Distance Education Guidelines

Introduction

Using distance education technologies can present special challenges for faculty and students. The purpose of this document is to provide information and assistance for faculty when employing information technology in their courses. All policies and procedures outlined in the UALR Faculty Handbook and the rights and responsibilities of students and faculty remain the same regardless of where teaching occurs. Likewise the same disciplinary procedures will be followed wherever the rules are violated.

Mission Statement

The UALR mission is to provide the best possible educational experience for our students. Using technology for teaching and learning makes it possible to achieve that mission in more diverse ways. UALR will pursue the development of distance education with the aim of reaching these three goals:

  • To increase access to higher education for the people of the state of Arkansas.
  • To educate our students in the information technology application skills that they will need to be successful in today’s and tomorrow’s knowledge-based economy.
  • To provide greater flexibility in scheduling to accommodate the changing needs of our student body.

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Definitions

Distance education (DE) is defined, for the purposes of accreditation review, as a formal educational process in which the majority of the instruction occurs when the student and instructor are not in the same place. Students rarely, if ever, have to come to campus for face-to-face class meetings.

DE courses at UALR are delivered through the Internet and are accessible anywhere, anytime. There are no regular class meetings as usually found in face-to-face courses taught either on or off-campus. However, DE courses may include a face-to-face orientation at the beginning of the term and/or proctored examinations.  

Some DE courses may also include webinar sessions. These sessions permit students and faculty to communicate in real-time through the Internet  via audio, video, or text chat. Consequently, instructors may require students to access the Internet on a designated day and time in order to communicate synchronously. The faculty member may also have a face-to-face student group at the site of origin participating along with students at a distance.  Instructors may require students to purchase a combination microphone-headset for best results, and perhaps also a webcam for specific assignments.  If so, it is important that these additional technical requirements be communicated to the student early in the class (e.g., in the class syllabus).

DE classes are available to any student admitted to UALR, and registration is through the UALR BOSS system. No differentiation is made between DE courses and traditional courses on the student’s transcript.

All DE courses must be put into the course schedule through Extended Programs, which also provides student support for those courses. Extended Programs will place a comment in the online course schedule advising students that this is a totally online course: "This is a WEB-BASED class which will be taught TOTALLY ONLINE. You will need access to a COMPUTER and the INTERNET and experience using them. For more information about technology requirements, please visit the Extended Programs website." Faculty interested in developing DE courses should contact Extended Programs for assistance.

More information is available from Extended Programs.

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Program Standards

UALR strives to offer the highest quality DE courses and programs and endorses the "Best Practices for Electronically Offered Degree and Certificate Programs" standards adopted by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Accreditation Association (HLC/NCA). These standards are used as a guideline for the development of new electronically offered degree programs and as a guide for HLC/NCA program review and assessment, and they can be downloaded from ncahlc.org

Course Standards

UALR also endorses a set of best practices for individual DE courses. These are based on accepted standards of best practice for teaching and learning regardless of the medium used. There is a general consensus that quality web-based or web-enhanced courses involve:

  • Encouraging student-faculty interaction and contact.
    • Students should be able to contact faculty easily and be assured of receiving a prompt response (e.g., within 24 to 48 hours).
    • Faculty interaction with student should encourage engagement and provide sufficient data to assess student achievement of learning objectives.
  • Encouraging student cooperation and interaction.
    • Student feedback to each other should be substantive, constructive, and meaningful.
  • Encouraging active learning.
    • Student responses to prompts should be substantive.
    • Assignments should encourage use of critical thinking strategies.
    • Students should interact with, write about, and are asked to incorporate what they are learning into their experience.
  • Giving prompt feedback.
    • Students should be given frequent feedback regarding their progress in the course.
  • Emphasis on time on task.
    • Course should require frequent, periodic, and substantive work, including contact with the course site.
    • Students should be given guidelines on how much time they should expect to work on each segment of the course.
  • Communication of high expectations.
    • Learning objectives should communicate collegiate level learning appropriate to the course level (introductory, advanced, and graduate).
    • Course content and requirements should be as demanding as a face-to-face course with similar content.
  • Respect for diverse talents and ways of learning.
    • Instructors should provide alternative ways of learning for student.
    • Instructors should provide alternative ways of assessing student achievement.
  • Letting students know what to expect.
    • Information regarding the objectives, assessment deadline, grading policies, needed technology to succeed, etc., should be clearly stated and easy for students to find.
  • Making effective use of the technology.
    • Technology used should be appropriate for the learning objectives.
    • Technology used should be appropriate for the discipline.
    • Support should be provided for students who need assistance with the use of the technology

