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SampleDistanceEducationPolicy&ContractLanguage
BytheSpecialCommitteeonDistanceEducationandIntellectualPropertyIssues
Whileproponentsandopponentsdebatetheimplementationandeffectivenessofdistanceeducation,collegesanduniversitiesacrossthecountry
continuetoimplementprogramsutilizingbroadcastandcomputertechnology.Inseveralrecentdocuments,AAUPhasaddressedtheissue,
recognizingthattheexistenceofdistanceeducationisnotafuturepossibility,butacurrentrealitywheregrowthpotentialisvirtuallyunlimited.
AlthoughtheAssociationacceptstherealityofdistanceeducationprograms,itcontinuestoaffirmtheresponsibilityoffacultytoplayasignificantor
meaningfulroleindeterminingtheappropriateimplementationoftheseprograms.In1999,theAAUPadoptedtheStatementonDistance
Education,whichassertsthefundamentalprinciplethat:
Aswithallothercurricularmatters,thefacultyshouldhaveprimaryresponsibilityfordeterminingthepoliciesandpracticesoftheinstitution
inregardtodistanceeducation.Therulesgoverningdistanceeducationanditstechnologiesshouldbeapprovedbyvoteofthefaculty
concernedorofarepresentativefacultybody,officiallyadoptedbytheappropriateauthority,andpublishedanddistributedtoallconcerned.
Policiesorcontractlanguagegoverningdistanceeducationprograms,needtobedevelopedwithinthecontextoftheoverallpurposesofcolleges
anduniversities:"topreserve,augment,andtransmitknowledgeandtofostertheabilitiesofstudentstolearn."[StatementonDistanceEducation]
Whetherwithincollectivebargainingcontractsorthroughsomeotherunderstandingsuchaspoliciesadoptedthroughthefacultygovernance
process,facultiesneedappropriateguidanceandprotection.Thefollowingsamplelanguagewastakenfromareviewofexistingpolicies,
contracts,andAAUPpolicystatements,andmaybemodifiedtofitvariedcircumstances.

MatterstoAddress
GeneralDefinitions
AcademicFreedom
WorkingConditions
WorkloadincludingCompensation,Appointment&Evaluation
TechnicalSupport
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IntellectualProperty
Miscellaneous

General
Besuretorefertoalltypesoftechnologyandincorporateallnontraditionalmedia.Makeyourlanguagebroadsothatitwillnotbeoutofdateas
technologychanges.
ThePartiesrecognizethatadvancesintechnology,astheyrelatetothiscollectivebargainingagreement(policy),mayallowforthe
developmentoftechnologicallyinnovativemethodsofinstruction.Theterms"DistanceEducation"or"DistanceLearning"asused
hereinrefertoinstructionwheretheteacherandthestudentareseparatedgeographicallysothatfacetofacecommunicationis
absentcommunicationisaccomplishedinsteadbyoneormoretechnologicalmedia.Thiscommunicationconsistsofliveorrecorded
visualpresentationsandmaterialusingdirectsignalorcable,transmissionbytelephoneline,fiberopticline,digitaland/oranalog
videotape,audiotape,CDROM,computerorinternettechnology,emailorotherelectronicmeans,nowknownorhereafterdeveloped,
utilizedtoteachanycourseoriginatingfromorsponsoredbyXinstitution."Course"referstoanyclassofferedforcreditorotherwise
requiredforadegree.

AcademicFreedom
Academicfreedomappliestobothdistanceeducationandtraditionalclassroominstruction.

Facultymembersengagedindistanceeducationshallhaveacademicfreedomasteachersandresearchersinfullaccordancewith
theprovisionsofthe1940StatementofPrinciplesonAcademicFreedomandTenure,including"freedomintheclassroomin
discussingtheirsubject"and"fullfreedominresearchandinthepublicationoftheresults."
Methodsofpresentationandcoursematerialsaretobeunderthecontrolofthefacultymemberassignedtodevelopand/orteachthe
distanceeducationcourse.Oversightbythefacultymember'scolleagueswithinthedepartmentorprogramshallbesubjecttothe
usualnormsandresponsibilitiesofsupervisionandoversightassociatedwiththefunctionsofthedepartment.

