Distance Learning

Types of Online Courses

UA Fort Smith offers three types of online courses. The table below provides detailed descriptions of each type. You may want to choose any of these three types to present teaching materials that you have been using in face-to-face instruction. You should choose the online course type that is most appropriate for your subject matter and the most effective in helping your students.

 
Choose your online course type carefully. According to the results of a meta analysis conducted by the US Department of Education in 2009, blended (also called hybrid) courses have "a larger advantage relative to purely face-to-face instruction or instruction conducted wholly online. The analysis also showed that the instruction conducted wholly on line was more effective in improving student achievement than the purely face to face instruction." Each online course type has advantages as well as challenges. If teaching online courses is new to you, you should avoid teaching Full Online courses until you gain some online teaching experience and feel more comfortable with Blackboard Learn 9.1, our current online course management system.
 

Online Course Types and Definitions

 

LevelsTypesDescriptions
1

Web-enhanced

(Delivery method code: D)

  • 24/7 accessibility for students
  • Administrative information (syllabus, schedule, announcements and contact info.)
  • May use teaching tools, such as Grade Center, calendar, etc.)
  • Class assignments, tests, threaded discussions, & chat rooms
  • Retains regular class meetings
  • Instructors are responsible for administering and proctoring major exams
2

Hybrid

(Delivery method code: Y)

  • 24/7 accessibility for students
  • Majority of course content and materials online, using the university's current online learning system
  • Reduces traditional on-campus meetings by at least 1/3
  • Instructors are responsible for administering and proctoring major exams
3

Full-online

(Delivery method code: E)

  • 24/7 accessibility for students
  • Course provide complete course content and materials online, using the university's current online learning system
  • No on-campus meetings required
  • Major exams must be administered in a proctored environment. ASC testing is only for full online courses

 

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