Position Description:

Director of Online Education

Department of Technology, Ball State University

I.          General description

            The Director of Online Education for the Department of Technology provides department-level long-term and day-to-day management of online courses and programs offered by the department.

II.        Specific responsibilities

            A. Planning, Direction, and Coordination

·        Meets regularly with the Chair and the Departmental Program Committees to develop and revise responsive plans for the Department’s initiatives in online education, and to revise online curriculum, as needed.

·        Works with faculty to explore and develop new online offerings (graduate, undergraduate, other.)

·        Works with faculty to develop appropriately unified course format and packaging to provide students with seamless and user-friendly online learning as they take different courses.

·        Establishes administrative practices for tracking students, potential students, and instructors.

·        Acts as the department liaison with other departments in the offering of their online courses within Department of Technology programs.

·        Coordinates research initiatives related to departmental online education.

·        Administers the Department’s online education budget.

·        Verifies the training of online faculty.

·        Schedules online course offerings.

·        Directs the work of staff assigned to the department's Office of Online Education.

·        Recommends changes, as needed, to the online education staff.

·        Recruits online faculty, as needed, and provides recommendations on the hiring of new online faculty to the Chair for each candidate.

            B. Coordinating Faculty Support

·        Provides first line of contact and assistance for online faculty.

·        Coordinates and conducts training for online faculty in the development of online instructional materials and online instructional methods, as needed.

·        Assists online faculty in obtaining and using instructional technology hardware and software.

·        Schedules faculty assigned time and summer employment for the development and implementation of online courses, as per agreements with the School of Extended Education.

·        Conducts formative assessments of faculty online teaching abilities, recommending opportunities for improving those abilities.

·        Communicates with other university support services (Graduate School, UCS, Library, OTLA, Registration, Admissions, Extended Education, Bookstore, CAST Dean's Office) to coordinate support for online faculty, students, and potential students in an attempt to make the entire online education experience in the department’s programs more user-friendly, effective, and seamless.

·        Provides assistance to face-to-face faculty, as needed, for the use of online teaching and learning methods to supplement face-to-face classes.

·        Informs online faculty of research opportunities related to online education.

·        Informs online faculty of program status.

·        Keeps abreast of new developments and research in online education, and shares this information with faculty as appropriate.

            C. Student Support

·        Facilitates informational needs of students and potential students.

·        Monitors the support provided to the department’s online students by the department and others at Ball State.

·        Provides for technological assistance for students, in coordination with other BSU support systems.

·        Prepares and monitors an online tutorial that provides student orientation to the program and ensures a minimum level of technological hardware, software, connectivity, skill, and attitudes.

·        Responds directly to online students’ concerns, and takes appropriate actions based on these concerns.

·        Coordinates departmental student support services with other student support services in the School of Extended Education and elsewhere.

            D. Marketing

·        Directs program marketing efforts.

·        Prepares program marketing materials, including online marketing materials.

·        Identifies critical marketing populations and initiatives.

·        Places advertisements for online programs or courses.

·        Meets, as needed, with other directors of online education in the College and University to coordinate joint activities.

·        Solicits assistance as needed in the recruitment of online students.

·        Corresponds with those interested in learning more about the department’s online education efforts.

·        Judges the effectiveness of marketing strategies and initiatives.

·        Annually revises the marketing plan.

            E. Assessment and Reporting

·        Communicates with the Chair, Program Committees, online faculty, and online students about issues and events concerning the online programs.

·        Establishes and oversees a program for the use of research-based evaluative criteria in the assessment of online courses and programs.

·        Coordinates program assessment, and prepares summary reports annually indicating program statistics and recommendations. Publishes these reports online and submits these reports by June 15th to the Department Chair.

·        Completes required reports for programs in online education.

·        Coordinates the usability testing of the program's informational website.

·        Conducts an interview with each online instructor prior to course implementation to review materials and plans for implementation; provides assistances as needed; prepares an evaluation the materials and instructional plans, possibly indicating suggestions for improvement.

·        Recommends to the Chair assignments of faculty to teach online courses.

·        Reports to professional associations on the status of the online programs, as needed.

III.       Assigned load

            ¼ assignment time per semester (Fall and Spring).  (It is recommended that the assigned load be increased to at least ½ assignment per semester and include 1 course assigned time for each of the Summer 1 and Summer 2 sessions..)

IV.       Term and conditions of appointment

            The Director of Online Education will be appointed and serve at the discretion of the Department Chair.

V.        Evaluation

            The performance of the Director of Online Education will be evaluated yearly (or at the end of an individual’s term if the term ends prior to the annual evaluation.) The evaluation will be based on a written assigned time memorandum, and according to this job description. All evaluations will be performed in accordance with the department salary document.