Online Courses

Michigan Technological University offers a number of online courses and programs. To help ensure that we are providing the best education to online students as possible, Michigan Tech requires that those responsible for providing online instruction are appropriately trained and that courses meet, or exceed, a set of baseline standards rooted in research.

Michigan Tech distinguishes between courses initially designed to be taught asynchronously online ("online courses") and courses that are taught synchronously online ("remote courses") either by design or temporarily due to external factors.

Basic Standards

Online Courses

In these courses, all course activity is conducted asynchronously using internet and/or other distance delivery methods. There are no in-person sessions and no requirements for on-campus activities. Online instruction consists entirely of online elements that facilitate student interactions with the content, the instructor, and other students. These courses are not self-paced; most assignments will have due dates, and group assignments may require synchronous meetings with group members. Online courses must be completed according to how they are scheduled within the academic calendar.

Instructors and facilitators of online courses must demonstrate that they have training in the development, delivery, and assessment of online courses, as well as proficiency with the learning management system in use at Michigan Tech (currently Canvas). This 

Peer reviews of courses will be conducted using a rubric designed to facilitate widely accepted best practices (currently Quality Matters).

Remote Courses

Instruction is delivered live and synchronously, most commonly via the internet (i.e., using Zoom), during scheduled class meeting times. Class attendance is expected. No on-campus/on-site attendance is required. These courses are intended to provide distance students access to a live and interactive experience.

As the live sessions allow for direct student-faculty interaction, training requirements for Remote Instruction are met through review of currently supported technologies (e.g., for synchronous conferencing, the learning management system, and video hosting platform). Faculty should review the CTL's resources on Canvas and related tools and self-enroll in the "Teaching Tools" Canvas Course offered by the CTL.

Faculty who need to demonstrate that they meet this requirement should schedule a consultation with the CTL to review current tools. Once the provost's office has been notified that this consultation has been completed, the faculty member will be added to the list on this page.

Additional Course Modalities

Michigan Tech has a defined set of modalities for use in describing how courses and programs are offered. These other modalities (which are not impacted by this policy) are defined below.

Qualified Instructors

The following faculty have been recognized as meeting Michigan Tech's qualification standards for online/remote instruction:

Procedures

Requirements for teaching online may be satisfied through training offered by Michigan Tech or an equivalent alternative. Faculty who complete training through Michigan Tech will automatically be added to the list of certified instructors.

If you need to take a training from an alternative source, please consult with the CTL about approved equivalencies.

If you have already completed training elsewhere, (in most cases) you will need to provide evidence of training completion in order to be added to the list of qualified faculty. Evidence may be submitted using an online form:

Qualification Submission FormExternal training will be evaluated by the CTL to determine if it meets or exceeds the training offered through Michigan Tech. 

Requests to Teach Existing Courses Online

One-time course modality change requests must be submitted via email to the registrar's office from the respective dean.