Academic Policy  1622.12 

Course Delivery Mode Definitions

Campus Courses – More than 50% of Instruction Delivered in Person

Face to Face or In Person Courses

All students attend class at a designated physical location and the instructor is physically present to lead learning activities for the entire class for 100% of the scheduled class times. Designated physical location can be on campus or at an approved off campus location with both the instructor and students present on site. Due to exigent circumstances, faculty may request to incorporate up to 25% of distance instruction in their in-person courses with departmental approval based on course objectives, pedagogical rationale, or the need for remote work (e.g., conference attendance). Course content and ancillary resources should be maintained in the approved Learning Management System (i.e., Blackboard) except in limited circumstances where best practices require alternate software.

Campus Mixed Mode

Campus mixed-mode courses include a combination of in-person and distance instruction where more than 25% but less than 50% of the course is delivered at a distance. In mixed-mode courses, all students attend class together at a designated physical location and the instructor is present to lead learning activities for the entire class for more than 50% of scheduled class times. Designated physical location can be on campus or at an approved off campus location with both the instructor and students present on site. In this mode, the instructor is not teaching simultaneously to in person and distance students; rather they deliver in person instruction to all students on some days and distance instruction to all students on other days. Distance instruction could be asynchronous, or synchronous at the regularly scheduled class times. Instructors are required to maintain course content and resources in the approved Learning Management System (i.e., Blackboard).

Online Courses – 50% or more of Instruction Delivered via Distance Technology

All courses with 50% or more of instruction delivered where faculty and students are physically separated are designated as online courses per Arkansas Division of Higher Education (ADHE) definitions. Online courses must be approved for distance delivery, must adhere to distance education quality standards, are monitored by Global Campus, and are designated as online in the Schedule of Classes. To support federal identity confirmation standards, all course content and resources must be accessed through the approved Learning Management System (i.e., Blackboard). Per federal and accreditation guidelines, online courses must include regular and substantive interactions with the instructor and among students. 

The following definitions explain different delivery modes of online courses at the University of Arkansas.

  1. 100% online asynchronous. Online asynchronous courses without any meeting pattern or required class attendance. Synchronous sessions may be offered but not required. Tests are also taken online. However, there are some 100% asynchronous courses that may include in person proctored exams.
  2. 100% online synchronous. Online synchronous courses delivered 100% at a distance but require synchronous attendance at scheduled published class times. 100% online synchronous classes can be delivered in a way where all students and the instructor are physically separated from one another, or students gather at a designated physical location on or off campus and the instructor delivers instruction via a web-conferencing platform.
  3. 100% online, primarily asynchronous with some synchronous meetings. Primarily online asynchronous courses with some required synchronous virtual attendance at scheduled published class times.
  4. Online mixed-mode. Online courses with 50-99% of online instruction and some face-to-face meetings arranged with the instructor at a designated physical location. Designated physical location can be on campus or at an approved off campus location with both the instructor and students present on site. Online instruction can be synchronous or asynchronous.

Correspondence Courses

Correspondence courses are online self-paced courses with or without required proctored exams.