FGCU Quality Assurance Plan for Online Education
The FGCU quality assurance plan offers guidance on continuously improving the quality in FGCU online courses by establishing a foundation that provides a rich, engaging, and effective learning environment for all online students at FGCU.
Jump to a Section:
- Quality Standards for FGCU Online Education
- Meeting FGCU Quality Standards for FGCU Online Education
- Definitions
- References
Quality Standards and Criteria
Ensuring FGCU meets national, state and accreditation standards for online education, a committee that included representation of faculty from across disciplines and administrators agreed on a set of quality standards for FGCU online education that focuses on four key areas: Course Design, Course Delivery/Teaching, Online Degree and Certificate Programs, and Online Student Experience.
On September 30, 2024, the FGCU Provost’s Council approved the following quality standards for FGCU online education, with implementation beginning Fall 2025.
Course Design
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- Faculty teaching an online course complete training on FGCUs adopted online course quality design standards. Faculty complete this training requirement within 2 semesters of teaching their first online course. Effective Fall 2025
- Faculty developing new online courses or redesigning existing online courses will have someone familiar with FGCU’s adopted online course quality design standards complete a high-level, quality design alignment review of the course and provide feedback. Effective Spring 2026
- All online courses must be reviewed using the approved FGCU adopted online course quality design standards. The course design review must take place before the end of the second semester in which the course is taught, and the course design review must be successfully completed before the course is taught moving forward. Effective Spring 2026
- Online courses have parity of time/and effort that is analogous to other modalities (e.g. Traditional, Synchronous, Hybrid, Flex, Blend Flex), and align with assigned credit hours. Effective Fall 2025
- Online courses, including online master courses, go through a renewal design review cycle using the approved FGCU adopted online course quality design standards every 5 years, or after substantial revisions have been made, whichever comes first. Effective Fall 2025
Course Delivery/Teaching
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- Readiness
- Faculty teaching an online course must complete training on LMS Introduction and the principles of regular and substantive interaction (RSI), either prior to teaching their first online course or during the first semester of online teaching. Effective Fall 2025
- Faculty who teach an online course at least once per academic year, annually complete professional development on topics related to online education. Effective Fall 2026
- Faculty must obtain approval from supervisors before teaching an online course. Effective Fall 2025
- Instructor and Student Interaction
- Regular and substantive instructor interaction (RSI) is required in every online course. "Regular" is defined as frequent, predictable, and integrated into the course design. "Substantive" refers to interactions that are relevant to academic subject matter. Effective Fall 2025
- Faculty teaching online courses reply to student inquiries within 24-48 hours on weekdays. Effective Fall 2025
- Faculty teaching online courses establish and maintain predictable and scheduled virtual office hours. Effective Fall 2025
- Faculty maintain grades within the LMS gradebook and update grades within a reasonable
timeframe to allow students to track their progress and make informed decisions about
their course participation. Effective Fall 2025
- Academic Integrity
- Online courses have mechanisms in place to ensure academic integrity, including use of proctoring, and plagiarism detection tools. Effective Spring 2026
- Readiness
Online Degree and Certificate Programs
To ensure quality expectations are monitored and managed within the online programs, duplication of standards listed in other quality categories may occur.
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- Each online degree and certificate program measures learning objectives, outcomes, or competencies. Effective Fall 2025
- The learning objectives, course level outcomes, or competencies of the individual courses are consistent with the online degree or certificate program objectives, outcomes, or competencies. Effective Fall 2025
- Each online degree or certificate program has recommendations, guidelines, or formal policies, on instructor response time and availability appropriate to support and engage online learners. Effective Spring 2026
- Online degree and certificate programs offered in both traditional and online formats have comparable success and student satisfaction. Effective Spring 2026
- Students enrolled in an online degree or certificate program are provided with opportunities to become oriented to the unique requirements of the online program. Effective Fall 2025
Online Student Experience
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- Regular and predictable contact for support is available to students enrolled in online programs. Effective Fall 2025
- Any student enrolling in an online course has access to the support and services available to traditional students (comparable support can be remote, direct, or indirect). Effective Fall 2025
- Through a subset of questions within the Student Perception of Instruction (SPoI), online student feedback is collected, distributed, and used to inform and improve the online student experience. Effective Spring 2026
- Courses offered in both traditional and online formats have comparable success and student satisfaction. Effective Spring 2026
- Students enrolled in an online course are provided with opportunities to develop the skills and knowledge necessary for effective online learning. Effective Fall 2025
Meeting FGCU Quality Standards for Online Education
FGCU Faculty
This matrix provides a concise overview for faculty on meeting the FGCU Quality Standards for Online Education
Download PDF version of the Faculty Matrix
| KEY ACTIONS (Mapping to Standard) |
What to Do | When to Have it Done | How to Get it Done |
|---|---|---|---|
| Training and Professional Development (Course Delivery/Teaching, #1a and b; Course Design #1) Effective Fall 2025 |
Complete Canvas Intro training | Within 2 semesters of teaching your first online course | Training will be assigned through Workday |
| Complete training on the Quality Matter's online course design quality standards | Before finishing the first semester of online teaching | Training will be assigned through Workday | |
| Complete Regular and Substantive Interaction (RSI) training | Annually | Training will be assigned through Workday | |
| Complete professional development on topics related to online education (faculty teaching online courses each year) | Conference, Webinar, Book Club, Digital Learning provided professional development and training, etc. | ||
