Faculty Guides and Forms

Course Approval Process for Online and Hybrid Courses at SHSU

At SHSU, we support innovation in course delivery while maintaining the integrity of academic program delivery. To this end, we have established approval processes for transitioning courses to online or hybrid formats:

Online Course Approval

Courses moving from face-to-face to fully online formats receive near-immediate approval. This expedited process allows faculty to quickly adopt flexible delivery methods, ensuring that students benefit from increased accessibility without compromising the academic quality of our programs. The design of online courses is outlined in the Course Design Rubrics and Technical Evaluations available for download at the bottom of this page.

Form to Request an Online Course: Online Course Request

Hybrid Course Approval

Courses moving from face-to-face to hybrid formats receive near-immediate approval. For existing online courses transitioning to a hybrid format a more detailed review is necessary and approval is not always guaranteed. SHSU must ensure that the new requested format will not negatively impact students who rely on fully online delivery for access, enrollment, and program completion. SHSU online enrollments spread over 49 states and some countries, which means that not all students are within driving distance of campus. Hybrid courses may reduce their access to complete necessary program coursework or result in decreased enrollments from the online student population.

Therefore, conditional approvals may be granted for some online courses expanding into hybrid, but in some cases, such requests may be denied if the change compromises program accessibility. The institution expects hybrid courses to be offered alongside online courses, not as a replacement.

Because of the thorough nature of the review for hybrids, the approval process may take additional time.

Form to Request a Hybrid Course: Hybrid Course Request

Periodic Review of Course Delivery Modalities

To uphold the quality and accessibility of our programs, SHSU Online will conduct regular reviews (semesterly or annually) of both online and hybrid course offerings. These reviews assess how course formats align with student needs, enrollment trends, and geographical considerations, ensuring that all students continue to have access to the education they need, regardless of delivery mode.

For questions or assistance, please contact Angela Gill at amb229@shsu.edu.