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PSU Online Vision & Policy

Vision

The Center for Online Learning will oversee the PSU online learning ecology in ways that responsibly serve PSU students in order to provide the quality of learning opportunities delivered to our students and to advance strategic objectives as resources allow.

Goals

  1. The Center will collaborate with departments to provide assistance for faculty creating new online courses. Strategies may include course buy-outs, summer stipends and other approaches.
  2. COL will establish a quality review framework and a time frame within which all courses will be reviewed.
  3. COL, with the Online ad hoc committee, will establish a review process for prioritizing online and hybrid course development.
  4. PSU will identify or develop capacity to provide market, resource, and/or impact analysis necessary for all new online and hybrid courses (PSU Queue).
  5. All new online and hybrid courses will be developed with a collaborative and formal design process at least one term in advance of delivery.
  6. A comprehensive approach to learning outcomes assessment will be implemented by faculty in new online and hybrid courses to guide improvement.
  7. Advising, career-counseling, tutoring and additional support for students in online and hybrid courses will be comprehensive.
  8. Student support in online and hybrid courses will be coordinated with dynamic and integrated portal/portfolio/assessment management platforms.

Guiding Principle:  Focus on PSU’s and Presidential Strategic Initiatives

Comprehensive assistance will align with initiatives that advance PSU’s strategic initiatives and president’s priorities.  Resources will be focused on online initiatives designed to:   

  • Expand access to higher education and facilitate student learning for diverse learning communities
  • Expand PSU’s strategic capacity and curricular effectiveness
  • Ensure student success in areas such as bottleneck courses
  • Expand partnerships, nationally or internationally, with public and private institutions
  • Collaborate with Community Colleges & professional partners to explore opportunities to increase  efficiencies.
  • Support college readiness through partnership with area public schools
  • Create international collaborations to increase diversity and bring the world into the classroom

Guiding Principle:  Serve PSU Students

PSU policy will engage professionals to provide online learning opportunities that enhance students’ curricular and co-curricular experiences, including recruitment, enrollment, orientation, advising, career counseling, tutoring, writing support and other resources that improve retention and student success. PSU policy will ensure ongoing 7/24 student technical support for all students enrolled in credit and non-credit courses and ongoing assessment of the student experience.

Guiding Principle: Leverage faculty disciplinary expertise; develop progressive teaching expertise

Faculty who teach in online, hybrid and innovative courses will receive extensive professional assistance in the design, development, delivery and assessment of online and hybrid courses.  Faculty will be supported with a combination of release time, funding, and full coordinated assistance from Student Affairs, COL, CAE, and Library partners who will assist with copyright, IP, and the curation of online content in accord with course designs.