The purpose of this procedure is to outline the general guidelines for development of and compensation for developing or revising online courses.
General
- Faculty members may receive compensation (supplemental pay or a course release) for developing specific online courses at the request of the school or college for delivery via World Campus programs. Eligible faculty members must work with the Center for Educational Innovation (CEI) to develop such courses.
- The base-authoring fee per course will be up to $7,500, distributed in four payments: 20% upon completion of the first half of course content, 20% upon completion of all course content, 40% if development is completed according to the development timeline, and 20% upon completion of a Quality Matters course review with a passing score.
- Faculty members developing online courses for the school, Behrend, World Campus, or another University college must have prior approval from their respective school directors and the CEI for authoring time and from the Chancellor’s Office for supplemental compensation.
- Faculty members who decide independently to develop a new or to revise an existing online course (e.g., to try a new pedagogical approach, to reach a new student demographic group, to teach a course on the Digital Learning Cooperative, to accommodate a medical reason to teach remotely) generally are not eligible for compensation. However, they may contact the CEI for technical and pedagogical assistance and must coordinate with the CEI to have their courses evaluated before teaching them.
- In accordance with the college’s e-learning guidelines, faculty members are expected to update their online courses as needed between offerings based on student feedback, quality reviews, and changes in course content or pedagogical approach. Updates are not usually compensated, but faculty members may contact the CEI for technical and pedagogical assistance.
- Significant course updates may be required in specific circumstances (e.g., an existing course fails the Quality Matters check, changes in technology or software, the course has not been taught in several years and is out of date). These course revisions must be done in collaboration with the CEI.
May 2016
Revised June 19, 2017
Revised April 12, 2021
Revised December 4, 2024