Faculty Resources

Forms and Steps for Offering a New Class Online at TCC

**You do not need to complete this form if you simply intend to web-enhance an existing class, although you will still need to complete the Resource Request Form.

The Online Course Approval Form is intended for faculty who plan to develop a totally online course. The online course approval form and related DTLS policies and procedure provide partial fulfillment of the accreditation requirements outlined in the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools' (SACS) document titled "Distance Education: Definition and Principles - A Policy Statement" (May 2000). The form also serves to notify DTLS of your intentions and to help enable online support services for your course.

The first time a course is listed in the TCC schedule as an "online" class, you must complete the Online Course Approval Form and obtain your Academic Dean's signature. The first time an individual faculty member teaches a class online, even if another TCC faculty member has offered the same course online, you must complete the Online Course Approval Form and obtain your Academic Dean's signature. Questions about whether the form needs to be completed should be directed to Mike Williams.

A good way to gain experience in the online environment is to "web-enhance" various components of an existing classroom-based course. DTLS staff can help you with this process. Please check the DTLS website for information about steps involved in developing a web-enhanced or online course.

For many first-time, online faculty, 12 months is not too soon to begin the development process. However, 6 months may be adequate in some situations, particularly if you are a skilled web developer or have already taught a similar class with Internet components. If you are new to using the Internet as a teaching-learning environment or if you are developing a new class, you may need additional training and time, and course management software like Blackboard.

Additional documents are available to help you with the process, including:

Please review the above documents as part of the process in completing Online Course Approval Form.

The online course approval form is an agreement between you and your academic dean as well as notification to the Vice President for DTLS of your intent. Once you have your Academic Dean's approval, forward the form to the Associate Vice President for Educational Technology . Under normal circumstances, this submission should be at least 16 weeks before the class will be offered.

You can open this Online Course Approval Form in a word processor or Internet Explorer and insert and print your text. If you have any comments or questions at any point in the development process, contact the Associate Vice President for Educational Technology .

If you are unable to access these documents on the secure TCC Intranet using your network login please contact the TCC Helpdesk.