Curriculum and Instruction

  • Each program or course of study results in learning appropriate to the rigor and breadth of the degree or certificate awarded.
  • A degree or certificate program or course offered electronically is coherent and complete.
  • The course provides for appropriate interaction between faculty and students and among students.
  • Qualified faculty provides appropriate supervision of the program or course that is offered electronically.
  • Academic standards for all programs or courses offered electronically are the same as those for other courses delivered at the institution where the programs originate.
  • Student learning in programs or courses delivered electronically should be comparable to student learning in programs offered at the campus where the programs originate.

Role and Mission

  • The program or course is consistent with the institution’s role and mission.
  • Review and approval processes ensure the appropriateness of the technology being used to meet program or course objectives.

Students and Student Services

  • The program or course provides students with clear, complete and timely information on the curriculum, course and degree requirements, nature of faculty-student interaction, prerequisite technology competencies and skills, technical equipment requirements, availability of academic support services, financial aid resources, and costs and payment policies.
  • Enrolled students have reasonable and adequate access to the range of student services and resources appropriate to support their learning.
  • The institution has admission and acceptance criteria in place to assess whether the student has the background, knowledge, and technical skills required for undertaking the course or program.
  • Advertising, recruiting and admissions materials clearly and accurately represent the program and the services available.

Faculty Support

  • The program or course provides faculty support services specifically related to teaching via an electronic system.
  • The institution assures appropriate training for faculty who teach using technology.
  • The program or course provides adequate equipment, software and communications to faculty for interaction with students, institutions and other faculty.

Resources for Learning

  • The program or course ensures that appropriate learning resources are available to students.
  • The program or course evaluates the adequacy of, and the cost to students for access to learning resources. It also documents the use of electronic resources.

Commitment to Support

  • Policies for faculty evaluation include appropriate recognition of teaching and scholarly activities related to programs or courses offered electronically.
  • The institution demonstrates a commitment to ongoing support, both financial and technical, and to continuation of the program or course for a period sufficient for students to complete a degree or certificate.

Evaluation and Assessment

  • The institution evaluates program and course effectiveness, including assessments of student learning, student retention, and student and faculty satisfaction.
  • At the completion of the program or course, the institution provides for assessment and documentation of student achievement in each course.
  • Program or course announcements and electronic catalog entries provide appropriate information.

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Faculty Responsibilities

All current policies outlined in Faculty Handbook apply regardless of whether the course is conducted face-to-face or through some distributed learning modality. In addition, instructors using the latter should adhere to the following guidelines:

  • The same grade appeal procedures and timelines will be followed. Phone calls or emails can count as contact. However, it is prudent to record all such contacts at the time to ensure due process for all parties.
  • Sometimes links that you might include in your course materials will take students to sites with ads or other solicitations. It would be prudent to warn students of such a possibility and that the link to that site does not constitute a recommendation or endorsement by UALR.
  • We all talk about "back-up" but how often do we actually do it? Remember that when your course materials exist in electronic format only, they are vulnerable to breakdowns at several points in the production, storage, and delivery process. Frequent and complete back-ups of course content, interaction, and assignments is wise. It is recommended that you also follow your unit’s policy regarding how long you retain assignments, tests, and other materials that have a bearing on student grades.
  • If some form of e-pack is being used, it is the instructor’s responsibility to explain to the students where and how they can obtain access codes. It is important for instructors to realize that students may be charged by the publisher for these access codes—in addition to other textbook or materials charges.

