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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 MiraCosta resources guiding and supporting faculty preparing and teaching online classes, such as:
- Online Class Quality Guidelines provides requirements and recommendations for online teaching developed by MiraCosta Online Educators and adopted by the MiraCosta Academic Senate. The requirements are derived from our AP 4105, which keeps us in compliance with federal, state, and accreditor regulations and expectations for distance education.
- The TIC website provides many resources supporting faculty in the use of MiraCosta's online education tools
- The DE Handbook includes more detailed information about teaching online at MiraCosta
- Start of semester class authentication procedures - 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 MOE has created these guidelines 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 Office of Instruction regarding use of cameras, and safeguarding student privacy. 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.
- Open Educational Resources (OER) information, including reminders on how to designate Zero and Low Textbook Cost course material classes in SURF
- Availability of support from MiraCosta Online Mentor Faculty, the MiraCosta Instructional Designer, and the C3 Teaching & Learning Center
- Tech support including Canvas 24x7 phone and chat hotlines (click Tech Help at lower left in Canvas) and MiraCosta's employee help desk
- Flex workshop opportunities to build online teaching skills and knowledge
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:
- Student Support Hub (located within Canvas for students to quickly connect with academic and student support services)
- Student Online Academic Readiness (SOAR) Workshops (formerly Student Orientation to Online Learning)
- CARE Support and Technology Requests to help with student basic needs, including semester-long technology loan opportunities

When Fall, Spring, and Summer Class Schedules are Developed and Released

While working with faculty and administrators to create a schedule:

Consider discipline pedagogies, student needs, and faculty strengths when determining course section modalities and online teaching assignments
Consider the importance of offering at least some online sections of courses which may be important to students seeking to complete programs online
Remember that faculty assigned to teach online must complete the required training and self-checklist according to faculty collective bargaining agreements

When a new class schedule becomes available in SURF, it's good to remind departmental faculty about:

The availability of Canvas shells for beginning course development
Using SURF to designate any classes as Zero Textbook Cost or Low Textbook Cost

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 Online Education: Reinforcing those messages within your department, knowing that many instructors will pay more attention to email coming from their department chair
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

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