Distance education courses are part of an institutional goal to provide flexibility to meet the needs of students' complex schedules and preferred learning styles.
Fort Lewis College offers three modalities, from traditional in-person classes to various distance courses during the summer, allowing students to continue earning credits while working or living away from campus. Contact CTL to learn about FLC's current offerings across academic departments.
Taught partially through synchronous instruction (on campus or distance) and partially online. FLC hybrid courses have 25-85% of instructional contact hours as synchronous, usually in-person.
Hybrid Pedagogy is an online anthology of expert articles on access, compassion, surveillance, instructional design, and pedagogy.
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Listen to a Teaching In Higher Ed podcast about tying artifacts with discussion boards with Dr. Katie Linder, research director and author.
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Margie Martyn presents seven good practices and tips on how to run your class, with additional research on active learning, feedback, and more.
Read the book
Delivered with a fully remote option(s) – synchronous or asynchronous – along with regularly scheduled in-person classes, students can transition seamlessly between the two learning environments.
Columbia University's Center for Teaching and Learning dives into the world of HyFlex, from the definition to strategies for implementation.
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Bryan Alexander interviews Dr. Brian Beatty, a condensed master class, with too many great tips in this video for us to mention!
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A pioneer of hybrid course models, Dr. Brian Beatty, presents 3 units on HyFlex courses from design to implementation.
All course activity is done online with no required on-campus meetings. Online courses may include synchronous online meetings or assignments that engage students in community-based activities. This includes Live Online instruction.
Get started with The Online Learning Consortium's online course design resources, or learn a more inclusive approach with the IDEAS Framework. Also, check out CTL's Tips for Online Instructors.
Experts from the University of Colorado-Denver and Boise State University break down the eight most important considerations in online teaching.
Discover "foundational principles of providing equitable, inclusive, accessible learning environments for all students."
Distance education courses undergo a review process using the FLC Course Quality Review rubric criteria. The rubric addresses best practices in course design to meet Universal Design in Learning's criteria addressing equity, inclusivity, and diversity in digital educational formats.
Fill out CQR rubric
According to Higher Learning Commission’s 21st Century Distance Education Guidelines,
“Educational quality is supported through continuing investment in technology and professional development for faculty as well as other academic, technical, and student support staff. Professional development is ongoing and includes attention to: technology, instructional design, learning science, pedagogy, assessment, and methods of using data for improvement.”
CTL's Designing for Equity course prepares instructors with the necessary skills to successfully develop and deliver equitable online learning. Faculty are eligible to receive a stipend for completing the training.
The Center for Teaching & Learning, with approval of Faculty Senate, created the Distance Education Policy & Process. The policy includes definitions of both hybrid and online instructional types, the role of the Center for Teaching & Learning, and requirements and expectations for distance education faculty and courses, including the qualifications, course development process, quality review, course ownership, and faculty compensation.
Has the DE course been proposed in Curriculog?
All courses must be submitted to Curriculog, and proposals must be approved by the department chair, associate dean, and dean. The curricular review process gets finalized when the course has been developed and reviewed with the Center for Teaching & Learning (CTL). Department chairs should submit course proposals on Curriculog.
DE course proposals for AY 2023-24 must be submitted by Feb 1, 2023.
Has the instructor completed the DE training?
CTL supports faculty by providing professional development for teaching in distance formats. Before teaching a DE course, faculty will have completed Designing for Impact or Designing for Equity. Our DE training focuses on mapping and aligning course content, engaging students in digital spaces, and creating accessible digital materials. Faculty are eligible to earn a professional development stipend upon course completion.
Email ctl@fortlewis.edu to enroll or receive an updated list of DE-trained faculty.
Has the course passed the FLC Course Quality Review (CQR)?
To ensure equitable online learning, instructors will review their DE course with CTL using the CQR rubric. This is required of newly developed and subsequent distance ed courses.
Revised in 2022
When students enroll in DE courses, we need to provide more than just access to a computer. Articulating the technology requirements clearly to students at the beginning of the term will set them up for success.
Learn about FLC's technology requirements for students.
General email: ctl@fortlewis.edu
Reserve instructional technology
Collaborates and supports the CTL with professional development and distance education programming.