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Course Syllabus

In addition to the items mandated by the Faculty Handbook, instructors of DE courses should include the following in their syllabi:

  • A statement of virtual office hours, and what you consider reasonable response time to students’ queries via email, phone, the web, or by other means.
  • A detailed statement of hardware, software, and information technology skills expected of students to participate in the course. Just as for any other course, it is important that the instructor is explicit about expectations for students in the course description and in the syllabus. This includes not only what type of equipment students will need or what type of Internet connection, but also the instructor’s expectations regarding student expertise in software applications. Along with other course requirements, students need to know if they will need to use the Internet or certain software applications in order to complete or submit course assignments.
  • A statement that it is the student’s responsibility to check any electronically submitted assignments for viruses. Any document that fails to pass your virus checker will not be opened.
  • A detailed statement of your expectations regarding how frequently students should access the course website, post to discussion lists, etc., including how such class participation will affect their course grades.
  • A link to the UALR network use policy so students are advised of their rights, responsibilities and restrictions regarding use of the UALR network.
  • An additional statement about plagiarism that includes materials obtained through the Internet and the consequences.
  • An expanded definition of classroom disruption that includes "flaming”, “spamming”, and other forms of electronic/email harassment, plus a statement regarding the consequences for such disruption. Students may need to be encouraged or reminded of the need for courteous and professional behavior when sending email or engaging in online discussions. It might also be helpful to remind students that electronic communication within the course should re confined to topics directly relevant to the course content.
  • A recommendation that students should make at least electronic backup copies of everything submitted.
  • An explanation of what will be considered "nonattendance" and thus possible grounds for removal from class or reduction of grade.
  • A statement of what students should do in the case of technical difficulties, such as downtime on the course server or disruption of Internet connection.
  • To be compliant with the TEACH Act, courses that involve the transmission of copyrighted material (including students’ original works) must include a statement in the syllabus similar to the following:

    ”Please note that materials used in conjunction with this course may be subject to copyright protection. Copyrighted materials on this site are only for the use of students currently enrolled in the course for purposes associated with the course. These materials may not be retained or further disseminated”

  • The syllabus for each UALR course—including web-based or other distance education courses—must include the following statement:

Equal Access for Students with Disabilities: “It is the policy of the University of Arkansas at Little Rock to create inclusive learning environments.  If there are aspects of the instruction or design of this course that result in barriers to your inclusion or to accurate assessment of achievement – such as time-limited exams, inaccessible web content, or the use of non-captioned videos – please notify the instructor as soon as possible. Students are also welcome to contact the Disability Resource center, telephone 501.569.3143 (v/tty). For more information visit the DRC website at ualr.edu/disability.”

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Scheduling of Final Examinations

The university has a fixed schedule for final examinations based on a particular class’ regular meeting time. Given that web-based classes do not have a traditional “regular meeting time”, there may be uncertainty on the part of faculty and students about when a final examination, if one is given, should be scheduled.

The DEAC recommends the following:

  1. Final examinations in web-based classes should be scheduled during the same week that on-campus finals are scheduled.
  2. Faculty should provide a minimum of a two day (48 hour) window during which students may take the final exam. Students would be allowed the same length of time to complete the exam as they would for an on-campus class. However, they would have the flexibility to take the exam any time during the 48 hour window. This recognizes the fact that online students, just like on-campus students, could have several exams scheduled at the same time. It would also help them to work around any on-campus final exam that they must take.
  3. If the instructor cannot allow a minimum of a two day window, then it must be clearly stated in syllabus posted at the beginning of the class. Faculty must be willing to work with students who can demonstrate that this will cause them to have more than three final exams during the same 24 hour period.

    4. (Passed by DEAC, March 31, 2009. Reviewed and approved by the Faculty Senate Academic Calendar and Schedules Committee, April, 2009)

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    UALR Email and Communicating with Students

    Student email accounts are created within 24 hours of class registration and are an official means of communication with students. You are encouraged to inform your students about the importance of accessing their UALR email even if you communicate with them using other electronic communication tools such as Blackboard email. Important university-related information will be sent to individual UALR email accounts. Students are responsible for regularly reading UALR email messages. Types of communication include but are not limited to financial aid information, inclement weather closings, e-bills and payments deadlines, registration information and library notices. The UALR Email System can be accessed at mail.ualr.edu.

