P a g e | 8

instructor offline), notification to students will be made in the announcements area of the course that includes when the students can expect contact to resume. If the offline time results in a lengthy absence (i.e. more than three or four days) a substitute instructor should be sought who can assist students while the instructor is unavailable.

BCC Mandatory Types of Contact

All BCC DE courses, instructors will, at a minimum, make use of the following to initiate and maintain contact with the students:

  • Weekly threaded discussion forums, or an approved equivalent such as Hypothesis, within the BCC Learning Management System (LMS) with instructor participation. The instructor is required to be present and interact with the students in the discussion board in a manner that facilitates and encourages further class discussion. Instructors are encouraged to “chunk” material, respond directly to student posts, ask students questions to develop and guide discussion, and encourage the participation of students in a thread. Instructors must participate in discussions on more than one day during any given week. BCC recommends at least three times per week on different days.
  • Timely response to student emails (within two working days) STOPPED HERE
  • Timely feedback on student work (within one working week, excluding final course grades which are due as indicated by the Dean of Enrollment Management in consultation with faculty)
  • Weekly announcements in the LMS
  • General email and/or messaging through the LMS
  • Instructor curated material that, possibly combined with other course materials, creates the “virtual equivalent” of the face-to-face classroom. BCC recommends 3-5 pages worth of lesson each week. Curated materials are instructor created or collected material that is put together in context and presented in a way that is conducive to learning the course material. (See OEI Course Design Rubric for presenting content.)
  • Regular virtual office hour each week (synchronous or immediate availability).
  • Online quizzes/exams, one of which must be proctored.

Other types of contact

The following are other forms of communication that DE instructors may wish to make use of to initiate and maintain contact with students:

  • Chat Room/Instant Messaging
  • E-conference (CCCConfer)
  • Telephone/Voicemail
  • USPS mail
  • E-Portfolios/Blogs
  • Field trips
  • Library workshops
  • Posted audio/video
  • Live audio/video
  • Schedule face-to-face group or individual meeting
  • Facebook/Twitter