SelectionofMaterials
Individualfacultymembersshouldhavethesameresponsibilityforselectingandpresentingmaterialsincoursesofferedthrough
distanceeducationtechnologiesthattheyhaveinthoseofferedintraditionalclassroomsettings.Forteamtaughtorinterdisciplinary
coursesandprograms,thefacultyinvolvedshouldsharethisresponsibility.

QualityControloftheCurriculum
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Makesurethatthesameproceduresareusedforfacultyoversightindistanceeducationcoursesasinanyothercourse.
Distanceeducationcourses(ormodificationsthereto)shallcomplywithallofthestandardpractices,procedures,andcriteriawhich
havebeenestablishedfortraditionalintheclassroomcoursesincludingbutnotlimitedto,facultyinvolvementatthelevelofcourse
developmentandapproval,selectionofqualifiedfacultytoteachthecourse,pedagogicaldeterminationsaboutappropriateclasssize,
andoversightofallfinalcourseofferingsbytheappropriatefacultycommitteetoensureconformitywithpreviouslyestablished
traditionsofcoursequalityandrelevancetoprograms.

WorkingConditions
Workload/TeachingResponsibility.Thetimeneededtodevelopadistanceeducationcourseshouldbecarefullyconsidered.TheAssociation
recognizesthatevidencedocumentingtheamountofworkrequiredfordistanceeducationcoursesremainslargelyanecdotal.Everyattempt
shouldbemadetoensurethatmoredefinitiveinformationisdeveloped.Somecampuseshaveheldroundtablesamongthefacultytocollectactual
dataonthatcampus.Thispracticehasprovensuccessfulinthosecases.Intheabsenceofmoredefinitivedata,workloadprovisionsshouldtake
intoaccounttheanecdotalevidencethatdistanceeducationcoursedevelopmentistakingtwotothreetimesaslongascomparablecourses
taughtinthetraditionalmanner.Thesameevidencesuggeststhattheinvestmentoffacultytimeinvolvedinteachingadistanceeducationcourse
issubstantiallygreaterthanthatrequiredforacomparabletraditionalcourse.Thetimespentonlineansweringstudentinquiriesisreportedas
beingmorethandoubletheamountoftimerequiredininteractingwithstudentsincomparabletraditionalclasses.
Enrollment.Determinationofclasssizeforadistanceeducationclassshouldbebasedonpedagogicalconsiderations.Largesections
shouldbecompensatedbyadditionalcreditinloadassignmentinthesamemannerastraditionalclasses.
Preparation.Facultywhoteachindistanceeducationprogramsshouldbeadditionallycompensatedfortheextratimerequiredtoprepare
fortheircourses.Thiscompensationshouldbeintheformofcredittowardloadassignmentinordertopromotequality,orcanbefinancial.
Compensation.Coursestaughtviadistanceeducationmaybeincludedaspartofthefacultymember'sregularload,ormayconstitutean
overload,oracombinationofboth.Theteachingresponsibilitiesastheyrelatetoassignments,scheduling,syllabi,papersandtests,shallbe
nodifferentfromthoseofthecorrespondingtraditionalcoursesections.GradeswillbeissuedusingthenormalUniversityprocedures.
Facultymembersteachingacourseutilizingdistanceeducationtechnologyforthefirsttimeshallbeprovidedcourseloadreductionsto
properlypreparethecourse.Thisreductionshouldbeprovidedpriortotheofferingofthecourse,andmaybesupplementedwithan
additionalreductionduringthefirsttermthecourseistaught.Acceptanceofthesereductionsconstitutesagreementtoteachtwoadditional
sectionsofthecourseoverthenextthreeterms.However,ifafterthecoursehasbeentaughtforthefirsttimetheadministrationorthe
departmentdeems(foracademic,financial,orotherreasons)thatitisnotviable/practicabletoteachitagainusingthedistanceeducation
format,thefacultymembershallberelievedofthisobligation.
Facultymembersshallnotberequiredtotraveltodistanceeducationoffcampussites.Ifthefacultymemberdeemsitappropriatetovisitan
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offcampussite,thefacultymemberwillreceivereimbursementfortravelatthenormalUniversityrates.
Intheeventthattheinstitutionmakesanymodificationstothedistanceeducationcourse(s)and/ordeliverysystemswhichincreaseor
substantiallyalterthefacultymember'sworkload,theuniversityshallberequiredtonotifytheunionatleastfortyfive(45)dayspriortothe
