Overview
The South Dakota Board of Regents has established expectations for quality online courses through policy for all of its regental institutions. This means Dakota State University must adhere to this policy. This policy can be accessed here. Each part of this policy will be explained in further detail below to help you understand each part.
Institutional QA Process
Each institution in the Board of Regents is expected to carry out the Quality Assurance Review for Online Courses to make sure they meet quality expectations.
2.1 Institutions are responsible for reviewing all courses offered online—those with the method code of 015 or 018, per AAC Guideline 2.4.3.B—prior to offering, using the system rubric defined in AAC Guideline 5.8. Faculty will need to comply with this QA process per BOR Policy 4.1.1, Section 3.3.
What this means to me? Dakota State University is responsible for reviewing all of its courses that are offered online, even Hybrid courses as they also include online students. DSU also must use the rubric that was created by the AAC subcommittee. You will see further down that DSU may add more stringent adherance if they so choose. Also, Faculty will need to comply with this process for Quality Assurance.
2.2. Per AAC Guideline 2.3.8.A(A-1), section 1.2, institutions are free to augment or supplement this rubric with additional standards, and/or increase the rigor for standards (e.g., change “recommended” standards to “required,” add additional expectations for satisfying a standard, etc.) or expand this QA process (e.g., require additional training, review courses outside of the scope of the review types in section 2.3, etc.).
What this means to me? Dakota State University is free to make changes to the rubric that adds additional standards and/or increase the rigor of the standards, or they can add more to the process of Quality Assurance then what is provided at the Board of Regents level including requiring additional training, or adding course reviews that aren't listed in the review types section.
2.3. Regarding the institutional online course review process, the system has established three types of reviews: 2.3.1. New Online Course Review Any course not previously offered online must be reviewed prior to offering. 2.3.2. New Instructor Review When an instructor, who has not previously taught online for a BOR institution, is assigned to an existing online course, it should be reviewed prior to offering to ensure compliance with the system QA rubric. 2.3.3. Online Course Review Aside from the two formal review types stated previously, institutions are expected to monitor all online courses to ensure they are effectively delivered, aligned with best practices and BOR expectations, and achieve student success.
What this means to me? Dakota State University's online course review process includes the Board of Regents' requirements of three types of reviews; review for a course that is new to online, review for an existing course when an instructor is new to online teaching for that course, and online course reviews. Dakota State University reviews existing courses every three years.
2.4. The tracking and coordination of these reviews is the responsibility of the institution, and evidence of these QA reviews shall be maintained and made available to system reviewers when the course is selected for a system level review. It is the institution’s responsibility to ensure that suggested improvements from these institutional reviews have been made to the course.
What this means to me? Dakota State University is responsible for tracking the QA reviews and coordinating the reviews each semester. The QA reviews are documented and maintained and kept so that they can be provided if an audit occurred from the Board of Regents in a system level review. Suggested improvements from the reviews are tracked and ensured that changes are completed by Faculty along with any mentoring from Dakota State University's Center for Teaching and Learning.
2.5. Institutions are also responsible for training all instructors in the QA process prior to instructing online for the first time. The exact nature and content of the training process for instructors is at the discretion of the institutions, but should cover the system rubric and best practices contained therein.
What this means to me? Dakota State University is responsible for training faculty in the Quality Assurance process before faculty begin teaching online. Dakota State University provides training on the system rubric and best practices to meet those requirements.
System-Level QA Process
The Board of Regents will review Dakota State University online courses periodically.
3.1. Online courses from each institution will be reviewed at the system level on an periodic basis. The selection of these courses and schedule of the review process will be determined by AAC based on system priorities. In general, though, this review process will involve randomly-selected courses from each institution that will be reviewed against the BOR QA rubric—outlined in AAC Guideline 2.3.9.A(A-1, A-2)—by a team of instructional design personnel and/or faculty assembled by AAC.
What this means to me? The Board of Regents could select your course for review at the State level. Making sure your course meets or exceeds the Quality Assurance Rubric is important. If your course is up for review at Dakota State University, please take the time to make sure you incorporate the suggestions provided by the Center for Teaching and Learning. The Academic Affairs Counsel will determine which courses it will select to review from each institution. They will use the QA rubric that is outlined in the AAC Guidelines and which Dakota State University adheres to.
3.2. Once the reviews have been completed, the review team will provide a summary report to AAC for its evaluation.
What this means to me? If your course was selected for review by the Board of Regents, the review team will use the QA rubric to assess your course and provide a summary report to AAC for its evaluation.