We recommend that existing academic policies be carefully examined to determine their application to online instruction and, where necessary, these policies be revised or appropriate new policies be framed. We further recommend that the faculty be responsible for the policy review and framing process. The features of online instruction offered via the Internet and the WWW allow for flexibility not characteristic of traditional courses. Preserving the flexibility of online instruction requires creating policies pertaining to how students enroll, the mixture of online and regular enrollments, self-pacing, online access, assessment, faculty work load, intellectual property, fees, and assignment of instructors. This raises the question of whether online courses should be offered within the traditional semester calendar or with flexible enrollment periods.
Some online models are labor intensive for the instructor, necessitating enrollment limits.
Release time may be essential for some faculty who develop online courses. Once courses are developed with content, activities, and resources online, they may be taught by other instructors. This introduces the need for policies or guidelines pertaining to teaching online. These issues demand a careful review of current academic polices and the development of new ones where indicated. The University should assign an existing unit responsible for coordinating the development and implementation of online courses or create a new unit with these responsibilities.