General Distance Learning Policies

1. Distance Learning classes offered at the University of North Alabama will be courses produced by UNA faculty, or will be professionally produced programs licensed through the Public Broadcasting System, Adult Learning Services or some other professional organization/agency and facilitated by faculty at UNA.

2. The Vice President for Academic Affairs, in consultation with the appropriate faculty member(s), department head(s), and dean(s), has final authority in deciding the courses to be included in the Distance Learning Program.

3. The Distance Learning Program will be evaluated every semester to assess the view of students regarding the quality of the programming and the quality of instruction.

4. Faculty teaching in the Distance Learning Program will be surveyed periodically to assess their perceptions of the program.

5. The development and teaching of Distance Learning courses will be part of a faculty member’s workload. In an event where an overload is created, the department chair will complete an Overload Form for the faculty member and forward it through the appropriate chain of command. If a Distance Learning course will be taught by an adjunct faculty member, a Departmental Appointment Request Form should be completed, again forwarding it through the appropriate chain of command.

6. Distance Learning courses which involve the performance and display of audiovisual and other copyrighted works must adhere to the Educational Fair Use Guidelines for Distance Learning. (Copies of the guidelines are available through Educational Technology Services.)

7. Faculty developing Distance Learning courses that involve the taping of their classroom lectures will always have first priority in teaching the courses through the Distance Learning Program. A faculty member’s videotaped classroom lectures may only be used by another faculty member if written approval is obtained from the faculty member who developed the course.

8. A faculty member has the right to trademark or copyright any literary material and to patent any inventions unless duties of the employment contract or program agreement charge the employee with, or include, the duty of producing material for the University to copyright or trademark or to develop an invention for the University to patent.

9. Copyrighted or trademarked materials or patented inventions developed totally or partially on university time with the use of university materials or facilities or with university funding shall be owned by the University.

10. In addition to developing the course, the faculty member will participate as necessary in training sessions regarding using electronic media, promoting student interaction in Distance Learning, and managing situations unique to the delivery of Distance Education.

11. Distance Learning courses must maintain sufficient enrollment to be taught and are subject to the same course deletion policies as are all courses offered by the university.

12. Priority for teaching Distance Learning courses will be given to full-time faculty.

13. Three years after its implementation, the Distance Learning course will be reviewed by the Director of Educational Technology Services, the Dean of Information Technologies, the creating faculty member, the appropriate department head and dean, and the Vice President for Academic Affairs. Should the faculty and the university agree that the Distance Learning course should be discontinued, all content in the various formats (including videos or audiotapes, or electronic media) will be erased.

14. All Distance Learning courses will be conducted in accordance with the established policies and procedures of the University of North Alabama. Please refer to the current copy of the University of North Alabama Bulletin and the Faculty Handbook for specific information regarding these policies.