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    Using Technology to Transmit Student Information

    Electronic communication has made it easier to communicate with students and also to transmit information to and about them. Email cannot be counted upon to occur in a secure environment. It is important to exercise caution about the contents of email and access to files and machines in which confidential information about students might reside.

    Caution is especially important when considering posting directory information, class lists, grades, or any personal identifying information (including photographs) about students to school, department, lab, or class web pages to which there could be public access. Individual communication with students as well as work done by the student is considered student information. Whenever possible, student information should only appear in an environment to which only those who must have access actually do have access.

    Here are a few more important guidelines for materials posted on the World Wide Web:

    • Clarify with students who will and should have access to the class website and who should not.
    • Clarify with the students that student information to which they are privy as a class participant is confidential and should not be shared with non-class members.
    • Do not post student information (including photos) to any website open to the public without the student’s written permission.
    • Remove class lists, student work and email discussion from the class WebPages at the end of the term.
    • Obtain permission if you want to keep student work posted on the course or other website after the end of the course.

    One way to minimize the risks of unwanted exposure of and maximize the security for student information is to use a password protected course shell for all course materials, assignments, grades, student information, etc. Using a Blackboard course shell for your course provides this additional security.

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    ADA Web Accessibility Policy

    In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) (1990) and the Rehabilitation Act Section 504 (173), it is the policy of the University of Arkansas at Little Rock to make UALR Web page information and online course material (hereafter "Internet content") accessible to persons with disabilities in order to provide them with effective communication through the Internet. Communication should be, to the extent possible, as effective for persons with disabilities as it is for persons without disabilities. This includes information that departments, programs, faculty, or staff present over the Internet. The UALR policy is designed to ensure that the communication available to Internet users with disabilities is effective and useful. With that in mind, Internet content will follow the guidelines as promulgated by the World Wide Web Consortium’s Web Accessibility Initiative (W3C/WAI) at w3.org/TR/WCAG10.

    The policy does not cover the accessibility of sites outside of UALR to which a UALR page may be linked. However, UALR encourages other providers to make their content accessible. An exception: if outside links are required course content, this content must be accessible.

    It is required that designers of UALR Internet content comply with the Priority 1 Web Content Accessibility Guidelines from the W3C/WAI (hereafter "Priority 1 Guidelines") in order to make Internet content minimally accessible. Compliance with Priority 1 Guidelines means that UALR Internet content must receive an approval rating from a self-assessment tool as recommended by Computing Services.

    Department chairs and directors are responsible for communicating the information to full- and part-time faculty and staff that new Internet content and modifications to existing Internet content should be made in accordance with this policy.  The procedures for enforcing this policy are available at: ualr.edu/provost/webaccessprocedures.html  Policy enacted: July 15, 2004
    Assistance in meeting these standards for your web materials can be found several places across campus. For more information, visit the following websites:
    The Office of Disability Resource Center (ualr.edu/disability)
    Project PACE (ualr.edu/pace/)

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    Deadlines & Guidelines for Creating Distance Courses

    Creating a distance education course involves a significant investment of time and energy on the part of the instructor. It is recommended that faculty start the planning process for course development at least six months prior to the course being offered for the first time. Given the increasing demands for assistance in creating web-enhanced or web-based courses in particular, support units may set deadlines and guidelines for providing assistance to faculty in this process.

    You are advised to contact such support units (e.g., Extended Programs and STaR) as soon as you know you will be developing a distance education course and no later than six months prior to offering the course for the first time.

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    Distance Education Course Scheduling Procedures

    The decision to offer a course through distance education begins at the department level. Each program or college has its own procedures for determining which courses will be offered. UALR policy requires that a syllabus be on file for all courses regardless of delivery mode. All credit courses offered through distance education must be listed in the undergraduate or graduate catalog, unless approved as a Special Topics course.

    Web-based should be offered through the Extended Programs (ExP) office. Scheduling of these courses must be done in collaboration with that office so as to best serve our distance students. ExP will be responsible for entering those courses into the BANNER system—along with a comment indicating to students which type of class it is.

