Online Learning Using eCollege at TAMU-C
Revised 4-4-08

• What is the definition of an online, hybrid, blended, web-assisted, or web-enhanced course at TAMU-Commerce?
• As an Instructor, how may I request assistance with eCollege?
• How do I become trained in using eCollege?
• How do I request a course be setup a new online or web-enhanced course?
• How do I get my eCollege course set up?
• What is a ‘Blackout Week?
• How do I request that a course be copied from a previous term?
• May I use another instructor’s course content for the online course I am scheduled to teach?
• Do students have opportunity to evaluate online or web-enhanced courses each semester?
• How do I drop a student from my course?
• What happens if I grant an ‘incomplete’ to a student taking an online course?

ON-LINE COURSE OPTIONS

Online Course - a form of education where instructors and students are physically distanced from each other but interact with each other by digital means in an anytime/anywhere environment that replaces traditional face-to-face instruction.

Web-assisted (Web-enhanced Course) - a traditional face-to-face course that is supplemented with instructional material and resources placed on the Web. Students and faculty meet all regularly scheduled sessions face-to-face.

INSTRUCTOR SUPPORT

Instructor Request for eCollege Assistance

• Email online@tamu-commerce.edu or call 903.886.5511.
• The Instructional Design Team will respond to your email within a 24-hour response time.

TRAINING REQUESTS

Instructor Request for eCollege Orientation/Training

• Email online@tamu-commerce.edu
• A graduate assistant (GA) may accompany the instructor to training sessions. We are unable to train a GA/TA without the instructor present.

New eCollege Instructor

Request to Teach an Online or Web-Enhanced Course

• Request to Teach an Online Course

• Contact your Department Head to list course on the online course schedule.
• Complete the Standard Agreement Form and obtain appropriate signatures as noted on the form.  A copy of the form may be retrieved: Click Here to access the form
•  Return form to the Instructional Technology & Distance Education office.
• Arrange an eCollege Orientation session (if the instructor has not taught an eCollege course at TAMU-C previously) by contacting online@tamu-commerce.edu.

• Request to Teach a Web-Enhanced Course

• Arrange an eCollege Orientation session by contacting online@tamu-commerce.edu.
• Complete the “Course Copy Request Form”  Click Here to access the form.

COURSE COPY

Instructor Request to Copy a Course (Online or Web-Enhanced)

• Note “Copying of Online Courses” or “Copying Web-Enhanced Courses” sections of this document.
• Complete “Course Copy Request Form”   Click Here to access the form.
• Complete request form a minimum of one week prior to need of course.

SEMESTER START-UP PROCEDURES

Copying of Online Courses

Courses will be copied for all online (i.e. 01W, 02W, etc) courses as listed in the online course offerings on the Texas A&M University-Commerce web page.
Courses listed with the instructor as ‘staff’ will not be copied until official notification is received from the department head or is updated on the University web page.

Courses to be copied for the Fall and Spring terms will be copied from one term to another as per the following examples.

NOTE: Faculty must email online@tamu-commerce.edu prior to the ‘blackout period’ for that term if an exception to this copy format is requested.
Courses to be copied for May Mini, Summer I, Summer II, August Mini, and Winter Mini terms will be copied from one term to another as per the following examples:

If the assigned professor has not taught the course previously, the new course will be created by copying the eCollege 15-week template.

Blackout Week

A ‘Blackout Week’ will be scheduled prior to the start of the new term(s) in order for the Instructional Design team to copy online courses for the new term.

2007-2009 Blackout Week Schedule: (Note: Dependent on when course offerings are posted on the University web page.)

Course modifications made by faculty during the ‘blackout week’ will need to be made by faculty to the newly copied course(s) as well.

Faculty will be notified of the ‘blackout week’ the week prior to the ‘blackout week’ occurring. An email will be sent to online course faculty when course copies are completed.

Copying of Web-Enhanced Courses

• Complete the online “eCollege Course Copy Request Form” found at http://www.tamu-commerce.edu/itde/ecollegeCopyRequest.asp?menu=eCollege  
• Complete request form a minimum of one week prior to need of course.

Borrowing Content from another Professor

A professor requesting that his course be created by copying the content of another professor’s course, must do the following:

• Complete the course copy form found at Click Here to access the form  
• Provide email approval to the Instructional Technology team at online@tamu-commerce.edu from the professor who originally developed the course content and/or the department head.

COURSE EVALUATIONS (online courses only)

Formative evaluations are administered through eCollege as follows:

• 2nd week of the Fall and Spring terms
• 2nd week of the Summer I and Summer II terms

Summative evaluations are administered through eCollege as follows:

• Two weeks before the end of the term for the Fall and Spring terms
• Last week of the term for Summer I and Summer II

Notes:

Formative and Summative evaluation reports are provided to the instructor and department head following the close of the evaluation periods.

Course evaluations by students are mandatory—students must complete when accessing course at the time of the scheduled course evaluation.

COURSE ADMINISTRATION

Dropping a Student

A student may drop a course by logging into their myLEO account.  After logging into the myLEO account click on the hyperlink labeled 'Drop a class' from among the choices found under the myLEO section of the Web page.  The student will then select the class they wish to drop along with the reason for dropping the class. Once the drop request is completed by the student it will then be routed to the instructor for approval.
Upon instructor approval the student drop request will be sent to the Office of the Registrar for processing. A student may access myLEO to view their drop and they should also receive an email notification to their myLEO email.

Processing an Incomplete

Your online course is available for student access for 2 weeks after the close of each semester. Should you choose to grant a student an incomplete for an online course, you will need to work with the student through e-mail, snail mail, phone dialogue or any other means outside eCollege you choose. Students will not be re-entered into eCollege for the completion of the course.