Instructional Best Practices Faculty Guide and Expectations

Graduate Online Instructional Guidelines

Online Instructional Best Practices, Master’s Courses

Faculty Guide and Expectations

Prior to teaching online

Instructors are expected to complete the Online Teaching Certificate Seminar (OTCS) before teaching online classes and maintain current certification. Any exceptions to this policy will require the approval of the Associate Dean and will be handled based on the merits of each case.
Online instructors for Trulaske College of Business courses are required to begin the Quality Course Review (QCR) process for the course(s) they teach no later than the next semester after they teach an online course for the first time. For example, if a faculty member teaches a course for the first time in Fall 2025, they must apply to Mizzou Online to begin the review process no later than February 1, 2026. Situations in which the instructor is not expected to teach the course a second time are exempt from this requirement. Any exceptions to this policy will require the Associate Dean’s approval and will be handled based on the merits of each case. Courses are re-reviewed every five years.
Instructors are encouraged to work with the College’s Instructional Designer (Angela Knoerr, knoerram@missouri.edu) to develop courses and the course website on Canvas.

You may also contact Mizzou Online to arrange a consultation.
Instructors should allow adequate time to develop or update a course and to create the Canvas site.
For new courses, allow approximately 6-9 months.
For revisions to an existing course or Canvas site, allow approximately 3-6 months.

Instructors of graduate classes cross-listed with undergraduate sections should identify course materials, assignments, and/or projects that are substantially more rigorous for graduate-level students.

Distinctions between the two levels should be clearly specified in the syllabus and course Canvas site.

With the rapid growth of generative artificial intelligence (AI), instructors are strongly encouraged to consider how AI is impacting their discipline, and to integrate into their classes the application of generative AI tools and how they are being utilized by businesses and organizations.
Instructors must obtain approval to require any software applications that are not centrally supported by the MU Division of IT.

Complete an Information Technology Security & Requirements Questionnaire (ITSRQ). Request this questionnaire by submitting a COBIS request.
The completed ITSRQ must be submitted at least six weeks prior to the start of a class.

Preparing a course

Instructors should post a current photo of themselves in their Canvas profiles.
Courses should be designed so that all coursework can be completed asynchronously.

If any synchronous activities are added, they must be optional and should be recorded.
Recordings should be posted on the course Canvas site as soon as available.

Instructors should provide explicit information in the syllabus about how students are expected to communicate with them, including anticipated response times.

Instructors must respond to student questions within a reasonable amount of time - generally within two or three days.

Instructors are encouraged to consult with the College’s Learning Technology Specialist or Teaching for Learning Center staff for assistance in developing assessment activities that preserve academic integrity and increase student engagement.
For graduate courses, instructors should NOT use high point value assessments consisting of multiple-choice questions, especially non-modified publisher-created material. When quizzes, tests, or examinations are utilized, the maximum window of time for the test to be available on Canvas shall be no more than six hours. Instructors are encouraged to use shorter time windows to protect the academic integrity of students’ work.
Syllabi should include a transparent late assignment policy that specifically defines grade outcomes associated with late work submissions.

Example: Two points deducted for each day that the assignment is late beyond the due date. If more than three days beyond due date, no credit will be given.

Course syllabi should include an estimate of the time students should expect to spend on coursework each week.

For a three credit-hour class in a 16-week semester: 5-8 hours per week.
For a three credit-hour class in an 8-week quarter: 10-16 hours per week.
For a 1.5 credit-hour class in an 8-week quarter: 5-8 hours per week.
Use the Wake Forest Enhanced Course Workload Estimator or the Rice University Workload Estimator to calculate a range of time.

Syllabi should include reference to the MU Student Code of Conduct, particularly as it applies to academic integrity.

Syllabi should define what plagiarism is, and what cheating is.
Instructors are encouraged to specifically refer to the official MU policy on the use of generative AI with academic work.

Syllabi should include a statement notifying students to participate in the end-of-semester course evaluation process. Faculty may also periodically remind students to treat the completion of course evaluations as an important responsibility on their part. Faculty must be proactive in ensuring a high completion rate with their course evaluations.
Instructors should create a one-to-two-minute introductory video about themselves and post it to their Canvas site(s) prior to the start of a course.

Instructors are encouraged to use the recording studio in Suite 306 Cornell.
This should be a recording that may be used in multiple classes.
See example and support resources.

Instructors should create an introductory video about the class that is no longer than 12 minutes. The focus should be on course content, course objectives, pace of work, assessment criteria, etc.
Instructors should try to limit individual instructional videos to between 8 and 12 minutes in length. Complex material may require longer videos to allow appropriate explanation of concepts.

Instructors should minimize the use of publisher-provided recordings as a substitute for faculty-created videos.
Relevant, up-to-date, publicly available videos are appropriate.
Multiple videos can be used in each module, though total viewing time for all videos should not be more than two hours per week. This is a general guide for 16-week, three credit-hour courses; adjust accordingly for 8 week or 1.5 credit hour courses.

Canvas course sites should be published at least one week prior to the start of a class.
Student learning assessments for the course should be distributed somewhat evenly throughout the semester so students have a good understanding of their performance as they progress through the material. It is recommended that no single assessment account for more than about one-third of a student’s grade.

Delivering a course

Instructors should communicate with a class at least one week prior to the start of the course.
Be prepared to review individual student access to Canvas through the Canvas New Analytics tool if a student is not making expected progress.

The GPO Learning Technology Specialist is able to obtain detailed Canvas access information for individual students.

Grading and feedback to students should be provided within one week following the submission due date or after a graded learning activity has been completed. When a longer time period for grading is required because of the complexity of the assignment or other considerations, this should be communicated to students.
In the spirit of improving student engagement in the asynchronous setting, instructors are strongly encouraged to interact with students a minimum of once every week through Announcements, e-mail or Canvas Inbox, Discussions, and/or other means.
Instructors are expected to be available for virtual office hours via Zoom at least two hours per week.

Office hours should be listed in the syllabus.
“By appointment” is acceptable.

Instructors are expected to actively monitor required online class discussions and are encouraged to participate while a discussion is open.
Instructors should limit team sizes for group projects to three or four students.
Instructors should consider conducting a mid-semester course evaluation.

The MU Assessment Resource Center administers the Missouri Cares About Teaching (MOCAT) survey.

Completing a course

Instructors must post final grades to myZou by 5:00 p.m. on the Tuesday after the end of a semester. When teaching the first eight-week block of a semester, faculty should post final course grades to myZou within two weeks after the block ends.
Instructors are expected to review course materials every semester and update as appropriate to maintain currency and integrate new information.
Instructors must comply with all federal, state, and local laws, and adhere to all University of Missouri and Trulaske College of Business policies.