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COURSE DEVELOPMENT BLUEPRINT:
Frequently Asked Questions

The following are answers to some general questions you may have about offering a distance learning course.  Please contact our office if you are interested in transitioning your traditional course into a distance learning format so that we may assist you in the process.

I WANT TO OFFER A DISTANCE LEARNING (DL) COURSE OR PROGRAM – WHERE DO I BEGIN?

  • Contact one of our Distance Learning Instructional Designers

    Kelley Cruse kmcumm00@uky.edu or Galen Stone galen.stone@uky.edu

    to make an appointment to go over your course development needs and goals.

HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO DEVELOP A DISTANCE LEARNING (DL) COURSE?

  • Allow one full semester for development of the course.

HOW DO I GET MY COURSE APPROVED FOR DISTANCE LEARNING?

  • If your course has not already been approved for Distance Learning (critical for billing, fees, and reporting), please see that these steps are completed. These steps must be completed by the first day of the semester that your course will be delivered in order for your course to qualify as Distance Learning. (Note: This process can take several months or more to complete):
    • You have received approval to teach the course in a distance learning format from:
      • Your department/college
      • The appropriate academic council (Undergraduate, Graduate, or Health Care Colleges)
      • The Senate Council
    • The Registrar has assigned the course an appropriate Distance Learning section number – usually a “200” "210" or "220"
    • Your course appears in the correct semester schedule (http://www.iris.uky.edu/coursecatalog/)

    These are the most common forms needed for this process. (You may need additional forms depending on your situation):

HOW DO I REQUEST A BLACKBOARD SHELL FOR MY COURSE?

  • Starting Fall 2010, all regular semester courses listed in the Registrar’s course schedule will receive an empty course shell automatically.  If you have special course shell needs, or your shell did not get created, please contact one of our Distance Learning Instructional Designers

    (Kelley Cruse kmcumm00@uky.edu or Galen Stone galen.stone@uky.edu)

    for assistance.
  • Once you have your shell, you can copy content from a previous shell into your new shell by following these directions and then proceed to develop your course. (Note: Please do not make revisions to a course in a previous shell.)

IS BLACKBOARD SUPPORT AND TRAINING AVAILABLE?

IS IT APPROPRIATE FOR MY DISTANCE LEARNING COURSE TO HAVE A LIMITED NUMBER OF FACE-TO-FACE CLASS MEETINGS?

  • You can teach your course fully at a distance, or choose to have a minimum number of select meetings for an orientation, exams, or other purposes.  To be classified as a distance learning course, the majority of the actual course content must be delivered using distance learning modalities.  If you have questions about the development process, please contact one of our Distance Learning Instructional Designers

    (Kelley Cruse kmcumm00@uky.edu or Galen Stone galen.stone@uky.edu)

    for a meeting.

IS THERE FUNDING AVAILABLE FOR DISTANCE LEARNING COURSE DEVELOPMENT AND TEACHING?

  • Currently, funding is available for Distance Learning course development and teaching.  Please refer to the “Development Funds” documents and/or one of the Distance Learning Instructional Designers

    (Kelley Cruse kmcumm00@uky.edu or Galen Stone galen.stone@uky.edu)

    for more details on the development funds.  Please contact Connie Baird (bairdc@email.uky.edu), Director of Distance Learning, to discuss funding available for teaching. 

WHAT TYPES OF APPLICATIONS/TECHNOLOGIES ARE AVAILABLE FOR MY DISTANCE LEARNING COURSE?

  • The course management system that the University of Kentucky uses (Blackboard) has a variety of features to enhance your course, such as Discussion Boards, but we recommend that you consider using other technologies that are available to enrich your course, such as:
    • Blogs
    • Camtasia
    • Captured Lectures (Echo 360)
    • Chat (either text or audio/video)
    • Podcasts
    • PowerPoint (with notes and/or with audio)
    • Second Life
    • Streaming Video
    • Web Conferencing (Adobe Connect Pro)
    • Wikis

ARE THERE DISTANCE LEARNING LIBRARY SERVICES AVAILABLE?

  • Distance Learning Library Services are available, including:
    • Copyright Resources
    • Course Reserves
    • Information Literacy
    • Interlibrary Loan
    • Reference Tools
    • Student Library Orientation
  • You may contact Distance Learning Library Services at:
    • dllservice@email.uky.edu
    • (859) 257-0500, ext. 2171
    • (800) 828-0439 (option 6)
    • Fax: (859) 257-0505
    • William T. Young Library, 2-2 North Wing, 0456

QUESTIONS? (859) 257-3377 | WE ARE HERE TO HELP! 

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©2011 University of Kentucky Distance Learning Programs
The University of Kentucky is an equal opportunity university