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Brian Andrew Morris

Distance Education Management

Policy and Procedure Manual

Scenario
The University of Western Oklahoma (WOU) was incorporated in Oklahoma in 2014. This new
university is committed to the academics, successes, and excellences of each individual student.
This university was founded to bring affordable higher education to Western Oklahoma. Its
mission is to bring affordable high quality education to those who need it in Western Oklahoma
through traditional means and also through distance education for those who cannot attend the
university physically.
WOUs main campus is located in Elk City, Oklahoma with planned satellite offices in
Woodward, Oklahoma, and Lawton, Oklahoma. The University of Western Oklahoma has
currently almost 15,000 enrolled students with 5,000 being distance education learners. The
distance education program offers both undergraduate and graduate degrees in various
disciplines ranging from Philosophy, to Education. WOU offers physical courses, online courses,
and ITV courses as well.
I am the Vice President for Academics and Distance Learning. As the Vice President for Distance
Learning my role is to provide structure and leadership for the Distance Learning program at
WOU. I also oversee the Distance Learning Services Office (DLS). My main goal and
responsibility is to implement WOUs strategic plan for increasing online services, online
enrollment, increasing the revenue in the online degree programs, and transforming our online
courses to further our goals and missions to provide affordable high quality education to those
who need it. These are just a small fraction of my responsibilities as I also oversee the student
orientation for our online learners. I also help and guide our instructors that provide their
knowledge through our Distance Learning Services. Last but not least, I also help with recruiting
high quality teachers, and help see the graduation and success of our Distance Education
students.
University of Western Oklahoma: University Policies and Procedures
The policies and procedures here will address the following subsystems: Accessibility, Course,
Student, Logistical, and Regulatory.
Accessibility Subsystem
1. The University of Western Oklahoma will warrant that all of its Distance Education and
Online Learning websites, Learning Management System (Blackboard), resources
materials will be accessible for all students including those without disabilities and those
with disabilities. The University of Western Oklahoma is dedicated to providing a high
quality education to all students with or without disabilities. (DEAGTF, 2011)
2. The University of Western Oklahoma will embrace ideals in its strategic plan to create
programs that not only educate but also serve the underserved populations in not only
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rural America but all of America. The University of Western Oklahoma is dedicated to
providing a high quality education to all students, no matter their race, religion, or social
status. (DEAGTF, 2011)
3. The University of Western Oklahoma will warrant that any and all video files will be
appropriately captioned and text transcripts will be provided to all students if needed. The
University of Western Oklahoma is dedicated to providing a high quality education to all
students by allowing any and all students access to videos with captions or without
captions and audio files with or without text accompaniment. (See # 3 under Regulatory
Subsystem)
Course Subsystem
1. The University of Western Oklahoma is dedicated to the highest academic standards for
all programs offered online, and traditionally. Degree Programs along with online courses
will be reviewed by the Vice President of Academics and the Executive Board of Online
Distance Learning based up on a two year cycle. (NCMC)
2. The University of Western Oklahoma is dedicated to the courses that are developed and
delivered using the Learning Management System (LMS) known as Blackboard. All
students will be provided a consistent experience and a high quality education.
3. The University of Western Oklahoma will provide high quality educational resources and
support that is necessary for the maintenance and development of its online courses and
programs.
Student Subsystem
1. The University of Western Oklahoma will warrant that every student that enrolls in a
Distance Education program for the first time. Will be provided a clear description of the
course in which requirements will be listed for the course. These requirements will be:
computer skills, technical requirements, and course requirements. (NCMC)
2. The University of Western Oklahoma will warrant that every enrolled student will have
access to all of the student services and also it is the students right to get an appropriate
support option for their learning. (NCMC)
3. The University of Western Oklahoma will dedicate its focus on a learner centric ideal
when it comes to online learning and its offerings. The University of Western Oklahoma
will also provide application to students authentic learning needs.
Logistical Subsystem
1. The University of Western Oklahoma will warrant that online users on the main campus
and future satellite locations will have a strong and consistent technological infrastructure
that supports them and accommodates their needs. The University of Western Oklahoma
will also provide network bandwidth, internet, hardware, software, and servers to all
locations that serve the students needs and accommodations. (NCMC)
2. The University of Western Oklahoma will dedicate a support staff that will give the
appropriate level of attention and support by both online means and telephone means
which will be available 24/7 for any student of the University. (NCMC)
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3. The University of Western Oklahoma will encourage growth and foster in change with
the Information Technology group that manages the Universitys systems. The University
of Western Oklahoma will create a positive working environment that will allow for a
plan that ensures a backup and recovery if any of the systems go down on the main
campus, online, or at the future satellite locations in Woodward, and Lawton. (NCMC)
Regulatory Subsystem
1. The University of Western Oklahoma will warrant that all of the Distance Education
program instructors/faculty/support staff meet the standards set forth by the Oklahoma
Regents for Higher Education to teach online courses.
2. The University of Western Oklahoma requires that any instructor/faculty member/support
staff member take a minimum of 9 credit hours each year of CET (Continuing Education
Training) in technology, instructional design, and course development in order to stay
with current trends and current methods with regards to changes in Distance Education.
3. The University of Western Oklahoma will create a positive environment and multiple
partnerships with all businesses, local governments, and any stakeholders or investors in
the University of Western Oklahoma. The University of Western Oklahoma will ask these
individuals and businesses to help in the creation of policies and procedures that will help
maintain sustainability and govern the overall usability and delivery of the Distance
Education program.

References
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Distance Education Accessibility Guidelines Task Force. [DEAGTF], (2011). Distance

Education Accessibility Guidelines: For Students with Disabilities. Retrieved November 15,
2015, from
http://extranet.cccco.edu/Portals/1/AA/DE/2011DistanceEducationAccessibilityGuidelines
FINAL.pdf
Managing and Evaluating Distance Education. Retrieved November 15, 2015, from
http://www.instructionaltechnologyresources.org/~5370~/m9/subsystems .pdf
North Central Missouri College. [NCMC] Missouri Principles of Good Practice for DistanceLearning/Web-Based Courses. Retrieved November 15, 2015, from
http://www.ncmissouri.edu/programs/online/Documents/mo_principles_good_practice_distance_
learning.pdf

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