporting online teaching such as a shared Canvas shell 
  • Setting department meeting agenda items related to online teaching
  • Ensuring that when schedule changes occur, instructors are notified so that they can pull out their material before they are removed from the Canvas class
  • Reminding departmental faculty of key LATTC resources guiding and supporting faculty preparing and teaching online classes, such as:
    • LATTC Online Quality Course Guidelines Download LATTC Online Quality Course Guidelines provides requirements and recommendations for online teaching. The requirements are derived from the District's AP 4105, which keeps us in compliance with federal, state, and accreditor regulations and expectations for distance education.
    • The LATTC Faculty Resources site provides many resources supporting faculty in the use of LATTC's online education tools
    • AP 4105 requires us to comply with federal and accreditor requirements around authenticating students in distance education classes. The primary way this occurs is through the use of Canvas and PeopleSoft to both facilitate compliance and to help reduce any potential concern or confusion of students regarding how and where to get started in online classes. 
    • Documents from the district regarding use of cameras and safeguarding student privacy Links to an external site.. Now that Zoom is being used in many classes, concerns have been raised about student equity and privacy; these documents provide guidance and it is highly recommended that you help your faculty become aware of these.
    • Designating Zero and Low Textbook Cost courses and CVC-approved courses with the appropriate icons in PeopleSoft.
    • Availability of support from the LATTC DE Team.
    • Tech support including Canvas 24x7 phone and chat hotlines (click Help at lower left in Canvas) and LATTC's employee help desk
    • Flex workshop opportunities to build online teaching skills and knowledge, found in the Vision Resource Center, accessed through the PeopleSoft login.
  • Reminding departmental faculty of key resources supporting students, (and the expectation that faculty share these with students in syllabuses, during the first week of semester, and regularly throughout the term) such as: 

 

When Fall, Spring, and Intersession Schedules are Developed and Released

While working with faculty and administrators to create a schedule:

When a new class schedule becomes available in PeopleSoft, it's good to remind departmental faculty about the availability of Canvas shells for beginning course development.

 

At Key Points Throughout the Year

  • At least a couple times throughout each term: Checking in with online instructors, especially new ones, to ensure they are supported.
  • As you see important emails relating to Distance Education: Reinforcing those messages within your department, knowing that many instructors will pay more attention to email coming from their department chair. Be sure to forward information to adjuncts who may not have a LATTC email address.
  • As curriculum is being developed/updated: Ensuring Course Outlines of Record for courses that are approved for DE offering do not contain language that presumes on-campus instruction (or when such language is present, also provide online examples/alternatives).
  • During Program Review: Analyzing student success and equity data disaggregated by modality, and creating online-specific plans when needed.
  • When recruiting and hiring faculty: Considering whether/how to highlight the need for online instructional skills, knowledge, and experience.

Before you go...did you read all of the tabs?