Purpose

To establish policies for delivering courses through remote instruction modes as alternatives to in-person instruction. This policy replaces all previous policies regarding remote/hybrid or blended instructional modes and supersedes any other guidelines within Penn State Harrisburg but will comply with all university requirements in this area. 

Guidelines

University defined instructional delivery modes are provided by the University Registrar and Office of Faculty Affairs. Any course offered by Penn State Harrisburg in other than in-person (P mode) must be approved for delivery in the existing university approved instructional modes. Courses previously approved for recognized delivery modes which are not changed do not need re-approval. 

Definitions of Instructional Modes

Definitions of instructional modes are based on Penn State University guidelines issued by the office of Faculty Affairs and published in the University Registrar.

  • Remote synchronous (RS): Class meets remotely at days/times listed. 100% of the class is taught fully remotely synchronously. To manage their own absences due to illness or other unavoidable circumstances, for professional travel, or for pedagogical reasons, instructors can offer up to 7% of a Remote Synchronous class asynchronously. 
  • Remote asynchronous (RA): Class meets remotely. 100% of the class is taught remotely asynchronously.
  • Remote blended (RB): Class meets 100% remotely. The class is intentionally taught remotely combining asynchronous and synchronous (at days/times listed) instruction.
  • Video-Receiving (VR): Shared class that a campus receives at days/times listed. 100% of the class is taught remotely synchronously. To manage their own absences due to illness or other unavoidable circumstances, for professional travel, or for pedagogical reasons, instructors can offer up to 7% of a Video-Receiving class asynchronously. Only for the Digital Learning Cooperative (DLC).
  • Hybrid 75%-99% Remote (H7): Class meets in person and remotely. 75-99% of the class is taught remotely synchronously or asynchronously, which may include required in person assessments or evaluation. This low-residency mode is considered remote instruction.
  • Hybrid 51%-74% Remote (H5): Class meets in person and remotely. 51-74% of the class is taught remotely synchronously or asynchronously. 
  • Hybrid 25%-50% Remote (H2): Class meets in person and remotely. 25-50% of the class is taught remotely synchronously or asynchronously.
  • Hybrid 8%-24% Remote (H1): Class meets in person and remotely. 8-24% of the class is taught remotely synchronously or asynchronously.

Consultation and Approval

  1. When considering developing a course for other than in-person delivery, the program faculty should:
    • Determine if a course is appropriate to offer with more than 7% of the content in remote instructional mode for the program and designate a course author.
    • Identify the pedagogical reasons why the course should be transformed into a remote/hybrid course.
    • Pedagogical reasons should be supported with evidence-based literature, where available, or include an assessment component to ensure learning outcomes are at least as good if not superior to an in-person mode
    • Create a plan to alternate the delivery of the course between remote and in-person (P) formats on a regular schedule, giving students options for how they take the course. 
    • Participate in the required training and professional development activities for remote instructional development through the Center for Teaching Excellence.
  2. Once a program has identified a course as suitable for other than P mode delivery, the designated instructor is required to complete a Self-Assessment Survey for Remote and Hybrid Teaching – Fill out form to determine if other than P mode delivery would be compatible with the instructor’s style. The instructor should contact the Center for Teaching Excellence (CTE) for information on how to complete the self-assessment.
  3. The course author must complete and sign the Request for Proposal for Online Course Development Form, receive approval from program leadership, and the school director prior to the deadlines established by CTE and submit for final approval by the Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs. If the course will be offered on the DLC, please indicate that on the Request for Proposal for Online Course Development Form. Courses offering DLC enrollment will be considered for expedited processing. 
  4. All approved proposed courses are processed by CTE. CTE staff will arrange for an initial consultation with the instructor for the development of a plan for how the course will be designed for non-P mode delivery. CTE will designate an instructional designer to work with the instructor for the course-delivery development.
  5. A faculty assigned to teach courses approved through the above process must receive approval from the School and must complete required online course delivery training. In addition, the in-person and remote instructional days need to be indicated in the LionPath entry for the course.

Development of course delivery material

The time needed for a course redesign varies based on the instructor’s prior experience in online teaching and course design; the amount of time the instructor can devote to the redesign effort; the extent of revision required; the number of online sessions to be designed; and the need for multimedia development. 

All course development for non-P mode delivery completed in CTE must adhere to the following requirements:

The faculty member is the subject matter expert who provides the course content. The instructional designer lends expertise in implementing the course in a professional and pedagogically sound manner.

Program faculty will review each course in non-P mode every three years to determine if the course is still needed and if a course review and revision are required.  If the course is still needed, faculty are encouraged to consult with CTE staff to make sure that the most current distance learning strategies are employed on the course.

Intellectual property rights

Faculty should review the University’s policy regarding intellectual property rights by referring to the University’s Policy IP03, Courseware. The Courseware Copyright Agreement is provided on the course approval form.

Assessing RS, RA, RB, H7, H5, H2, or H1 courses

Whenever a faculty member undergoes a peer review of a RA, RS or RB courses, the evaluator should use and complete the Peer Review Guide for Online Teaching at Penn State instrument.

This Policy replaces previous policies, A-9 and A-10. Approved by Academic Council on April 23, 2026