Exemplary Course Program

The 14 compulsory standards are as follows:

• Goals and objectives are clearly written appropriate for the course level.
• Content is made available or “chunked” in manageable segments (i.e., presented in distinct learning units or modules)
• It is clear how the instrucIonal strategies will enable learners to reach course goals and objectives (e.g., instructions or overview of course activities are provided and aligned to course objectives).
• Course design includes guidance for learners to work with content in meaningful ways (e.g., clear instructions, content outline, video, course orientation) and how to proceed
• Course design includes guidance for learners to work with content in meaningful ways (e.g., clear instructions, content outline, video, course orientation) and how to proceed.
• The design and delivery of content supports inclusive pedagogy by integrating alternative options (e.g., transcripts), enabling assistive processes (e.g., voice recognition), and inviting choice to support and engage students with diverse learning needs and preferences.
• Course files (e.g., documents, PDFs, presentations) use built-in accessibility formatting options to support assisIve technologies (e.g., screen readers, screen magnification).
• Learners are provided a rubric or scoring guidelines to evaluate participation and interaction.
• It is clear to learners how performance in an assessment(s) will be evaluated (e.g., rubric, equivalent grading document, section in syllabus).
• FormaIve and summative assessments occur regularly throughout the course to gauge student success and inform learner progress toward course objectives.
• Multiple types of assessments are used (e.g., research project, objective test, discussions, etc.).
• Orientation materials explain how to navigate both the LMS and the course.
• Contact information for the instructor is easy to find.
• Course/institutional policies (e.g., decorum, behavior, netiquette) are clear and easy to find.
• Learners have opportunity to give formative feedback to the instructor regarding course design and content during course delivery.

Course Design addresses elements of instructional design. For the purpose of this rubric, course design includes such elements as structure of the course, learning objectives, organization of content, and instructional strategies.

Interaction and Collaboration can take many forms. The ECP criteria place emphasis on the type and amount of interaction and collaboration within an online environment.

Interaction denotes communication between and among learners and instructors, synchronously or asynchronously. Collaboration is a subset of interaction and refers specifically to those activities in which groups are working interdependently toward a shared result. This differs from group activities that can be completed by students working independently of one another and then combining the results, much as one would when assembling a jigsaw puzzle with parts of the puzzle worked out separately then assembled together. A learning community is defined here as the sense of belonging to a group, rather than each student perceiving himself/herself studying independently.

Assessment focuses on instructional activities designed to measure progress toward learning outcomes, provide feedback to students and instructors, and/or enable grading or evaluation. This section addresses the quality and type of student assessments within the course.

Learner Support addresses the support resources made available to students taking the course. Such resources may be accessible within or external to the course environment. Learner support resources address a variety of student services.