The Department Chair’s Role in Online
“Departments represent the academic interests of the University and have stewardship over outcomes, content, content pedagogy, and key assessments for online courses in their department. The department chair oversees department priorities in these areas by appointing and working with course leads.”
Online Handbook, “Department Chairs”
“The Lord is moving with great power in the earth to make education available to many more of His children and to strengthen learning and teaching of all kinds in His kingdom”
Kim B. Clark (BYU-Idaho All-Employee Address, Feb 5, 2016)
As department chair, you will ensure each online course in your department has a course lead assigned to it (see 3.2 Course Leads in the Online Handbook) and notify the Online Planning and Coordination Manager of any changes. See our guide to Assigning Course Leads for more information.
When selecting a course lead, remember that his or her duties should take the time of a normal committee assignment, except during the development semester, when course leads should receive a load reduction (see 2.4.3 Determining Course Lead Load in the Online Handbook).
Department chairs collaborate with the Online organization as they fulfill the responsibility to “evaluate online courses based on the quality of content and student achievement of course outcomes” (see 2.4.2 Responsibility in the Online Handbook). You can monitor student achievement and other key data points in the online course data portal.
Every online course needs a qualified and knowledgeable online instructor. As department chair, you have the opportunity to work with Online Employment and Scheduling to screen applicants for courses within your department. You will be contacted as courses need new instructors.
There are two main purposes for creating online courses: to grow online programs and to ease campus bottlenecks. The Online Development Council (ODC) will work with department chairs and online associate deans to determine which online courses will be developed each semester. If you recognize a need for an online course, please contact the online associate dean for your department.
Department chairs ensure that all modalities of a course use the same outcomes, which are approved by the Curriculum Council and measured using 1-3 key assessments in the course (Online Handbook). You should work closely with course leads to drive the creation and use of these assessments. The official outcomes, which are used to confirm alignment with the Online Course Design and Delivery Principles and Standards, are listed here.
You will play an integral role in directing, inspiring, and motivating course leads as they work with Online. As the department chair, you can help to convey the larger vision of Online and its life-changing impact on students around the world. For recommendations and resources to use when framing these conversations, see the guide to assigning course leads.
As part of your duty to direct course leads, you may be asked to provide input on escalated issues, such as when a Course Council can’t come to consensus on an issue. For more information, see the Working in a Course Council section of the Online Handbook.
Who to Contact
If you have questions or concerns regarding policy or course development, look up the online associate dean for your college and contact them.
If you have general questions, course lead changes, or need to schedule training, contact Steve Willis.
If you have general questions, course lead changes, or need to schedule training, contact Steve Willis.