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    Faculty Support and Development

    UALR provides faculty with a variety of support. This includes technical support to maintain campus infrastructure, assistance in adapting technology to classroom use, and assistance in curriculum development and design.  Computing Services has equipment that can be reserved through their website.

    Project PACE can help faculty with web accessibility issues (ualr.edu/pace/).

    Scholarly Technology and Resources office (569-8954) can assist with instructional design and training in the use of technology (ualr.edu/star)

    Extended Programs (ExP) can provide support to develop a specific online course or program (ualr.edu/extendedprograms).

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    Web-Based Course Size and Faculty Workload

    Distance education courses are typically taught “in-load”, i.e., they count as part of an instructor’s total workload. The workable size for an individual distance education class will vary, just as it does for campus-based teaching. How should a distance education –based course count toward a full-time teaching load?  What would be its ideal size?
    The Distance Education Advisory Committee (DEAC) suggests that several factors be considered when faculty workload or maximum course enrollments are set by departmental, college, or central administrators.

    • Whether or not the instructor is teaching a specific course using a distance modality for the first time.
    • The level of student-student and/or student-instructor interaction that the instructor desires for the course. As with an on-campus course, classes that are organized primarily around lectures and examination can be capped at a higher level than classes that require more interaction.
    • The level of instructional or technical assistance available to the instructor for course delivery. Faculty members who have graduate teaching assistants assigned to them should be able to handle a larger class than someone teaching the same course but without teaching assistants.
    • Whether or not the faculty member is receiving extra compensation for a higher workload. If a faculty member is being paid to teach a course as an “overload”, then it should be in addition to the standard teaching load for that program.

    DEAC recommended that decisions about course size should be based on evidence of student achievement as well as the faculty member’s total workload. Specifically, we recommend that:

    • Enrollment maximums for online course sections, as a general guideline, are set no higher than that of their campus-based equivalents.
    • Enrollment maximums for the first time that an instructor teaches an online course should be reduced by at least 20%, or the faculty member should receive a one course teaching reduction for that term. This would provide the instructor with the additional time required to “debug” a course the first time it is taught and still maintain desired levels of interaction and feedback for students.
    • All courses should include an assessment component to document instructional outcomes, including how they are affected by course size and modality. Higher maximums should be justified based on evidence that larger courses are associated with successful student learning outcomes.

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    Policy for Proctoring Examinations in Distance Education Courses

    The purpose of proctoring an examination is to ensure the credibility of the examination process and to reduce the possibility that academic dishonesty or cheating will occur.

    Definitions
    2.1 Examination Center – An examination center is defined as a post-secondary institution with which the University of Arkansas at Little Rock has entered into an agreement to proctor examinations. The University may enter into agreements with University of Arkansas’ system units, other post-secondary institutions across the state, or elsewhere, to serve as an examination center.
    2.2 Proctor – A proctor is defined as person of trust or authority who meets the specific guidelines for a proctor and agrees to proctor an examination for the University of Arkansas at Little Rock.

    Students
    Whenever possible, students should arrange with their instructors to take their examination on campus under the supervision of a UALR employee. When not possible, students will be required to secure a volunteer proctor who meets the specific guidelines (below) and who is willing to proctor their examination. The name of the proctor and the site where the exam will take place should be submitted to the course instructor at least three weeks prior to the examination date. This is to allow the instructor time to verify the suitability of the proctor, and allow time for the student to make alternative arrangements if the proctor or testing site does not meet the instructor’s approval.  International students and U.S. students living overseas (e.g. military personnel and dependents) should take their examinations at an approved post-secondary institution or teaching center. Otherwise, international and U.S. students living overseas will be required to secure a volunteer proctor who meets the specific guidelines (below) and who is willing to proctor their examination.

