Academic planning decisions about which programs and courses can and should be offered online in order to meet student and institutional need are made by disciplinary content experts in collaboration with chairs, academic deans, and the provost. In keeping with our long-standing reputation for academic excellence and exceptional teaching, SUNY New Paltz is dedicated to the development and delivery of high quality online and hybrid learning environments. Moreover, as a SUNY Online + campus, SUNY New Paltz has committed itself to effective program assessment and quality improvement in our online learning spaces.
Program Development
Any academic program in the SUNY system for which 50% or more of the program is available in a fully online format (excluding mixed modalities such as hybrid) must be registered as a Distance Education Format program. To find a list of SUNY New Paltz and other online programs, please see SUNY Online. To register a program as a distance format program, please work with our Academic Planning & Learning Innovation office to develop and submit the Distance Education Format Proposal for a Proposed or Registered Program, Form 4.
Online Training and Certification
Because online and hybrid learning environments are different from more traditional face-to-face models, many teaching faculty have limited experience as students or teachers in the online and/or hybrid environments. Moreover, evolving standards for accessibility in the online and hybrid environment are complex, and many faculty require assistance in developing and maintaining online/hybrid courses that meet legal requirements for accessibility. Therefore, the development of online and hybrid courses demands special consideration and attention, and appropriate faculty development and support is warranted.
Policy Statement
During the February 2014 Academic and Professional Faculty Meeting, the C.C.E.T. (now renamed the Committee on Education Technology or C.E.T.) proposed a policy statement for verification of faculty expertise for teaching on-line/hybrid courses. The proposal, which received a positive vote, was as follows:
The Central Committee on Educational Technology recommends the replacement of the current review process for online/hybrid courses from the current course-based process of Curriculum Committee/Graduate Council review for existing courses to a faculty-focused, verification process with the goal of assisting faculty in developing pedagogical and technical expertise to move courses to online/hybrid environment.
Developing and Delivering Online Courses and Programs
At SUNY New Paltz, we recognize five remote teaching and learning modalities – hybrid, hyflex, asynchronous online, synchronous online, and combined online. For a detailed description of each modality, please see Teaching Modalities.
Faculty who wish to develop or teach in remote formats must complete our online training focused on:
- 2DL Brightspace, the official digital learning platform for all SUNY campuses,
- Online Pedagogy, the Open SUNY Course Quality Review (OSCQR) best practices in online teaching and learning, and
- Accessibility, the legal requirements for Electronic and Information Technology (EIT) accessibility in online learning.
Note: All trainings are accessed in Brightspace and taken at the individual faculty member’s own pace.
