Faculty teaching online asynchronous (OA), online blended (OB), and online synchronous (OS) courses are responsible for meeting all federal and state regulations, University of Connecticut (UConn) policies, and New England Commission of Higher Education (NECHE) standards for online and distance learning. Department heads and program leads must ensure that these requirements are understood and applied when planning and offering online courses.
Compliance, Accreditation, and Quality Standards
Student Authentication
- Federal regulations require verification that the student who registers is the same student who participates and receives credit.
- Resource: Guidelines for the Authentication of Students in Online Courses
Accessibility
- Online courses must meet ADA and Section 508 accessibility standards.
- Resource: eCampus Accessibility Checklist and Guide
Regular and Substantive Interaction (RSI)
- Federal and NECHE policy require meaningful, instructor-initiated interaction with students in distance education.
- Resource: Meeting Regular and Substantive Interaction Requirements
Course Information Transparency
- Syllabi must include critical information for online learners, including technology, expectations, and policies.
- Resource: eCampus Syllabus Templates
Quality Standards
- UConn uses the Quality Matters (QM) rubric as a baseline measure for course design quality. Faculty can create a QM account to access the rubric and related resources. The University Senate Scholastic Standards Subcommittee’s Online Course Standards Subcommittee endorses both the QM Rubric and the Online Learning Consortium (OLC) Scorecard as official guidelines for online course and program quality.
- Resource: Quality Matters Rubric Online Learning Consortium
Faculty Agreements and Compensation
The UConn/AAUP Collective Bargaining Agreement, July 1, 2025 – June 30, 2029 defines compensation terms and intellectual property rights for online course development and teaching when faculty are paid to develop courses:
- Article 39. Compensation for the Development of Credit-bearing Online Courses
- Appendix C. Online Credit Course Development and Intellectual Property Agreement
- Appendix D. Online Credit-bearing Course Development and Intellectual Property Agreement for Adjunct Faculty
Review these sections in the UConn/AAUP Collective Bargaining Agreement excerpt – Article 39 and related appendices.
Designing and Developing Online Courses
Before submitting an Online Course Support Request, faculty are encouraged to review our Course Design Process, which outlines UConn’s eCampus design and development process, available support services, and research-based best practices for online teaching.