Online Education Committee

Voting members present:  Nicole von, Germeten, Lisa Madsen, Arien Muzacz, David Paoletti, Danielle Safonte, Kayleen Salchenberg
Voting members absent: None
Ex-officio members present: Ecampus – Elisabeth McBrien; Center for Teaching & Learning – Cub Kahn; OSU Libraries – Zach Welhouse

Check-in/Climate

• Chair elicited feedback about service on this Committee – what went well and what could be better?

Progress Toward Goals for this Academic Year (AY)

• Promoting Open Educational Resources (OERs) through Affordability Matters badging
  • Elisabeth explored flyer idea - tabled for this AY due to requirements
  • Inquired about automatic messaging re: badging
  • Connect with OER liaisons in each College/School, if these positions exist, or create them
  • Update? “Zach will investigate how the free and low-cost textbook information from the bookstore requisition list might be used to promote Affordability Matters badges.”
• Recommending how to maintain quality in our online (and hybrid) instruction, considering the rapid growth of remote/asynchronous programs and course offerings.
  • Example of plug & play template from Electrical Engineering & Computer Science (EECS).
  • Dave offered suggestions on the previous meeting’s minutes allowing for 10% FTE (or the equivalent in one AY) for minor course development or refresh and 20% FTE for major revisions or new course development.
  • Elisabeth reported that Ecampus recommendation for best practices is to refresh courses every three years.
  • Lisa reported that her department has courses that are 10 years old, and that faculty are only permitted 0.5FTE release for redevelopment.
  • Arien described curricular course leadership in the College of Education/COUN (1 course release for 7-8 courses).
  • Danielle suggested utilizing language from the strategic plan could support an argument for workload allowances and partnering with Ecampus; Elisabeth reported liking that idea.
  • Cub pointed out that refreshing or updating existing courses would not necessarily meet the aims of the strategic plan, which is strictly growth-oriented.
  • Collectively, members agreed that standardizing processes for course development and updates would help facilitate these essential tasks University-wide.

Barriers/Challenges

• Rotating membership, meetings 3x/year
  • Strategic plan with *very* ambitious goals for Ecampus; results in greater workload & service load for many instructional faculty (& IDs)
  • Attention on AI; now a University-wide priority
  • Change in textbook requisition system – much easier to navigate but no warning

Additional Actions Committee Members Would Like to Take to Work Toward Our Two Goals?

• Colleagues in your College/School
  • Dave reported that his Department Head has taken the initiative to talk about Affordability Matters badging.
  • Elisabeth suggested promoting the Ecampus Online Teaching Principles, which have been endorsed by Quality Matters.
• Students/mentees/advisees
  • Lisa talked about the reality that prospective students will look up course information.

Action Steps

• Arien will draft the year-end report in the second week of June and recommendations for Faculty Senate about maintaining quality in online courses.
• For each College/School, please find out and report back to Arien by May 31, 2024: What is the workload allocation for course refresh/redevelopment? For full development? If not in-load, how are these tasks compensated?
• Elisabeth will estimate a range of hours for faculty developers in the ROC course.
• Zach will get in touch with James Howard at the Beaver Store about adding the Affordability Matters badge to the course submission process; “he'll be responding to e-mail again starting on May 20”.

Service/Succession Planning

• Dr. Danielle Safonte (EECS) has been nominated and agreed to serve as Chair for AY25.
• All Online Education Committee agendas/minutes and recommendations are archived in Canvas site.