Wilmington College limits independent studies and courses by appointment (courses from the regular curriculum taught on a conference basis) to a total of 12 credit hours out of the 124 hours needed for graduation. The College clearly discourages courses by appointment except as they become necessary to meet special needs of a student who will otherwise be unable to graduate or to meet some other requirement or as they become a means for carrying on in an economical way a course which would otherwise be dropped for inadequate enrollment. Good program planning should make it possible to eliminate nearly all courses by appointment.
Independent studies (defined as courses which deal with subjects which are not in the regular curriculum) can be of great value both to students and to faculty. They are of particular value where students may need to carry out special studies which will give greater depth to their program or which will help them integrate or relate diverse disciplines. They can also be used by a faculty member as an aid to course development, or as a means of pursuing a particular interest in association with a student or students.
Independent studies place heavy responsibilities on the student. Standards should be high, and students are expected to devote the same amount of time as would be expected in a regular course carrying comparable credit. Faculty members should not expect to carry on the usual classroom procedures, but a weekly conference is in order.
Hybrid Flex Courses
In a hybrid flex course, students will have a scheduled day(s) each week where they will be required to meet in their scheduled classroom. They will also have assignments and other participation activities that must be completed and submitted electronically each week through the prescribed manner in Blackboard. Students should pay close attention to the course syllabus and communication from their instructor so they will know when their “group” is scheduled to attend the physical classroom. Participation in the scheduled live class sessions and all weekly course requirements must be completed and submitted electronically in the prescribed manner to the course instructor within the instructors assigned deadlines for assignments and participation that week.
Hybrid Traditional Courses
In a hybrid traditional course students will have scheduled day(s) each week where they will be required to meet in their scheduled classroom and other day(s) they will participate at the scheduled class time by attending the class live online synchronously via Zoom (or other synchronous platforms specified in the course syllabus). The lecture days will consist of lectures, presentations, discussions, an overview of assignments for the week, etc. as determined by the instructor. Students will have assignments that must be completed each week. Students should pay close attention to the syllabus so they will know when they are scheduled to be in the physical classroom and days they will be scheduled to participate in the class via Zoom (or another platform) noted in the syllabus. Participation in the scheduled live classroom and simultaneous, corresponding synchronous sessions is required. Weekly course requirements must be completed and submitted electronically in the prescribed manner to the course instructor within the instructors assigned deadlines for assignments and participation that week.
Online (Asynchronous) Courses
An online course is taught asynchronously. Students will always meet in a virtual contact space through the Blackboard Learning Management System. Each class week will have participation and engagement requirements that must be completed during that week as determined by the instructor. Wilmington College defines an online course week as one which commences at 12:00 a.m. each Monday and ends at 11:59 P.M. the following Sunday. All weekly course requirements must be completed and submitted electronically in the prescribed manner to the course instructor within the instructors assigned deadlines for assignments and participation each week.
Online Synchronous Courses
An online synchronous course will require that you attend the live online synchronous sessions during the scheduled meeting times indicated in your course schedule and in the course syllabus. You will also meet in a virtual contact space through the Blackboard Learning Management System. Each class week will have participation and engagement requirements that must be completed during that week as determined by your instructor. Wilmington College defines an online course week as one that commences at 12:00 a.m. each Monday and ends at 11:59 p.m. the following Sunday. Participation in the scheduled live synchronous sessions and all weekly course requirements must be completed and submitted electronically in the prescribed manner to the course instructor within the instructors assigned deadlines for assignments and participation that week.
Regular and Substantive Interaction Policy for Online and Hybrid Delivery Formats
Those teaching online or hybrid classes must fulfill two requirements in relation to students weekly participation and engagement in academic related activities: (1) for online (asynchronous) courses they must require students to participate on a weekly basis in online forums where interaction with faculty and other students take place; for those teaching online synchronous classes they must require participation in scheduled synchronous sessions; for those teaching hybrid traditional classes they must require participation in scheduled class sessions and corresponding synchronous sessions, and hybrid flex classes they must require students participation in scheduled class sessions; and (2) they must include at least one other form of weekly academic engagement in which students complete a designated activity or assignment for which some type of graded or ungraded feedback from the faculty member is provided. For this purpose, the “weekly engagement” may include:
- submitting an academic assignment
- taking a quiz or exam, completing an interactive tutorial, receiving computer assisted instruction, or participating in a lab
- attending a faculty assigned study group (led by the faculty member or reporting out on assignment to the faculty member)
- participating in a weekly online discussion board about the course subject
- initiating contact with a faculty member to ask a question about the academic Subject
The weekly participation and engagement must be described and entered into Blackboard.