    Disability Accommodations
    Testing accommodations for students with disabilities are determined in advance through UALR Disability Resource Center (DRC). Students should contact DRC within the first week of the semester when possible, preferably prior to the start of the semester, and provide documentation that supports accommodation requests. Students may contact DSS later in the semester, but accommodations will begin from the point at which the student provides documentation supporting accommodation requests. Proctors must be willing to provide approved testing accommodations based on a disability

    Proctor Guidelines
    The purpose of these guidelines is to establish criteria for the selection of proctors and to assist in the supervision of examinations not held on the campus of the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. They include:
    1. Qualifications – Wherever possible, a proctor should be a full-time employee of University of Arkansas at Little Rock, a University of Arkansas system unit, or other post-secondary institutions. This may include faculty (regardless of rank), full-time staff members, or an appropriate designate. Where the examination is not taken within Arkansas, other acceptable persons may include the full-time faculty or staff of a post-secondary institution (including community colleges and technical institutions) or secondary school, and persons of trust and authority within the community (clergy, police chiefs, judiciary, etc.). The University of Arkansas at Little Rock reserves the right to reject proposed proctors.
    2. Conflict of Interest – To eliminate conflict-of-interest problems, relatives, friends, neighbors, co-workers (including immediate supervisors), persons living at the same address of the student, or other University of Arkansas at Little Rock students, cannot proctor exams.
    3. Physical Presence – Examinations must be written under the direct supervision of the proctor. Only those materials specifically permitted during the examination are allowed in the student’s presence.

    Procedures for Proctoring an Examination
    1. Selection of a Proctor – No later than three weeks before the examination dates set by the instructor or university timetable, the student identifies the method of testing (examination center, individual proctor) to be used during the course. Where the individual proctor method is employed, the student will arrange for the proposed proctor to submit a letter of agreement, written on official letter-head, that identifies the proposed him or her, his or her academic qualifications, position and institution, as well as agreement to proctor this specific student. The instructor, or a staff member of the office of Extended Programs acting on the instructor’s behalf, will notify the prospective proctor and the student of the acceptance or rejection status of the prospective proctor as soon as possible.
    2. Requesting an Examination – No later than two weeks prior to the scheduled date of the examination, the proctor and the student will arrange: (1) a time and date for the examination in cases where the examination date is flexible or (2) a time for the examination to be taken in cases where a specific 24-hour window has been scheduled.
    3. Proctoring the Examination – Proctors will arrange a suitable location for students taking the examination. This location may include, but is not limited to, classrooms, meeting rooms, computer laboratories, and personal offices. Care will be taken to ensure that the physical conditions are amenable to examination taking (quiet, good ventilation, well-lighted, etc.). Ensuring student compliance with open / closed book restrictions are the responsibility of the proctor. Proctors will be physically present during the examination that they are proctoring.
    4. Returning of Examination Materials – The proctor is responsible for sending all examination materials to Extended Programs (ExP) within 24 hours of the examination being completed. Examinations taken in electronic format (i.e., computer-mediated) will be submitted immediately upon completion. Examinations that are not delivered through electronic formats must be copied by the proctor and retained until notified by ExP that the original materials have arrived safely. At that time, the proctor will destroy any such copies.
    Where none of these procedures are practicable, students will contact the Office of Extended Programs for help in determining a suitable examination location and acceptable proctor.

    Exam Proctoring Fees
    Some proctors may request a fee to proctor examinations. Students are responsible for all expenses incurred for this service. Similarly, students may be required to pay proctoring fees to the institution that is proctoring their exams. While the University of Arkansas at Little Rock does not charge a fee to proctor examinations when taken at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock or at any University of Arkansas system unit, some out-of-state post-secondary institutions may do so.

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    Copyright

    All members of the UALR intellectual community understand the importance of intellectual honesty and respect for the intellectual property rights of others. However, the new information technology sometimes blurs the boundaries of what is considered "fair use." It is important for faculty to keep abreast of the latest guidelines for fair use of materials obtained from the Internet and for placing other materials on the Internet for teaching purposes. It is also important to be informed regarding and to adhere to the license rules and restrictions on the use of software or library resources that the University has made available for members of the University community to use.
    For more information regarding copyright, please consult the Copyright Central website at: ualr.edu/copyright/

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    Tech-Enhanced Course Materials and Intellectual Property Policies

    In October 2001, the UA System Board passed Policy 210.2 in response to concerns about the development of tech-enhanced course materials (TECMs) for distance education. The Policy defines "distance education" as "…two-way communication between a teacher and student separated by a geographical distance or time using technology for the purpose of facilitating and supporting the education process." They then define "tech-enhanced course material" (TECM) as "…materials utilizing electronic transmissions to accomplish such an activity."

