Faculty Services

Offering a Course 
Course Development 
Policies and Procedures
Resources and Personnel 
Employment Opportunities 
Forms

Back to Fort Hays State University Virtual College text only site directory

Offering a Course

Offering a course through the Virtual College can be a very exciting and rewarding experience. We have gathered some information and resources that should help make your experience as a Virtual College Instructor a little easier.

Virtual College Course Approval Form
When offering a course through the Virtual College a Virtual College Course Approval Form must be submitted. This should be done by the department through which the course will be offered.

Ordering Books from the Bookstore
Ordering the textbooks for your class is made easy at the University Bookstore. Simply go to http://fhsu.bkstore.com. Then follow the steps below:
1. Choose the "Faculty Services" tab.
2. Choose "Online Textbook Adoptions".
3. Fill out the page to log on. If you have not logged on before, you will be prompted to register. You must register to continue.
4. Fill out the form with the appropriate course and textbook information.
5. You will see an order confirmation, which means the bookstore has received your order and will begin processing it.

Hold Enrollment Form
It may be necessary to limit the 14 day timeframe (7 days for Summer term) that students can enroll in a class to ensure success for the student. The faculty member may limit the enrollment timeframe by completing the Hold Enrollment Form. Once this form is received, the Virtual College will close the course at the end of the first week of classes. An instructor can choose to allow a student to enroll with their permission through the 14th day of classes or accept no enrollments after the first week. Department Chairs should be consulted before submitting these requests.

Rosters
Class rosters can be accessed and printed through CICS. Questions regarding this process and requests for access to CICS should be directed to the Office of the Registrar at 785-628-4222.

Labels
If you need to mail course materials to your students you may request mailing labels from the Computing and Telecommunications Center. Adjunct faculty may contact the Virtual College for assistance with requests.

Adding or Dropping a Course
Prior to the beginning of the semester students must make changes to their schedule through their advisor. Beginning the first day of classes students must use the Add/Drop Form. If a student is not enrolled in any other courses they must use the Online Enrollment Form.

Posting Grades
All grades for Virtual College courses must be posted on CIS. Questions regarding this process should be directed to the Office of the Registrar at 785-628-4222.

Change of Grade
On-campus faculty members can change grades using the Lotus Notes "Change of Grade Request" function. To download the icon, complete the following steps:

  • From the Lotus Notes toolbar, Click on File, Database, and Open.
  • Change Server to LNapps/FHSU.
  • Scroll to file folder titled "apps". Click Open.
  • Scroll to "Change of Grade Request". Click Open.
  • Fill in the information and make the appropriate grade change then click Submit.

Contact the Computing Center at extension 785-628-4235 for any technical difficulties regarding the Change of Grade form.

Off-campus faculty members must request the Change of Grade paper forms from the Registrar's Office, extension 785-628-4222.

Proctor Form
Instructors can request that students in their class secure a test proctor during exams. If instructors require a test proctor, it should be posted on the course syllabus. The student is responsible for making these arrangements and submitting the Proctor Approval Forms to the instructor or department.

Schedule of Classes
An up-to-date list of course offerings for current and upcoming semesters can be found at tigertracks.fhsu.edu.

Back to top

Course Development

When preparing to develop a course for the Virtual College follow these easy steps:

1. Review Fort Hays State University's Intellectual Property Rights Policy.

2. Complete the Course Development and Support Proposal form. This gives the Virtual College the information we need to help you start the development process. Please note the following deadlines for submitting a Course Development and Support Proposal form.

Initial Course Offering     Proposal Deadline
Fall Term  April 30th
Spring Term Sept 30th
Summer Term January 31st

3. Review and complete the Agreement for Production. This contract includes course information, completion dates, and the amount of payment for development. The Virtual College generates this contract online and must be approved by the Director of the Virtual College, the Department Chair, and the Academic Dean before production can begin.

4. Meet with CTELT staff - CTELT staff can offer assistance in developing the highest quality course possible.

5. After the development of the course content is complete, the final step is submitting the New Course Completion Form that you receive with your contract. Payment for the development will occur after the form is returned and the course has begun.

 

Back to top

Policies and Procedures

Procedures for Proposing the Development of New or Repurposed Courses for the Virtual College

Purpose:

It is the policy of Fort Hays State University to contract with faculty to develop new courses or to repurpose traditional courses as distance learning or technology-mediated instruction. These procedures provide steps for proposing courses to be developed by faculty and the assignment of intellectual property rights.

Procedure:

1. The Director or Assistant Director meets with the faculty member(s) who have an interest in teaching a course offered through distance learning. During this meeting, among other things, sample copies of course development proposals, contracts, course approval forms, and intellectual property rights are provided to the faculty member(s).

2. The faculty member(s), with the Department Chair's support, proposes a new or repurposed course which, in his/her opinion, would better serve students and attract additional or new students through technology delivery. Discussion has occurred between the faculty member(s) and the Department Chair before the proposal is submitted to the Virtual College.

3. The faculty member(s) submits a proposal according to the Course Development Support Proposal form. The course development outline is submitted to the Director of the Virtual College via the Department Chair and the appropriate Academic Dean.

