Guide to a Quality Fully Online Course (Undergraduate and Graduate)

Union Commonwealth University

Guide to a Quality Fully Online Course (Undergraduate and Graduate)

Overview & Alignment

A quality online course begins with a clear structure and purpose. Each course should include:

• A “Start Here” or “introduction” video or module with course orientation, tech expectations, and a welcome message or video.

• Clearly stated course and module/week-level objectives that are measurable and aligned with assessments and activities.

• Weekly overviews summarizing content, listing deliverables, and providing estimated completion times.

Syllabus & Weekly Agenda Expectations

Each course must include a syllabus that follows the approved institutional template. The syllabus should:

• Contain all required institutional policies (e.g., academic integrity, accessibility services, withdrawal procedures, grading scale, Title IX, and student support services).

• Clearly state instructor contact information, office hours (or virtual meeting availability), and expected response times for communication and grading.

• Include a weekly agenda or course calendar outlining:

  • Assignment due dates

  • Exam windows or project deadlines

  • Required synchronous sessions or optional class meetings

  • Breaks, holidays, and institutional calendar dates

• Indicate where and how students are permitted to use AI within the course, including required appendices when AI is used in assignments.

• Provide links to the LMS (Ulearn) course navigation, support resources, and technology requirements.

• Ensures students can understand how to begin the course, what is expected of them, and how the course is structured.

Instructional Content & Assessments

Instruction and assignments should follow a backward design model, ensuring alignment between objectives and activities.

• Use process-based assignments: require students to plan, draft, revise, and reflect.

• Include diverse assessments: projects, multimedia, peer review, and applied research.

• Provide clear rubrics with grading criteria.

• Include low-stakes checkpoints to reduce pressure and support student learning.

AI Use: Policy & Integration

Courses must include a clear and specific AI usage policy, stated in both the syllabus and assignment instructions.

Permitted Uses (with instructor guidance):

• Brainstorming or outlining ideas

• Grammar and syntax checking

• Comparing student drafts with AI samples for critique

Prohibited Uses:

• Submitting AI-generated responses as original work

• Using AI to answer quizzes, write papers, or complete discussion responses

Required AI Appendix:
If students use AI for any permitted activity, they must include an appendix in their submission with:

• The full AI prompt they used

• The full AI-generated response
  This ensures transparency and allows instructors to assess the student’s critical engagement with the tool.

Engagement, Interaction & Presence

Courses should promote regular interaction in three ways:

• Student–Instructor: timely feedback, announcements, office hours, video check-ins

• Student–Student: meaningful peer interaction via discussion, group work, or peer review

• Student–Content: rich multimedia, simulations, self-paced activities, formative quizzes

Technology, Accessibility & Support

• Use technology that is purposeful and student-friendly

• Ensure all materials are ADA accessible (alt text, captions, clear fonts)

• Link clearly to institutional resources: IT support, library, tutoring, accessibility services

Best Practices & Tips

AI Use Transparency

• Require AI use to be documented in an appendix showing the prompt and output.

• Ask students to reflect briefly on how AI helped or hindered their thinking process.

• Regularly review your AI policy in class to ensure student understanding.

Designing Effective Discussion Boards

To reduce reliance on AI and increase originality, avoid generic prompts like “Summarize the reading.” Instead:

1. Use personal application: Ask how the reading connects to students’ experiences, communities, or future goals.

2. Incorporate multimedia: Require responses to a podcast, infographic, or short video instead of text alone.

3. Assign roles: Rotate roles like “devil’s advocate,” “connector,” or “summarizer” to guide critical thinking.

4. Ask for process, not product: Have students describe how they approached a problem or how their thinking changed.

5. Include critique tasks: Ask students to evaluate two contrasting views or sample responses (including AI ones).

6. Use staged responses: First post is reflective or exploratory, second post is analytical or peer-focused.