Delta State University expects all students to adhere to the highest moral academic standards.

While keeping within the established mission of the university, the distance education program will provide the following:

• Greater access for students to the academic credit and non-credit offerings of the university.
• Ensure high-quality teaching.
• Cooperative efforts with other IHL institutions, K-12 educational agencies, and community entities to provide opportunities for teaching, research, and public service efforts.

All distance education credit courses are taught by faculty, with all the same standards, prerequisites, and requirements as on-campus sections of identical courses. All DSU policies and procedures, standards, and guidelines for on-campus programs and instruction are applicable to distance education instruction, unless noted otherwise. 

Distance Education Committee
Committee members are appointed by the Provost/Vice President for Academic Affairs and includes representation from all colleges/schools and other units as determined by the Academic Council. The Director of Instructional Technology and the Director of Distance Education serve as Co-chairs of the Distance Education Committee for coordination and staff support. The DSU Distance Education Committee develops and recommends distance education policies and procedures to the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs, who in turn, submits the recommended policies and procedures to Academic Council and then to Cabinet for approval. 

Distance Education Delivery Coordinator
The Director of the Instructional Technology will facilitate working with cooperating institutions for delivery of interactive video courses as directed by the respective dean and department/division head. All use of the videoconferencing studio will be coordinated between the department heads, deans, the Academic Affairs Office, and OIT. The Director of Instructional Technology will be responsible for coordinating implementation, maintenance, and backup of all online courses.

Distance Education Approval
Distance education courses will be recommended and approved through university review procedures following the path of Department, Dean, and Academic Council. Distance education programs will be recommended and approved through university review procedures, following the path of Department, Dean, Academic Council, Cabinet, IHL, and accreditation groups. For approved courses and programs, departments assign teaching faculty, determine quotas, and accrue student credit hours for courses taught.  The Technology Learning Center schedules courses in conjunction with academic departments, provides on-site support staff, and assists academic departments with evaluations. 

Enrollment
The enrollment process for students in distance education courses is equivalent to the procedures used for traditional classroom courses. 

Class Cancellations
Classes will be cancelled only in emergency situations and with as much advance notice as possible. 

Faculty Evaluation
Faculty members teaching distance education courses will be evaluated using DSU evaluation procedures and instruments.

Academic Standards for Distance Education
Distance education courses will meet all academic requirements and quality standards of Delta State University and of all accrediting bodies.

Interactive Video Courses
Delta State University offers Interactive video classes in several formats. Not all courses are available at all remote sites or in every format.  

Faculty Training
All faculty scheduled to teach a distance education course for the first time must participate in a course preparation program. The Director of Instructional Technology provides training opportunities for all faculty using distance education technology in instruction. Any instructor wishing to teach an interactive video or online course for the first time will attend an orientation and logistics meeting, which will be conducted by the Instructional Technology Center staff, who will coordinate and lead these activities as well as work with interactive video and online courses, and assist faculty as needed prior to and during the semester their course is delivered. Web design consultants may also be assigned to assist online faculty. 

Faculty Support Services
The services are available to all faculty. Faculty interested in incorporating technology into their traditional (classroom) courses are provided assistance and instruction in one-on-one sessions as well as group workshops. Interactive video and online faculty are provided assistance and instruction during the orientation and logistics meeting conducted by the Director of Instructional Technology. Online faculty are also provided web courseware, web accounts, and design assistance by Instructional Technology staff preceding and during the semester the course is taught.   In addition, OIT personnel provide help setting up courseware accounts, web accounts, home pages on the Internet, forms for gathering data on the Internet, and other assistance with websites for distance education faculty. 

Library Support
The Roberts LaForge Library staff coordinates library support for all distance education classes and will consult with faculty in planning their courses to assure appropriate library services. Faculty can determine the needs for their class and can receive assistance in determining availability of resources at various libraries, online access information and training, or the mailing of specific materials requested by students. 

E-mail Support
The OIT staff provides assistance in establishing student e-mail accounts for distance education courses. All distance education faculty and students must have an e-mail account. These accounts will be activated at the request of the course instructor or student(s) enrolled in the class.

