However, departments have to pay any additional distance education course delivery or production fees from their share of the revenues. The faculty involved in the UWMOnline eCollege pilot have a written agreement on what is meant by the term substantial investment. The intellectual property stays with the faculty member, but there is one year where the online course can be taught by someone else if the faculty member is unwilling or unable to teach it. This enables the campus to continue to offer a course that is announced in the catalog. The dean and department chair would decide who teaches the course, the same as if a faculty member is on sabbatical.
Faculty members own the material that they hand over to the course vendors to put online.
However, if the vendors transform a plain course into a fuller experience, they own that extra work. According to UW System Administration, dot.edu has to keep course material online for one semester after it is last taught, but it can be rendered inactive and no enrollments accepted. If the intent is to teach the course again, it can be kept online longer. The GUA does the first level of advising via FAQs and inexpensive staff in the Asian offices who answer the easier questions. Then, the UWM advisors will only have to deal with advanced questions.