Learning Management System Minimum Instructional Use Standards (G/P)

I  Procedures

The procedures included in this guideline must be applied to all credit course sections offered by ACC.  They should also be applied to non-credit Continuing Education course sections to the appropriate extent.  Non-credit Continuing Education course sections for which use of the College’s approved Learning Management System (LMS) is unnecessary are exempt.

While these procedures provide a minimum standard for every course at ACC, courses taught online or within specific departments may be subject to additional requirements to meet minimum standards.

Instructional departments will determine how they ensure that faculty meet these standards.  Instructional deans will monitor compliance.

II  Guidelines

Each course must include a welcome announcement, a ‘Start Here’ or similarly titled learning module, and a way for students to track performance in the College’s approved LMS.

In addition, faculty are required to ensure that all digital content, including websites and mobile applications, complies with accessibility standards outlined in WCAG 2.1 Level AA. This includes providing alt text for images, ensuring screen reader compatibility, and making interactive elements accessible.

1. Welcome Announcement: A welcome announcement sharing introductory course information will be posted using the Announcements tool in the LMS no later than the first day of the teaching session. The announcement must direct students to the ‘Start Here’ or similarly titled learning module in the LMS.
2. ‘Start Here’ or Similarly Titled Learning Module: The ‘Start Here’ or similarly titled learning module must contain, at a minimum, access to the syllabus and information about how students can track their course performance.
   1. Syllabus: A syllabus or instructions for accessing the syllabus, including a direct link, must be visible at the top level of the module, without needing to open a folder to find it. Common ways to provide this are as follows:
      1. Upload the syllabus as a document.
      2. Convert the syllabus to a document within the LMS.
      3. Provide a direct link to the syllabus hosted externally, such as in Google Drive.
      4. Provide a link to an external website on which the syllabus is posted, along with instructions on how to gain access to the system and where to find the syllabus.
   2. Student Performance Information: Students must be given clear instructions on how to track their course performance, and what they can expect from the instructor regarding response time and feedback.
3. Performance Tracking: The guiding principles for providing students with course performance tracking are as follows:
   1. Feedback: Students must be given sufficient feedback about their performance in the course throughout the semester to permit them to make informed decisions about their successful course completion and related enrollment.  In particular, feedback should be given at key times during the semester, such as before each withdrawal deadline or before each start of a new session.
   2. Grades: For courses in which students are assigned grades, an effective way to comply is to enter grades in the LMS grading system and provide an ongoing grade average calculation.
      Alternatively, a faculty member may share grades with students using an external system that complies with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), such as an approved publisher portal. Grades may not be communicated by any unapproved system such as email.
      Providing students with a calculated grade average is not required and, in some cases, may not be well defined. In lieu of a calculated grade average, instructors may provide students with instructions in the ‘Start Here’ or similarly titled learning module for how to use their scores to track their overall progress in the course.
      In all of the above examples, details and instructions must be provided in the ‘Start Here’ or similarly titled learning module.
   3. Final Course Grade: The final course grade that is being submitted to the college’s official grading system must be entered into the “Overall Grade” (or equivalent) column in the LMS grading system.