Committee On Online Education (OLEC)

Faculty seeking to develop a new online or blended undergraduate course must follow the New Course Approval Process. New online courses are those that 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 October 30, 2026. 
• 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 11, 2027.
• 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 New Course Approval Process.
• Courses Granted Temporary Approval (Summer 2021 or later): These courses must go through the standard Course Renewal Process before being offered again.

Please submit the Course Renewal Application by October 30, 2026, if you are intending to teach a course in Summer 2027 or later and have not yet begun the renewal process for a course taught previously.

• Course Evaluation: All courses that received temporary approval to be offered in an online format for Summer 2026 or previously must complete the Renewal process in the 2026-2027 academic year. OOE will evaluate the remaining courses requiring renewal in the 2026-2027 academic year if the renewal application is received by October 30, 2026. 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.
• 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.