effectivedateofthemodifications,inordertonegotiatewiththeunionoverincreasedcompensationandworkload.
OnlineOfficeHours
Discussionsshouldoccurandagreementshouldbereachedonhowthefacultymemberteachingadistanceeducationcoursewillholdoffice
hoursforthedistanceeducationstudents.Regularofficehoursmaynotbehelpfulforthestudents.
Afacultymemberteachingadistanceeducationcourseshallconductthenormallyexpectedtotalnumberofofficehours.Inorderto
accommodatedistanceeducationstudentneeds,ifitisdeemedappropriatebythefacultymember,someofthenormallyexpected
officehoursmaybeheldonlinetoconductbusinessandconsultwithstudentsutilizingtechnology.
TeachingAppointments
FromtheAAUPStatementonDistanceEducation:
Theprecisetermsandconditionsofeveryappointmentshouldbestatedinwritingandbeinthepossessionofthefacultymember
andtheinstitutionbeforethefacultymemberisassignedtoutilizedistanceeducationtechnologiesinthedeliveryofinstructional
materialinacourseforacademiccredit.Nomemberofthefacultyshouldberequiredtoparticipateindistanceeducationcoursesor
programswithoutadequatepreparationandtraining,andwithoutpriorapprovalofsuchcoursesandprogramsbytheappropriate
facultybody.
Weshouldnotethatsomeindividualchaptershavenegotiatedagreementsthatmaketheassignmentoffacultytodistanceeducationcourses
voluntary,notmandatory.
DistanceEducationCoursesShouldNotReducetheOnCampusProgramsorFaculty
Careshouldbetakentoensurethatoncampusprogramsarenotjeopardizedbydistanceeducationcourses.Theofferingsshouldnotreduce
oncampusofferingstothepointwhereafacultymembermustteachdistanceeducationcoursestomaintainafullload.Distanceeducationshould
enhancenotreplaceoncampusprograms.
Theuseofdistanceeducationtechnologyshallnotbeusedtoreduce,eliminate,orconsolidatefulltimefacultypositionsatthecollege
oruniversity.Therewillbenoreductioninthenumberoffulltimeteachingpositionsasaresultofdistanceeducationclassesbeing
addedtotheclassschedule.Noprerecordedformofinstructionshallbeemployedbytheinstitutionforthepurposeofreplacing
facultymembers,inwholeorinpart,regardlessofthetechnologyutilized.
TechnicalAssistance
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TheStatementonDistanceEducationpointsoutthatthe"institutionisresponsibleforthetechnologicaldeliveryofthecourse."Thismeansthat
theinstitutionshallensurethatthenecessarytechnologyandequipmentisidentifiedandinplace,thattheinstitutionshallprovideappropriate
trainingforfacultymembers,andthattheinstitutionshallensurethatfacultymembershaveaccesstoadequatetechnicalsupportpersonnel.
AvailableTechnologyandEquipment
Priortodistanceeducationcoursesbeingtaught,thetechnologyandequipmentneedsshouldbeidentifiedandinplace.The
institutionwillprovidethefacultymemberwiththenecessaryequipmenttoteachthedistanceeducationcourse.
TrainingforTeaching
Priortodistanceeducationcoursesbeingtaught,appropriatetrainingbothtechnicalandcurricularshouldbeavailabletopotential
users.Anyfacultymemberteachingadistanceeducationcourseforthefirsttimewillreceivetrainingforwhichheorshewillreceivea
onetimepayment.Ifnewtechnologiesareadded,furthertrainingwillbeofferedandthefacultymemberwillbecompensatedata
hourlyrate.Ifthenecessarytrainingisnotavailableoncampus,thecollege/universityshallarrangeforandpaythecostsofany
specialtrainingrequiredbythefacultymember.
AvailabilityofAssistance
Priortodistanceeducationcoursesbeingtaught,appropriateformsofassistanceshouldbemadeavailabletothefacultymember
andthestudents.Theinstitutionwillprovideadequatesupportservicesatboththesendingandreceivingsiteforalldistance
educationclasses.Further,theinstitutionwillprovideadequatesecurityforallfacultymembersteachingdistanceeducationcourses.
Provisionswillbemadeforclerical,technical,andlibrarysupportasneeded.Inaddition,graduateassistantsand/orstudent
employeeswillbemadeavailableonaprioritybasistosupportfacultymembersinthedeliveryofdistanceeducationcourses.
Assistancewillbeprovidedbythecollegeoruniversity,todevelopstudyguides,teachingaids,andothercoursematerials,andin
clearingcopyrightsforuseofmaterialinthecourse.