Textbooks and Copy Center Packets
Faculty textbook orders will be handled through the usual departmental channels. A Copy Center packet containing all class handouts or handouts can be scanned in and made available through the homepage. Students may purchase these at the beginning of the semester through the Campus Bookstore. Students may order their textbooks and packets by phone from the Campus Bookstore and receive them by mail for an additional handling fee, if they call before the Campus Bookstore's specified mail order deadlines. 

Copyright Permission
Faculty members are responsible for securing advance written copyright clearances on any copyright-protected materials they may use in their broadcast, re-run, or online classes. Additional information on Copyright is available on the U.S. Copyright Office’s website at: http://www.loc.gov/copyright/circs/circ1.html. The only substantial exception to the rule that only copyright holders may distribute copyrighted material is the long-standing provision that individuals may make “fair use” of copyrighted materials. Use of a copyrighted work “for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching (including multiple copies for classroom use), scholarship, or research” (17 USC 107) is generally considered fair use. Fair use does not extend to extensive quotations and may not adversely affect the commercial market for the work in question.

Intellectual Property
The materials created by faculty members for distance education courses will be treated in the same fashion as materials created by faculty members for traditional courses.  

Site Facilitators and Distance Education Assistance
Technology Learning Center staff are available to assist faculty and students in the on-campus section of interactive video courses. Everyone involved with distance education may also call the Technology Learning Center for assistance. The Technology Learning Center maintains and updates an informational distance education website and provides instructional and technical support to faculty and students.

Enrolled students in distance education courses shall have access to the range of student services to support their learning comparable to that of the on-campus learner. Services will also be supportive of the part-time distance learner. Students will be provided with clear, complete information about programs of study including curriculum, course and degree requirements; the nature of faculty and student interaction; assumptions about technical competence and skills; technical equipment requirements; and availability of academic support services, financial aid resources, and cost and payment policies. Enrolled students will also have adequate access to the range of services appropriate to support their learning including, but not limited to, admission services; registration; transcripts; financial aid – including access to Veteran’s Assistance programs, scholarships, grants and loans; academic advising; library services; methods of adding or dropping course; bookstore services; and adequate communication about registration and admission requirements. 

Admissions
Information and advice about requirements for admission to DSU and admission to a specific program will be available to distance education students. 

Financial Aid
Students enrolled in telecommunication-based courses are eligible to apply for Federal Financial Aid. Federal Financial Aid includes grants, loans, and a student employment program.  Students should apply online at www.fafsa.ed.gov each academic year.  For additional information, please contact the Office of Student Financial Assistance at (662) 846-4670 or visit their office in Kent Wyatt Hall 144.

Advising
Comparable advising services are available to both on-campus and distance education students. Advice about academic programs is critical to the success and productivity of the student. Distance education advising is available in a range of modes, using new technologies (e.g., e-mail, telephone, toll-free numbers)

Library
Appropriate library services will be available to distance education students. Quality programs demand adequate library services for all students. Specific library/staff resources will be designated at campus libraries to adequately service distance education students as well as support interlibrary loan policies and online access to catalogs and materials.

Computer Literacy Prerequisites
It will be necessary that students come to the course with the requisite knowledge enabling them to use the technology. Because access to computers in homes and schools is not uniform, students arrive in distance education classrooms in all states of readiness. Distance education programs/courses will identify computer literacy prerequisites needed for students to participate successfully, so students may be properly advised about skill level that is required. 

Academic Honesty
Students taking distance education courses will be held to the same requirements of academic honesty as students taking traditional courses. Faculty will ensure that safeguards have been built into the distance education course format to require that students be held to the same standards of academic honesty as students in traditional courses.

Students with Disabilities
Students with disabilities needing special accommodations should contact the DSU Counseling Center in the Reilly Health Center; Dr. Richard Houston, 662.846.4690, rhouston@deltastate.edu 

Formal student grievances regarding the actions of an instructor shall proceed according to the policy as follows:  

Grievances shall not encompass the quality of instruction, the difficulty of testing, the rigor of grading, or the appropriateness of the course requirements. The judgment of what standards are appropriate resides with the instructor, unless there is compelling evidence that those standards are arbitrary or capricious.