| Online Course Quality Design Review Using Digital Learning internal review using Quality Matters (QM), Higher Education 7th Edition. (Course Design #2, #3, and #5) Effective Spring 2026 |
Faculty developing new online courses or redesigning existing online courses will have someone familiar with QM standards complete a quality design alignment review of the course and provide feedback. | During course development | Contact your Instructional Designer |
| All online courses must be reviewed using the QM quality design standards. | After the course is taught once. The review must be successfully completed before the course is taught a third time. | Submit a request to begin the Internal QM review | |
| Renewal of Course Quality Design Review | Every 5 years, or after substantial revisions have been made, whichever comes first. | Submit a request to begin the Internal QM review | |
| Parity of Time and Effort (Course Design #4) Effective Fall 2025 |
Online courses have parity of time/and effort that is analogous to other modalities and align with assigned credit hours. | When courses are developed or modified. |
Faculty estimate student workload hours per |
| Regular and Substantive Interaction (RSI) (Course Delivery/Teaching, #2a, b and c) Effective Fall 2025 |
Implement teaching practices that satisfy RSI requirement. "Regular" is defined as frequent, predictable, and integrated into the course design. "Substantive" refers to interactions that are relevant to academic subject matter. |
During the semester in which the online course is taught | Refer to RSI training or contact your Instructional Designer for support |
| Reply to students within 24-48 hours on weekdays. | |||
| Establish and maintain predictable and scheduled virtual office hours. | |||
| Maintain Grades in Canvas (Course Delivery/Teaching #2d) Effective Fall 2025 |
Faculty maintain grades within the Canvas gradebook and update grades within a reasonable timeframe to allow students to track their progress and make informed decisions about their | During the semester in which the online course is taught | Contact the Digital Learning team for support in using the Canvas gradebook |
| Ensure Academic Integrity (Course Delivery/Teaching #3a) Effective Spring 2026 |
For example, Utilize the Turnitin originality checker for written assignments. Utilize Respondus Lockdown Browser with Respondus Monitor on Canvas quizzes and exams for proctoring. | During the semester in which the online course is taught | Contact the Digital Learning team for support in using the Turnitin or Respondus |
FGCU Colleges
This matrix provides a concise overview for colleges and their programs on meeting the FGCU Quality Standards for Online Education
Download PDF version of the Colleges Matrix
| KEY ACTIONS (Mapping to Standard) |
What to Do | When to Get it Done | How to Get it Done |
|---|---|---|---|
| Approve faculty for online teaching (Course Delivery/Teaching, #1c) Effective Fall 2025 |
Approve online teaching assignments | Each semester | In addition to regular approval processes, confirm completion of training and course design review requirements tied to the quality standards |
| Measure and Monitor Program and Course Outcomes (Online Degree and Certificate Programs, #1) Effective Fall 2025 |
Actively track student progress against program learning outcomes to ensure they are meeting the expected level of achievement. | Each semester | HelioCampus |
| Align course level outcomes to program/certificate outcomes (Online Degree and Certificate Programs, #2) Effective Spring 2026 |
Monitor and manage | Each semester | HelioCampus |
| Support Student Success and Satisfaction (Online Degree and Certificate Programs, #4 and #5) Effective Spring 2026 |
Ensure comparable success and student satisfaction across modalities. Develop and maintain an online orientation for newly admitted students. |
Each semester | Success – Review grades. Review Outcomes data in HelioCampus. Satisfaction – Review SPoI data, including questions unique to online courses |
Department of Digital Learning
This matrix provides a concise overview for the Digital Learning department on meeting the FGCU Quality Standards for Online Education
Download PDF version of the Faculty Matrix
Definitions
|
Course |
A pairing of a course section and instructor. |
|
Online course |
A course in which 80% or more of the direct instruction is delivered using technology, where the student and instructor are separated by time, space, or both. |
|
New online course |
An online course that has not been taught by the instructor for the past 5 years. |
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Master course |
A course pre-produced and designed to be taught consistently by multiple instructors. |
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Traditional Delivery |
Traditional courses are classes where faculty and students meet on-campus at FGCU in an assigned room according to the schedule posted in Gulfline. Instruction occurs together in the classroom with social distancing. |
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Online Delivery |
Online courses are classes where instruction occurs via Canvas or an equivalent learning platform. Faculty and students will not meet face-to-face. Instruction is asynchronous and no classroom is assigned. |
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Synchronous Online Delivery |
Synchronous Online courses are classes where instruction occurs online via Canvas or an equivalent learning platform with synchronous meetings delivered through a web conferencing platform. No classroom assigned. Instruction is synchronous and no classroom is assigned. |
|
Hybrid Delivery |
Hybrid courses are classes that mix both required scheduled on-campus meetings as listed in Gulfline and online instruction. Some instruction occurs on-campus in the classroom as listed on Gulfline and some instruction will be delivered online either asynchronously or synchronously. |
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Flex Delivery |
Flex courses are classes where instruction is delivered using both face-to-face and remote modalities that allows students to switch between modalities during the term. Live instruction happens with some students attending on-campus and the other students attending virtually |
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Blend Flex Delivery |
BlendFlex courses are classes where instructors and students meet on-campus at regularly scheduled times as listed on Gulfline with instructors assigning students into groups that rotate between on-campus meetings and online synchronous or asynchronous meetings. Specific groups and meeting information will be provided on the course syllabus. Live instruction happens with some students attending on-campus and the other students attending virtually |
References
The FGCU Quality Assurance Plan for Online Education draws strategic directions and best practices in online education from the following documents:
Innovating for Student Success: FGCU’s Journey to Excellence Strategic Plan 2024-2029
SACSCOC Principles of Accreditation
USDOE Title 34, Subtitle B Chapter VI Part 600
USDOE Title 34, Subtitle B Chapter VI Part 602