4. The Director of the Virtual College evaluates the proposal, as to the proposed appropriate market audience to be served, the expected development costs, anticipated license fees of pre-produced materials, if required, and other points in the outline. In some cases, consultation with the Provost, the Virtual College Advisory Committee, the Dean of Graduate Studies and Research, and the appropriate Academic Dean may be required before a decision to support the proposal is made.

5. The Director of the Virtual College evaluates the proposal and determines the stipend to be given to the faculty for the proposed deliverables, taking into account the complexity of the course development, the amount of time required on the part of the faculty member(s), and the staff support and other financial assistance required by the University.

6. Once a decision to support the proposal is made, the Virtual College issues an Agreement For The Production Of New Course Material with the Proposal Outline as Exhibit A to the Agreement. This Agreement is issued to the faculty member(s) who will be developing the new or repurposed course materials. Other signatures required on this Agreement include: the Department Chair, the appropriate Academic Dean, and the Dean of Graduate Studies and Research if the course is a graduate course which impacts a graduate degree program.

7. The order of signatures taken for the Agreement for the Development of New or Repurposed Courses is as follows:
a) Director of the Virtual College
b) Department Chair
c) Appropriate Academic Dean
d) General Education Committee Chair (if appropriate)
e) Dean of Graduate Studies and Research (if appropriate)
f) Faculty member

8. Once all parties have signed the contract, it is returned to the Virtual College. Copies of the contract are distributed as follows:
a) Faculty member(s)
b) Center for Teaching Excellence and Learning Technology (CTELT)
c) Virtual College Course Development file
d) Department Chair
e) College Dean

9. The faculty member(s) then makes an appointment for a meeting with the Director of CTELT who may involve an Instructional Designer, Web Designer, Graphics Arts Developer, Multimedia Developer, Videographer, or others as needed based on the proposed course. CTELT's role is to train the faculty member(s) where needed and requested, offer assistance for instructional design and media development, and pilot or field test the product before it is offered. Typically, the development and testing occur one to two semesters or summer session before the course is offered. A determination is made whether a license for a telecourse or other pre-produced product is required.

If substantive change occurs with the original contractual intention for the course, CTELT provides a Change of Intention to the Virtual College, Department Chair, and appropriate Academic Dean.

10. During the course development process the faculty member(s) shall communicate and coordinate where appropriate with the Department Chair to assure mutual knowledge of the new or repurposed course.

11. Using the New Course Completion Form, CTELT then advises the Virtual College that the work requested by the faculty is completed and the instructor advises that the course is ready to be offered for credit. The form is delivered to the Virtual College by the faculty member and filed with the Course Development Agreement.

12. Once the form is received, the Virtual College then issues payment as per the contract for the course development. This payment is spread across two pay periods (unless the faculty member requests otherwise) and occurs in the next regular paycheck of the faculty member.

Back to top

Resources & Personnel

Back to top

Employment Opportunities

Fort Hays State University is a liberal and applied arts, state-assisted institution with an enrollment of more than 8,000 students. The university is located in Hays, Kan. A graduate program through the master's degree is offered in most subject matter fields. The specialist degree is offered in some areas. The university is fully accredited by several national agencies and is one of six state-assisted institutions of higher education and is governed by a Board of Regents appointed by the governor of the state of Kansas. Fort Hays State University is an affirmative action/equal opportunity employer. Women, minorities, persons with disabilities, and veterans are encouraged to apply.

Community
Hays, Kansas, is a university community of just over 20,000 people serving as a regional center for education, health care, professional services, shopping, culture, and recreation for the western half of Kansas - serving a population of nearly 400,000. The community has award winning public and private schools. Hays Medical Center employs more than 1,000 people. Hays Medical Center is the home to the DeBakey Heart Institute of Kansas and is one of the top rural medical centers in the United States. Community assets include the Chestnut Street District in Historic Downtown Hays with its unique shopping, galleries, and eateries. The Hays Arts Council is the oldest local arts agency in Kansas and has successfully fostered a strong and nationally notable arts community. The Beach/Schmidt Performing Arts Center on the Fort Hays State University campus is home to the Encore Series, the Hays Symphony, university events and other national and world caliber performances. Fort Hays State University athletes compete on the NCAA Division II level. Hays boasts excellent recreational facilities including the comprehensive Center for Health Improvement, Hays Aquatic Park, Smoky Hill Country Club, Hays Municipal Golf Course, an extensive recreational program, and excellent opportunities for walking, running, and biking. Hays is within 45 minutes of two large lakes providing boating and other water sports. The Hays Municipal Airport provides connecting service to both Kansas City and Denver with several flights in each direction daily. Multiple high-speed Internet service providers service Hays, and the community has consistently been a national leader in connectivity. Web site: http://discoverhays.com

Notice of Non-discrimination--Fort Hays State University does not discriminate on the basis of sex, race, religion, national origin, age, disability, Vietnam era veteran status or special disabled veteran status in its programs and activities. The director of affirmative action, coordinator of Title IX, Title VI, Section 504 and ADA regulations, may be contacted at 600 Park Street, Hays, KS 67601-4099, (785) 628-4033.

Back to top

Forms

Back to Fort Hays State University Virtual College text only site directory

Back to top