Fully Online courses must meet the following criteria, per the U.S. Department of Education’s guidelines for distance education issued in July 2021:

1. The syllabus should identify regular opportunities during the term for students to engage in two or more substantive interaction activities, initiated by instructors, drawn from this list:

• Direct instruction (e.g., synchronous Zoom lectures or discussions)
• Assessment with feedback that is provided by the course instructional team (e.g., papers, projects, tests, quizzes, or homework)
• Opportunities for students to ask questions (e.g., regularly scheduled office hours, invitation in a syllabus to email questions with noted response time)
• Group discussions (e.g., Canvas, synchronous)

[For examples, please see Professor Beth Taylor's syllabus for "The Thoughtful Generalist Online" (linked above). This class has 4 essays with required drafts (item 2), several required conferences (item 3), and several scheduled Canvas discussions (item 4).]

2. The syllabus should identify at least one way that instructors are attuned to student participation and performance, and support is offered when needed. Although possible demonstrations could go beyond this list, common examples include:

• Participation in synchronous class sessions is detailed, including how a student might get midway feedback about their performance
• Student activity on course websites or materials is noted (e.g., weekly discussion posts), including how a student might get periodic feedback about their performance
• Instructors evaluate and give feedback on assignments and assessments
• For fully asynchronous courses, the syllabus would note a schedule where an instructor would check in with a student to discuss progress in the course

[For examples, please see Professor Beth Taylor's syllabus for "The Thoughtful Generalist Online" (linked above). The syllabus notes, “Regular attendance and active contribution to discussions and revision workshops are required, and will count significantly toward a satisfactory final grade.” The course has several required conferences to give feedback (item 2). The course has four essays with required drafts (item 3), and the course has several required conferences (item 4).]