Letter of Agreement: FSU/ODLInsert Name of College/Department9/26/2018

LETTER OF AGREEMENT

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Insert current date

This Letter of Agreement (LOA) between the Florida State University Insert name of college and dept. and the Florida State University Office of Distance Learning (FSU/ODL) outlines their collaboration on the development of the Insert name of program or courseonline.

Insert Program or Course(s): List all proposed courses

Instructional Project Manager:

  1. Statement of General Principles

This LOA covers the revision and conversion to an online format of Insert name of program or course. This LOA also covers services that may be provided to support offering online courses to students at a distance. FSU/ODL and theInsert name of college and dept.share the following goals for this program:

  1. Sustainability: The Insert program or coursewillbe sustainable: (1) the academic unit is committed to offering the course(s) on an ongoing basis, and (2) the economics of course delivery, including revisions to maintain currency of design and content, allow it to be self-supporting after initial development.
  2. Quality: The Insert program or coursewillbe high in qualityas determined by FSU/ODL and/or department review using the Quality Matters™ (QM) rubric.
  3. Availability: The course(s) will be offered regularly in an appropriate timeframe and format that will make sections regularly available to the targeted student population.
  4. Accessibility: The course(s) will be designed, produced, and tested to ensureaccessibility to students with disabilities as covered by FSU, State of Florida and Federal Standards.

The provision of services under this LOA will begin when all signatories have executed this Agreement. This document is not a contract and is intended only to outline the scope of work and to identify the areas of collaboration between theInsert name of college and dept. and FSU/ODL.

  1. Scope of Responsibilities
  2. FSU/ODL will provide the following services in support of Insert program or course development:
  3. Collaborate with Insert name of college and dept.staff to facilitate the appointment of faculty to support online course development.
  4. The FSU/ODL Director or designee will serve as the liaison with the academic unit on financial issues and will:
  5. Manage the FSU/ODL E&G budget expenditures for the development phase of the program or course.
  6. If necessary, apply for the DL auxiliary account through the FSU Budget Office.
  7. Upload the budget snapshots for all distance learning programs and courses into the Distance Learning Appointment and Budget Database.
  8. Respond to DL auxiliary account audits.
  9. An Instructional Project Managerwill support the development of the Insert program or course, and will perform the following tasks:
  10. Serve as the FSU/ODL and academic unit liaison for communicating and managing requests for distance learning support, media, and other services.
  11. Coordinate the scope and schedule for the development phase of the distance learning programs and/or courses to ensure timely completion.
  12. Assist faculty with the integration and use of selected technology tools and coordinate the production of digital media through FSU/ODL.
  13. Develop and distribute distance learning technology training for DL instructors and mentors.
  14. Recommend proctored testing services through the ODL Assessment and Testing Unit.
  15. Identify course design tools to assist faculty who are assigned course development responsibilities including but not limited toeffective learning strategies related to instructional design, current assessment tools, and instructor/student interaction techniques,

Note: Basic course development does not include certain interactive media-based activities that may require audio, video, or programming, nor does it cover authoring for delivery via CD-ROM rather than online. Requests for production support beyond basic development may require an addendum to this Agreement and supplemental cost sharing.

  1. Student Support Services – FSU/ODL program specialistswill:
  2. Orient the Insert name of college and dept. staff to any requirements related to course creation in the Campus Solutions Curriculum Management System (CSCMS).
  3. Consult with the academic unit’s distance learning staff and faculties to identify resources for recruiting and training distancelearning mentors.
  4. Refer distance learning student inquiries to the appropriate academic department.
  5. Ensure course coding is correct and add distancelearning fees to the CSCMS.
  6. Learning Management System (Canvas™) and Technology Unit will:
  1. Provide hardware, software, and helpdesk support including maintenance of servers and networks.
  2. Provide and support various distancelearning technologies.
  1. The Insert name of college and dept.will, in return for support provided by FSU/ODL and to support program development efforts described herein, accomplish the following:
  1. Provide the departmental infrastructure (including administrative and student support services) necessary to allow access and advising forthat college’s or department’s distance programs and courses.
  2. Develop, maintain, implement, and obtain administrative approval for a course-offering schedule that results in the course being offered at least once a year.
  3. Obtain all required academic unit, college, and university-level approvals for delivery of an online course prior to the first distance offering (e.g., Curriculum Request Application).
  4. Comply with Academic Unit and University procedures for creating and coding courses in the databases of the Office of the Registrar.
  5. Require faculty who receive FSU/ODL online course development funding to complete Online Instructor Training Level I prior to delivery of the online course being developed.This training is an asynchronous online offering in Canvas™ and is available at no cost to the college.
  6. Require mentors and teaching assistants who serve as online course facilitators to complete Online Mentor Training prior to delivery of the online course to be mentored. This training is an asynchronous online offering in Canvas™ and is available at no cost to the college.
  7. Administer and review electronic course evaluations at the end of each course.
  8. Modify Faculty Assignments of Responsibilityto provide release time for online course development efforts described in this LOA.
  9. With the support of the FSU/ODL project team, accomplish the following:
  1. Develop course overviews and introductions that outline the purpose and structure of each course.
  2. Create course- and module-level objectives that are measurable and written from the student’s perspective.
  3. Develop instructional materials that contribute to the achievement of course and module objectives.
  4. Build assessments that are consistent with objectives, activities, and resources.Schedule proctored tests in advance and provide exam materials in a timely manner. Detailed policies and procedures concerning proctored testing are available online at
  5. Provide learning activities that align with objectives and provide opportunities for interaction that support active learning.
  6. Use technology tools and media that support the course learning objectives.
  7. Allow Instructions or links to technical support, accessibility policies and services, and academic/student support services.
  8. Ensure that course design and development is completed within the time frame provided in the course development schedule.
  9. Conform to the standards in the QM rubric.
  10. Develop and implement recruitment efforts for the purpose of recruiting students.
  1. Financial Arrangements

