Committee On Online Education (OLEC)

Faculty seeking to develop a new online or blended undergraduate course must follow the Approval Process for New Online Courses. New online courses are those which have not previously been taught online at WFU. Courses that were only taught online from Summer 2020 to Spring 2021 must also undergo the new course approval process. 

• Step 1: Application: Faculty must submit their proposal via the Online Course Development Proposal Form by November 1, 2024. 
• Step 2: Instructional Design & Conditional Approval: Faculty whose proposals are approved will work with OOE to develop an Instructional Design Plan using the Online Course Review Checklist. This plan will be submitted to OLEC for conditional approval, at which point the course may be offered online once. Faculty should complete and submit the Online Teaching Design Agreement for new courses by January 13, 2025.
• Step 3: Design Review & Full Approval: The semester following the course’s initial offering, OOE will review the full course using the checklist and consult with faculty on revisions. Once the course meets standards, OLEC will take their recommendations to the full Faculty for an approval vote. Courses with full approval do not need to undergo official review or revision for the fifteen consecutive academic terms (five academic years, including summers) following the date of full approval.

Approval for Multi-Section Online Courses

For multi-section courses, instructors have two approval pathways:

1. Unified Course Design: If all sections follow a unified course design, the course can be approved as a whole. All instructors must agree to use the same approved design. 
2. Individual Design: If instructors wish to use their own unique design in their section(s), they must seek approval independently.

Online and blended courses must be regularly reviewed to ensure they remain effective, current, and aligned with best practices in course design and emerging learning technologies. In light of the shifts in online learning brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, previously approved courses have specific renewal requirements depending on when they were developed and first offered:

• Courses Approved Prior to Summer 2020: These do not need to be renewed at this time.
• Courses First Taught between Summer 2020 and Spring 2021: If they have not received temporary approval from OLEC since their initial offering, they must go through the Approval Process for New Online Courses.
• Courses Granted Temporary Approval (Summer 2021 or later): These courses must go through the standard Course Renewal Process before being offered again.

The Course Renewal application will be available in October 2024, and faculty intending to teach in Summer 2025 or later should submit their application no later than November 1, 2024.

• Course Evaluation: OOE will evaluate up to 40 courses during the 2024-2025 academic year using the Online Course Review Checklist. If the majority of instruction will be provided synchronously, OOE will reach out to schedule a 1-hour consultation to review your course plan and discuss best practices in synchronous delivery in place of using the Online Course Review Checklist. Remaining courses will retain temporary approval for Summer 2025, but must be renewed by Fall 2025 before being offered again. OLEC will be responsible for all communication with faculty regarding feedback during this process.
• Re-Approval: Once a course meets all standards, OOE will submit it to OLEC for a vote of approval. Re-approved courses may be offered in their online or blended format during any of the fifteen consecutive academic terms (five academic years) following the date of re-approval.