    The Board saw the development of quality TECMs as an important part of quality distance education in Arkansas, but it was not clear how existing policies concerning copyright and patents applied. It was recognized that the production of quality TECMs would involve the investment by the university of considerable resources. In the Preamble to Policy 210.2, the UA Board states that: "The objective of this policy is to protect the copyright rights of both the faculty member and the University in TECM and to encourage the offering of quality distance education programs." They go on to state that "…it is important to address the issues raised by the creation, use and distribution of various forms of TECM and clarify the rights and responsibilities of each of the parties involved."

    UA System Board Policy 210.2 was the product of this attempt to clarify the rights and responsibilities of all parties involved in the development of TECMs. Individual campuses were then given the responsibility to apply the Policy to their individual situations. How this policy would apply to UALR was the subject of much review and discussion by several faculty and administrative groups. The UALR Faculty Senate adopted the final version during its April 2002, meeting. Chancellor Hathaway approved his policy in May 2002, and it was forwarded to the UA System Office.
    A complete explanation of the policy and the relevant procedures and forms can be found through the following link: ualr.edu/policy/index.php/2092/.

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    Acceptable Use and Network Security Policies

    (For the complete text of the policy, visit the following website: ualr.edu/computingservices/aup.asp)
    Information technology (IT) has the ability to distribute and examine a vast array of material with unprecedented speed. One requirement however, remains constant: all information technology use must fully respect the rights of the University and IT community members. This Acceptable Use Policy is designed to guide faculty, staff and students in the acceptable use of network and information systems provided by the University of Arkansas at Little Rock (UALR). More importantly, it is meant as an application of principles of respect using UALR computer resources, other computer users, and for the medium itself.

    The UALR community is encouraged to make innovative and creative use of information technologies in support of education and research. Consistent with other University policies, this policy is intended to respect the rights and obligations of academic freedom as well as to protect the resources of the University.

    The University campus network is an open network and therefore cannot protect individuals against the existence or receipt of material that may be offensive to them. Those who make use of electronic communications are warned that they may come across or be recipients of material they find offensive. Those who use email and/or make information about themselves available on the Internet should be forewarned that the University cannot protect them from invasions of privacy and other possible dangers that could result from the distribution of personal information.

    IT and network facilities of the University are finite and limited. These facilities should be used wisely and carefully with consideration for the needs of others. When used appropriately, these tools can enhance dialog and communications. When used inappropriately or unlawfully, these tools can infringe on the rights of others.  Current use of IT parallels familiar activities in other media and formats and existing University policies already provide guidance. Using electronic media in the place of standard written correspondence, for example, does not fundamentally alter the nature of the communication, nor will it alter the guiding policies. University policies, which already apply to freedom of expression, privacy and related matters, apply to electronic expression as well. This IT Appropriate Use Policy (AUP) addresses circumstances, which are new or at least unfamiliar in the IT arena and augments rather than replace other applicable University policies.

    The University may restrict the use of its IT and network systems when faced with evidence of violation of University policies, federal or local laws. The University reserves the right to limit access to its networks and IT systems. The University may limit access to material posted on University owned IT systems that is deemed inappropriate or not in keeping with the educational, research and community service missions of this University.  Systems Administrators are authorized by the University Network Security Policy to apply certain penalties to enforce applicable policies. Such penalties include temporary or elimination of access privileges, which may apply to networks and other IT services or facilities.

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    Course Evaluations and Assessment

    All courses should be included in program assessment activities regardless of the mode of delivery of instruction. Likewise, all courses should be included in student class evaluations. Programs may use their regular student evaluation forms or adapt them for the particular distance education environment. Student evaluations of web-based courses are performed by Extended Programs, with the results summarized and distributed to the instructor and unit head.
    AF (11/27/07)

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