At every step, the correspondences from the instructor, the chair, the dean, and the Committee shall designate the date by which the next step, if indicated, shall be initiated by the student or respondent.

The Responsible Office and/or the Policy Owner:  Office of Academic Affairs

1. The student will discuss the grievance with the instructor and seek a solution. This discussion, the first step of the grievance process, must take place no later than the last working day of the next regular term after the course in question.
    
2. If the problem is not resolved to the satisfaction of the student in conference with the instructor, the student is entitled to submit an appeal in writing (with documentation) to the department/division chair within fifteen working days of the date of the conference. Upon receiving a student appeal, the department/division chair submits, within fifteen working days, a written request for a response in writing (with documentation) from the instructor. The instructor replies to the chair’s request within fifteen working days. The department/division chair notifies the student and instructor in writing of his/her decision, within fifteen working days from the date the response is received from the instructor. All documents must be retained for a minimum of three years; upon sending the response to the student and instructor, the chair will ensure that the complete appeals file is delivered to the Office of Academic Affairs.
    
3. If the problem is not resolved to the satisfaction of the student, the student is entitled to submit an appeal in writing (with documentation) within fifteen working days of the date of the department/division chair’s written response, to the college/school dean with administrative responsibility for the department in which the appeal originated. The college/school dean obtains the appeals folder from the Office of Academic Affairs and reviews the student appeal and the corresponding responses from the instructor and chair. The college/school dean notifies the student and instructor in writing of his/her decision with a copy to the division/department chair, within fifteen working days from the date the appeal is received. All documents must be retained for a minimum of three years; upon sending the response to the student, instructor, and chair, the dean will ensure that the complete appeals file is delivered to the Office of Academic Affairs.
    
4. If the problem is not resolved to the satisfaction of the student, the student is entitled to submit a written request for a hearing with the Undergraduate Attendance and Grievance Appeals Committee within fifteen working days of the date of the dean’s response. (Committee contact information available through the Office of Academic Affairs, 228 Kent Wyatt Hall, 662.846.4010). The Undergraduate Attendance and Grievance Appeals Committee chair schedules a hearing date, within fifteen working days from the date the request for hearing is received, and notifies the student, instructor, and chair, and the chair obtains the appeals file from the Office of Academic Affairs. Both parties may submit their cases in person to the committee. The Undergraduate Attendance and Grievance Appeals Committee notifies the student, instructor, and chair in writing of its decision with a copy to the appropriate dean, within five working days from the date of the hearing. All proceedings of the Undergraduate Attendance and Grievance Appeals Committee are confidential. All documents must be retained for a minimum of three years; upon the Committee's sending the response to the student, instructor, chair, and dean, the Undergraduate Attendance and Grievance Appeals Committee chair will ensure that the complete appeals file is delivered to the Office of Academic Affairs.
    
5. If the problem is not resolved to the satisfaction of the student, the student is entitled to submit an appeal in writing to the Vice President for Academic Affairs within fifteen working days of the date of the Committee's notification. The Vice President for Academic Affairs reviews the appeals file. Within fifteen working days after receiving the appeal, the Vice President for Academic Affairs notifies the student, instructor, and chair in writing of his/her decision which is final, with a copy to the appropriate dean and the chair of the Undergraduate Attendance and Grievance Appeals Committee. All documents must be retained for a minimum of three years; the Vice President for Academic Affairs will retain the appeals file in the Office of Academic Affairs. 

Grievances shall not encompass the quality of instruction, the difficulty of testing, the rigor of grading, or the appropriateness of the course requirements. The judgment of what standards are appropriate resides with the instructor, unless there is compelling evidence that those standards are arbitrary or capricious.

At every step, the correspondences from the instructor, the chair, the dean, and the Committee shall designate the date by which the next step, if indicated, shall be initiated by the student or respondent. 

Note: The Writing Proficiency Examination has a separate appeal process. See “General Regulations Regarding Graduation” in the Academic Catalog.  

