• Assessing online students often, which helps students evaluate and guide their own learning and can help instructors adjust to learners’ needs throughout the course.
• Tying assessments closely to objectives, which adds consistency and clarity to the course.

An online course should be based on the same learning outcomes and demand the same rigor as a traditional class. The identification of courses to be taught online, the semesters in which to offer them, and the assignment of instructors, all rest with the academic department.

Students should spend the same amount of time on an online course as they do for a campus face-to-face course. The rule of 15 clock hours of class time per credit hour should guide development of an online course. In addition, the well-established notion of spending two hours out of class for every hour in class means a student should spend a total of at least 45 hours in study for each credit hour earned.