A12 - Course Policies

Whether online or face-to-face, students should have a clear understanding of policies related to their learning. Because online learning activities often occur in an environment where students may have difficulty getting fast and timely answers to important questions, the presence of these policies becomes even more important. It can help students be successful (and minimize redundant questions!) to include clearly labeled course and college policies (DSPS, late assignments, drop/withdrawal, academic honesty, etc.) in easy-to-find locations. 

Your syllabus and orientation/getting started module are good places to locate course and campus policies. You might even consider adding specific policies to relevant places within the course. For example, adding your policy on late work to your directions for the first couple of assignments. The more prominent and easy-to-find your policies are, the more likely they will be adhered to. 

Here are some policy categories you may wish to consider including in your course materials (we'd like to see at least the first four in your course): 

• Accessibility / DSPS
• Assignments / Grading
• Late Work
• Student Code of Conduct / Academic Honesty
• Discussions
• Getting Technical Help 
• Intellectual Property Rights
• Drop / Withdrawal
• E-Mail 
• Student Privacy
• Software Standards 

Where to Look

These are generally found in the Syllabus and Orientation module, though they might also be included in relevant assignments/activities (for example, the academic honesty policy might be located on the instructions for a research paper).

What to Look For

Policies should be clearly labeled so a student will know exactly what information is contained on a given policy page. There is no strict definition of which topics must be covered but we would expect DSPS, grading/late work and academic honesty, at the least.