These items below are reminders about the expectations for course developers, as described in the more comprehensive document about Online Policies and Procedures.

Reminders about the Development Agreement

1. A signed and approved MTSU Online/Hybrid Course Development Agreement must be on file with MTSU Online prior to completion of course development, or the faculty developer will not be compensated.
2. To be compensated, the faculty developer must use the approved content from a blueprint course shell**, and not content from a course shell of a previous or current course.
3. The Developer must work with an MTSU Online-assigned Instructional Designer (ID) and complete course blueprints to develop the course according to established deadlines and benchmarks.
   1. Course blueprints must be 100% completed and submitted to ID 4 weeks before Course Review Due Date.
   2. If course blueprints are not completed, the development process will be discontinued.  
   3. Limited extensions may be approved by MTSU Online leadership on a case-by-case basis.
   4. If course development is still desired, a new proposal must be submitted at the next appropriate proposal window
4. The standard, accessible syllabus template provided by MTSU Online must be used in the development of this course.
5. The D2L blueprint course shell must be complete (content and activities) before the course will be reviewed and moved forward for department chair approval.
6. The development of original course content is required. Materials from an external publisher (Cengage, Wiley, etc.), or other pre-produced content may be used but should be thoughtfully integrated into the original course content produced by the developer.
7. Any third-party publisher integrations must meet all requirements via MT$ource, and must comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act. Faculty cannot require students to use Google accounts, Slack, Facebook, or other external services for participation or grading that are not authenticated by the MTSU single-sign-on process.
8. The fully developed course containing original content must be posted to the MTSU-supported LMS in order for the developer to be compensated and the course approved for delivery.
9. The course must be developed so it can continue to fully function for students if a publisher’s (or other external) website or web service is unavailable.
10. The course must be developed so that other instructors can also teach the course. Other instructors will use the blueprint course shell concept and location for course updates. They will not use an active semester course shell to update a course.
11. Asynchronous online courses cannot require any face-to-face or synchronous meetings, unless approved as an Online/Blended or Synchronous course.
12. Online course materials must be housed on an MTSU-designated server, protected by the MTSU firewall and single sign-on process for students and employees.
13. Faculty developers must follow MTSU Online policies and procedures as noted on the website and in the Distance Education Course Guidelines.

Reminders about Course Development and Review

1. An MTSU Online Instructional Designer will be assigned to the faculty developer to serve as a resource and to assist in course development and evaluation. The associated Department Chair will provide additional review and approval prior to the course offering.
2. Revisions recommended by the Instructional Designer must be considered and resolved prior to submission to the Department Chair or School Director for approval.

Reminders about Online Course Scheduling and Teaching

1. A course will not be added to a semester schedule until it is reviewed and approved by the department chair, school director, or dean.
2. Content for a course redevelopment will not be added to a semester course offering until reviewed and approved by the department chair, school director, or dean.
3. Teaching online courses requires frequent interaction and engagement, and should include a variety of assessment techniques.
4. The department chair or school director may appoint other faculty members or qualified adjuncts to teach a given online course.
5. Blended and synchronous course meetings must adhere to the standards set forth by the MTSU Provost.

Online Course Maintenance/Redevelopment

1. The faculty developer is required to maintain the course content in the Blueprint Course location throughout the contract period (including revising assignment due dates one month prior to the beginning of each semester), to share the approved content with sectional instructors, and to review and approve any minor course changes requested by sectional faculty.