Join the Excellence in Distance Learning Ad Hoc Committee

January 7, 2025 / General NOVA News

As the demand for online education continues to grow, Northern Virginia Community College is committed to delivering the highest quality in both asynchronous and synchronous online learning. With increasingly complex guidelines from the Department of Education and a competitive higher education landscape, NOVA recognizes the need to advance its online education offerings to meet and exceed the expectations of students and stakeholders.

To address these challenges and ensure our programs remain innovative and effective, the college is forming the Excellence in Distance Learning Ad Hoc Committee. This committee aims to enhance the quality and consistency of online courses while empowering faculty to innovate within a structured, high-quality framework.

Workgroup Objectives

The workgroup has been charged with six key objectives:

  1. Assess the Current Online Learning Environment: Conduct a comprehensive review of NOVA’s asynchronous and synchronous courses to identify areas for improvement.
  2. Develop a Training Framework: Create a faculty development program aligned with the Council of Regional Accrediting Commissions (C-RAC) 21st Century Guidelines, equipping faculty with the skills to design and deliver high-quality online courses autonomously.
  3. Foster Faculty Autonomy: Ensure the framework allows for flexibility and innovation in course design while maintaining consistent quality standards across the college.
  4. Engage Community Members: Gather feedback from faculty, instructional designers, administrators, and students to create a well-rounded and effective framework.
  5. Recommend Guidelines and Best Practices: Develop institutional guidelines to support implementation and encourage continuous improvement in online course design.
  6. Monitor and Assess Outcomes: Establish metrics to evaluate the success of the training program and its impact on course quality and student outcomes.

Membership

Voting Members will include representatives from diverse roles to ensure a holistic approach:

  • Associate Vice President of eLearning (Chair)
  • 1 Provost (Co-Chair)
  • 1 Pathway Dean from a high-demand online program
  • 2 Full-Time NOVA Online Certified Faculty Members (LASS)
  • 2 Full-Time NOVA Online Certified Faculty Members (MSTB)
  • 1 NOVA Online Certified Adjunct Faculty Member
  • 2 Student Government Ambassadors
  • Director of Instructional Design and Development
  • Director of Online Instruction and Statewide Delivery
  • 2 Instructional Designers
  • 2 LMS Administrators

Non-Voting Members: The committee invites participation from all NOVA community members as non-voting participants, enabling broad engagement and input.

Membership will be selected by the appropriate Constituent Caucuses or Work Group.

Deliverables

By the conclusion of its work, the group will deliver:

  1. A detailed report assessing the current state of online course delivery at NOVA.
  2. A faculty training and development framework based on the C-RAC 21st Century Guidelines.
  3. Recommendations for sustaining course quality and faculty autonomy.
  4. An implementation and evaluation plan for the training program, including success metrics.
  5. A budget proposal to actualize these deliverables.

Timeline

  • January 2025: Formation of the workgroup.
  • February 2025: Initial assessment of six objectives.
  • April 2025: Presentation of the draft training framework and recommendations.
  • June 2025: Finalization of the framework and implementation plan.
  • Fall 2025: Execution of the plan and summary presentation to the president and senate.

Get Involved
If you are passionate about online education and interested in joining the committee, please complete the Excellence in Distance Learning Ad Hoc Committee Interest Form.

Submitted by:
Cynthia Pascal, AVP of NOVA Online, CPascal@nvcc.edu