Distance courses (in any format) are expected to meet certain design criteria. These criteria ensure that all distance courses offered by Saint Louis University align with quality Jesuit distance education standards, evidence-based practices for effective distance learning, and external regulatory and accreditation requirements. The Distance Course Review Process, led by SLU's Distance Education Office (DEO), helps to ensure the University is meeting its obligations to external entities.
The Distance Course Review Process looks at:
- Key elements of the course’s design, including the course’s alignment with federal requirements related to “regular and substantive interaction” (RSI) between the instructor and students, and
- The student workload planned in the course, including the extent to which the planned student workload aligns with the University-Wide Credit Hour Definition (PDF) (which is based on the federal credit-hour definition).
The Distance Course Review Process is built upon the University's Distance Course Design Rubric and begins after a distance course has been developed in Canvas and before the start of the course term of offering. The steps below describe the course development and Distance Course Review processes.
Please see the Distance Course Review Process Overview for an abbreviated summary of the review process.
Step 1: The DEO Contacts Instructors of Distance Courses.
After an instructor is assigned to teach a distance course, the DEO contacts them with detailed information about what to expect from the review process and timelines.
- The DEO communicates specific expectations (including deadlines for course review activities) for all instructors teaching distance courses at SLU. These expectations include formal preparation for distance teaching and the design of Canvas courses in alignment with the Distance Course Design Rubric, as well as information about the required Peer Review process (see Step 3 for more information).
- Typically, instructors are contacted at least two months prior to the start of the term of course offering.
- Instructors may also request a peer review or re-review of their distance course at any time.
Step 2: Instructors Design/Build Their Courses in Canvas.
Instructors are given a deadline (usually no later than four weeks prior to the start of the term) by which their distance courses must be ready in Canvas for the peer-review portion of the Distance Course Review Process (Steps 3-5 below). Instructors must design and build their courses to align with the criteria articulated in the University’s Distance Course Design Rubric.
- The Distance Course Design Rubric (formerly, the Online Course Design Rubric) guides the design of distance courses, not the selection of course content. The rubric applies to all distance courses at SLU, regardless of format (asynchronous online, synchronous online, and dual-mode).
- The rubric’s criteria align with the literature on effective distance education practices and with our Essential Features of Jesuit Distance Education at Saint Louis University.
- The complete annotated rubric, as well as a brief checklist version, may be found through the following links. Note: You must log in to MySLU/SLU Google using your SLU username and password to access the rubric and checklist.
Distance Course Design Rubric V.3 (Full)
Distance Course Design Rubric V.3 (Checklist)
- An in-depth overview of the current rubric (and a high-level overview of changes from
previous versions of the rubric) are available.
- Distance Course Design Rubric Overview (video 6 minutes 25 seconds)
- Overview of Rubric Changes
- Additionally, instructors should consider the SLU Online Course Accessibility checklist when designing distance courses. The checklist helps instructors with designing an equitable and accessible distance course.
Step 3: Distance Courses Undergo Peer Review.
When a distance course is ready for review, it is reviewed for alignment with the Distance Course Design Rubric by a trained SLU faculty peer reviewer.
- The Distance Education Manager adds a peer reviewer to the Canvas course.
- Peer Reviewers confirm the course meets all minimum required standards in the Distance Course Design Rubric and offer formative feedback that can help instructors enhance their courses.
- Reviewer feedback includes an individual rating for each criterion (some criteria are scored on a Yes/Not Yet scale, while others are scored on an evaluative scale). There is no overall score for a course’s review.
- Peer reviewers are removed from the Canvas course after they complete a course review.
Step 4: The DEO Shares the Peer Review Results with Instructors.
After peer reviewers complete their review, the DEO shares the results and feedback with instructors. The DEO communicates whether or not the course has passed the review.
- A course passes peer review when it receives at least the minimum passing score for all criteria. This means the instructor is not required to make any further adjustments to the course’s design (although the instructor may choose to act on formative feedback from the reviewer to enhance their course). The instructor will receive a Results Report and notification from the DEO documenting that their course has passed the review. Courses are reviewed every five years.
- A course does not pass peer review when it does not receive at least the minimum passing score for all criteria. This means the instructor will be required to make changes to achieve a passing score. Changes should be made prior to the start of the term. In cases where this is not possible, the instructor will not be able to teach the course in a distance format again until the course passes review. The instructor will receive notification from the DEO and a Results Report detailing the criteria to address in order to pass the review.
Step 5: If Required, Instructors Make Revisions to Their Distance Courses.
If a course does not pass peer review, instructors are required to revise the course to meet rubric requirements.
- The DEO provides the instructor with a Results Report detailing the rating for each criterion.
- The instructor makes changes to the course to meet at least the minimum passing score for each criterion. Updates should be made prior to the start of the course offering.
- Instructors updating their courses may find it helpful to work with either the Distance Education Office or Reinert Center for Transformative Teaching and Learning to revise or re-design their courses.
- After changes are made, the instructor provides an updated self-rating and information on how the criterion was met on the Results Report. The report is sent back to the DEO.
- Upon receipt of the updated Results Report, the DEO verifies that the course has passed the Peer Review and provides notification that the course has now passed the review. The course review is good for five years from the time of passing the review.
Step 6: The DEO Contacts Instructors to Initiate Student Course Workload Calculations.
Typically around mid-term, the DEO contacts instructors to complete the student course workload (formerly known as “seat-time equivalency”) calculation process.
- The goal of student course workload calculations is to document for the U.S. Department of Education and Higher Learning Commission that the amount of student workload in an online course meets the criteria for the number of credit hours designated for the course. This ensures distance courses involve an amount of work equivalent to in-person offerings (for which student workload is a combination of in-class and out-of-class activities).
- The Distance Education Committee developed guidance and metrics to help instructors with seat-time calculations; these can be found in the Documenting Student Workload in Distance Courses document.
- The DEO sends instructions to the instructor on how to calculate the student workload for their course. This information can also be found in the Calculating Student Course Workload in Distance Courses document.
Step 7: Instructors Calculate Student Workload for Their Courses.
Between mid-term and end-of-term, instructors calculate the student course workload and submit the results to the DEO.
- Using the information and resources provided by the DEO, instructors calculate the student workload for their distance courses.
- Once calculations are completed, instructors send the results to the DEO.
- A course meets the student workload threshold when it reaches at least 90% of the total expected student workload for the assigned credit hours. The DEO sends a notification documenting that the course meets the expected student workload.
- A course does not meet the student workload threshold when it falls below 90% of the total expected student workload for the assigned credit hours. The DEO sends a notification explaining that the course has not yet met the student course workload expectation and requests a conversation to discuss next steps. (The calculation of student workload is not an exact science and may require consideration of nuances within a course’s context.)
Step 8: If Required, Instructors Adjust Student Workload Expectations for Future Courses.
In cases where the student course workload does not meet the expected threshold, instructors should make appropriate adjustments prior to the next offering of the course.
- Instructors are expected to adjust the student course workload in time for the next offering of the course.
- Instructors may find it helpful to work with the DEO and/or someone in the Reinert Center as they work to meet the expected course workload.
- The instructor provides documentation of the planned adjustments to student course workload to the DEO.
- Once the course meets at least 90% of the total expected student workload for the assigned credit hours, the DEO sends a notification to the instructor, documenting that the course meets student workload expectations.
Please note: As part of the review preparation and process, the Distance Education Manager will have view-only access to your Canvas course. The Distance Education Manager cannot view student information or edit the course content.