Online LIVE Course Requirements

What is required for an ONLINE LIVE course?

An online live course in Canvas should include the following:

  • Course Design - Modules preferably by Week, if not, then by Unit or Chapter.  Weekly Modules are recommended because students often find it much easier to understand what is required and what they need to do if the course is structured by Week. 
  • Course Welcome - Preferably a Module introducing students to the course, what to expect, and how to get started. At minimum, there should be a page with this information. 
  • Syllabus
  • Schedule of regular Zoom (or Canvas Conference) sessions that align with what is listed on the Richland course schedule. It is recommended that class sessions are recorded and made available for students who couldn't attend in person or who would like to rewatch the lecture.
  • Course Content - Any course content not provided during the live online class time needs to be provided in Canvas.  This could be chapter readings from the textbook, links to outside resources, files, PowerPoint, and/or pre-recorded videos.
  • Gradebook set-up with Assignments and due dates. 
  • Weekly assignments - To meet federal requirements students need to be submitting some type of assignment each week. These assignments could be discussions, assignments, or quizzes in Canvas.
  • All assignments need to be submitted in the Canvas course or publisher site (Ex: MyMathLab, Cengage, etc). Assignments should not be submitted via Richland email or the Canvas Inbox. 

The main difference between an ONLINE LIVE and ONLINE course is (1) the amount of course lecture/content provided in the Canvas course and (2) the option to include discussions or not depending on if students are provided the opportunity to engage and communicate with each other in the live class session.

It is assumed that in an ONLINE LIVE course students will be getting the majority, if not all, of their lecture information in the live sessions (Zoom or Canvas Conferences). Because of this, for the ONLINE LIVE course, it is acceptable to have less course content in the Canvas course.

It is a federal requirement that students have the opportunity to engage with their peers as well as their Instructor every week. If the live class session provides the opportunity for students to engage with each other and the Instructor then discussions are not mandatory in the online environment. If the live class session does not provide this opportunity, then discussions need to be utilized in the Canvas course. 

Course Design Plan

To help plan your online course, download the Course Design Plan, and start entering your information. 

Online Live Course Review Rubric

Completed Online Live courses will be reviewed using the following rubric - Online Live Course Review Rubric Download Online Live Course Review Rubric