See Attachment A for the Projected Budget and Course Development/Offering Schedule. In addition:

  1. FSU will collect tuition and additional DL auxiliary fees of $Fill in dollar amont per credit hour.
  2. The course(s) will have a minimum enrollment of Fill in numberstudents and a maximum enrollment of Fill in number students (after Fill in minimum enrollment number, trained online mentors may be appointed).
  3. FSU/ODLmay provide up to two semesters of .25 FTE release time for a faculty member (.5 FTE total). FSU/ODL may fund faculty appointments on an overload basis with departmental approval and if E&G OPS funding is available.FSU/ODL does not provide GA support or tuition waivers for development.
  4. The actual number of mentors appointed to support the course(s)is contingent upon the department's rate of pay, whether tuition waiversare required or provided, the number of students enrolled in the course(s), and the revenue generated. The auxiliary revenue for mentors for each term must be equal to or greater than the mentor expenses.
  5. Fundable (FTE generating) course delivery is part of faculty’s in-load teaching assignment as determined by the department or academic unit.
  6. FSU/ODL will maintain an auxiliary account for all auxiliary funds generatedby the additional course fees. FSU/ODL cannot guarantee that the account will be established and may need to keep the auxiliary fees in an existing account. In all cases, revenues must be sufficient to ensure that course offerings are financially sustainable for at least three years.
  7. Payments for FSU faculty will be processed via FSU’s appointment system and require the signatures of the Dean of the Insert name of college and dept., the Director of FSU/ODL, and the Dean of the Faculties to be processed.All appointments should be submitted to the FSU/ODL HR representative via the FSU/ODL distance learning online appointment system.
  8. From the DL auxiliary fee revenue, administrative support services provided by FSU/ODL will be expensed at the rate of 5% for as long as the course and/or program is offered.
  9. Insert name of college and dept.will be credited for all FTE generated by the course(s) and program(s) developed and offered as a result of this LOA.

IV. Funding

  1. This Agreement is funded by E&Gfunds designated for online course development.
  2. Payment by FSU/ODL of faculty in-load/overload compensation for the development of online courses is contingent upon the availability of those fundsallocated for FY Fill in fiscal year .

V. Termination

The State of Florida’s performance and obligation to pay under this Agreement is contingent upon an annual appropriation by the Legislature. Further, this Agreement may be terminated by the state upon30 days’ written notice if funding for this Agreement is specifically eliminated.

VI. Timeline

See Attachment B for the Project Timeline.

VII. Certification

By signature below, The Florida State University official executing this Agreement certifies that he/she is authorized by the President, Florida State University, or a legally appointed designee, to act for and on behalf of the agency head for Florida State University, in signing the Agreement, and that said Agreement is in compliance with the requirements of Chapter 216, Florida Statutes.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, this Letter of Agreement is signed and executed as of the last date indicated.

Robby Fuselier, Director
Office of Distance Learning / Date / Insert name of dept. chair
Department Chair
Insert dept. name / Date
______/ ______/ ______/ ______
Dr. Sally McRorie,Provost & Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs / Date / Insert dean's name
Dean
Insert college name / Date
______/ ______/ ______/ ______

Attachment A: Projected Budget and Course Development/Offering Schedule

Attachment B: Project Timeline

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Revised 2/8/18