The Responsible Office and/or the Policy Owner:  Office of Academic Affairs 

Delta State University’s Textbook Policy is established at the direction of the IHL to address the cost of college textbooks and other instructional materials and to ensure compliance with Section 133 of the federal Higher Education Opportunity Act (HEOA) of 2008.

DSU adoption guidelines comply with these IHL Requirements:

• Delta State University adoption forms will be due in the Bookstore according to the schedule below:

• The adoption process will include the indication of whether a textbook is required or recommended and should include to the extent possible an indication of whether an alternate (e.g., earlier) edition of the textbook may be used. Timely adoption of textbooks is required for the following course types: lecture, lecture/lab, laboratory, and recitation/discussion. These course types, as designated and defined by the IHL Data Dictionary, are generally assumed to be courses with textbook requirements. Any other courses at Delta State University that historically require textbooks shall be included in this adoption policy.
  
   
• Department chairs/heads will be responsible for ensuring that all pertinent courses under their authority have adoptions submitted by the deadline, even in instances where no instructor has been assigned for a course section as of the announced adoption deadline date.
  
   
• Departments shall be strongly encouraged to adopt the same course materials for all sections of each course. 

Minimum Adoption Periods

DSU policy provides a minimum adoption period for textbooks that are resalable (as opposed to one-time usage materials - e.g., workbooks - or books that have limited resale value).

• DSU’s adoption period for lower division courses is a minimum of three with allowance for reasonable exceptions to this requirement: for instances when editions go out of print, when substantive changes are made in either the course description or the textbook, or when there is a significant change in the body of knowledge pertinent to the course. Authorization of exceptions require the approval of the dean, after recommendation from the department chair.
  
   
• For upper division courses DSU’s guiding principle for selection is a minimum of two years. DSU recognizes that, to provide current scholarship in a global marketplace, upper division courses have more advanced and changing content, students often wish to build a personal library of books in their major, and there is a more limited potential for establishing a favorable local buy-back market for such upper division textbooks. 

Dissemination of Textbook Information

Compliance with the IHL requirements for dissemination of textbook information is the responsibility of the DSU Bookstore and the DSU contract liaison. The bookstore is responsible for providing information on best practices in textbook adoptions to faculty and for providing advice to students on ways to save money on textbook purchases and for complying with the following IHL requirements:

• Delta State will provide faculty with information and tools for the selection of textbooks, including pricing information and the availability of alternative formats for course materials (e.g., whether textbooks are available in electronic versions) and of separately available components of a bundled textbook;
  
   
• Delta State will provide students with tips on purchasing textbooks, including the availability of electronic versions, the availability of unbundled textbook components, buy-back and exchange policies, and price-matching policies. Institutions shall provide this information, including an explanation of the significance of ISBNs, to entering freshmen during orientations or within 30 days prior to the beginning of the fall semester.
  
   
• Delta State will provide faculty and students with results from surveys of student satisfaction with textbooks.

Assessment of Progress

The Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs will appoint a Textbook Coordinator and a Textbook Committee. The Textbook Committee, chaired by the Textbook Coordinator, will be responsible for the implementation and administration of this policy.

• The DSU University Textbook Policy Committee shall develop procedures to assess the success of the textbook policy and practices in containing the costs of textbooks. These procedures shall include analyses and reports appropriate to assessing compliance with this policy. The Textbook Committee will regularly evaluate the effectiveness of the DSU policy.
  
   
• The Textbook Committee will review and monitor the number of textbook adoption exceptions approved each semester by each college dean.
  
   
• Assessment strategies shall include: the inclusion of questions on student surveys about the value of assigned textbooks; production of reports of the extent of compliance of each institution with the adoption deadlines; information about the costs of the textbooks for the top twenty (highest enrollment) courses; the volume of buy-back purchases at the affiliated bookstores; the number of electronic versions of textbooks being used; and surveys (student and faculty) of the ability of the affiliated bookstore to provide adequate stocking of books. 
  
   
• Annually, the textbook coordinator will submit such assessment information as required by the assessment plan as an annual assessment report to the IHL Commissioner or his/her designee.
  
   
• The annual assessment report will be made available on the DSU website.