IntellectualProperty
OwnershipofMaterials
Thematerialscreatedbyfacultymembersfordistanceeducationcoursesshouldbetreatedinexactlythesamefashionasmaterialscreatedby
facultymembersfortraditionalcourses.Forfurtherinformation,pleaseseetheAAUPStatementonCopyright(availableuponrequest
fromacademicfreedom@aaup.org).
ChangingandUpdatingMaterials&RetransmissionofCourses
TheAAUPStatementonDistanceEducationassertsthata"teacher'scoursepresentationshouldnotberecordedwithouttheteacher'sprior
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knowledgeandconsent.Recordingsofcoursematerialareacademicdocuments,andthus,aswithotherworksofscholarship,shouldhavetheir
authororcreatorcitedaccordingly."TheStatementonCopyrightassertsfacultyownershipofthecopyrightoftraditionalacademicworks
"regardlessofthephysicalmedium"inwhichtheyappear.(Institutionsmaybereimbursedforthetechnicalexpensesofproducingrecordingsof
coursesandpresentations.)
Coursesandcoursepresentationsshallnotberecordedwithoutpriorknowledgeandconsentofthefacultymember.Suchrecordings
arenottobereusedorrevisedwithoutthewrittenconsentofthefacultymember.
Copyrightofrecordingsofcoursesandcoursepresentationsshallbeownedbythefacultymember(s)asinthecaseoftraditional
coursematerials.
Thefacultymember(oranappropriatefacultybody)whocreatesthecourse(oradaptsapreexistingcourse)foruseindistance
educationshallexercisecontroloverthefutureuse,modification,anddistributionofrecordedinstructionalmaterialandshall
determinewhetherthematerialshouldberevisedorwithdrawnfromuse.
Additionalcompenstationmaybenegotiatedforfacultymembersinvolvedinextensiverevisionandmodificationsofcoursestheydeveloped.

Miscellaneous
AcademicHonesty
Studentstakingdistanceeducationcoursesshouldbeheldtothesamerequirementsofacademichonestyasstudentstakingtraditionalcourses.
TheUniversitywillensurethatsafeguardshavebeenbuiltintothedistanceeducationcourseformattorequirethatstudentsbeheld
tothesamestandardsofacademichonestyasstudentsintraditionalcourses.
EvaluationofClass&FacultyMember
Protectionsshouldbebuiltintothecollectivebargainingagreementortheinstitutionalpolicytoensurethatstudentshavetheopportunityto
evaluateacoursetakenviadistanceeducation.Thereshouldalsobesafeguardstoensurethatthefacultymemberisevaluatedfairly.
Theinstitutionshallimplementaprocesstoassurethatstudentsareabletoevaluatetheteachingperformanceoffacultymembers
whooffercoursestakenviathedistanceeducationformat.Distanceeducationequipmentshallnotbeusedtoevaluatefaculty
performance.Facultymembersparticipatinginthedistanceeducationprogramshallbeevaluatedinthesamemannerasallother
facultymembersinaccordancewiththeappropriateprovisionsofthecollectivebargainingagreementorinstitutionalpolicy.Ifany
classroomobservationsorevaluationstakeplace,theobservershallbeinthesameroomasthefacultymember.Nooutsidevisitor
shallbeallowedunlessthefacultymemberagreesinadvancetothevisit.
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Tuition&Fees
Appropriatetuitionandfeesshouldbechargedforadistanceeducationcoursetoassurethatadepartmentorcollegeisnotlosingmoney.
Thetuitionandfeeschargedforadistanceeducationcourseshallbesetbytheadministrationtakingintoconsiderationtheadded
costofthisteachingformat.Nodepartmentorcollegeshallincuranyadditionalfinancialexpensesforofferingacourseviathe
distanceeducationformat.

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