Policy Portal

Administrative Policy: Academic

COM – Videoconferencing in the Curriculum

Policy Number: 3349-AC-403
Effective Date: 08/01/2018
Updated: 08/20/2019
Reviewed:
Responsible Department: Office of the Dean and Medical Education, College of Medicine
Approval Authority: Senior Associate Dean for Academic Affairs
Responsible Office: Office of the Dean and Medical Education, College of Medicine

A. Purpose

The purpose of this Policy is to specify educationally sound, appropriate and consistent use of course-related videoconferencing as a curriculum delivery alternative for synchronous learning.[1]

B. Scope

This Policy applies to all credit-bearing courses contained in the College of Medicine Curriculum, M1 through M4 years. It does not apply to any pre-matriculation courses or offerings and does not apply to co-curricular activities at any level.

C. Definitions

  1. Credit-bearing Course: A course offering by the College of Medicine in which a student is enrolled, the course appears on the student’s official transcript with either contact hours or credit-bearing acknowledgement, and a grade is assigned.
  2. Distant Training Sites (also referred to as Remote Training Sites): For the purpose of this policy, distant training sites are determined to be such based on the physical distance from the NEOMED Rootstown campus. Such sites include those located more than 40 miles from Rootstown, and includes the Columbus area teaching sites, Toledo area teaching sites and Cleveland-area teaching sites.[2] 
  3. Videoconferencing: Real time communication that is facilitated between two or more people (including faculty to student, and student to student) using both audio and video equipment and capabilities.
  4. Synchronous Learning: On-line classes that provide the opportunity for real-time involvement in the class experience and require students and instructors to be online at the same scheduled time with the ability to interact. All participants must be online at that specific time in order to participate.

D. Policy Statement

  1. Instructional delivery via Videoconferencing is expected as curriculum delivery methods allow and is most appropriate for live instructional sessions including lectures and human interactive learning opportunities. Videoconferencing is applicable to courses for which there is no intentional student interaction as well as for courses in which opportunistic interaction is expected to occur.
  2. All decisions regarding allowing students to participate, or not, in any or all of a course via Videoconference  are made by the course director with approval by the Curriculum Management and Assessment Committee (CMAC).
  3. Decisions regarding course delivery via Videoconference must be presented for discussion and approval at CMAC.
  4. Applicability to teaching sessions
    1. This policy is applicable to the following types of teaching sessions:
      1. lecture/whole class sessions
      2. selected small group discussions, including faculty led and peer-to-peer discussions
    2. This policy is not applicable to:
      1. laboratory sessions
      2. small group session in which face-to-face interaction is an essential component of the interaction unless a faculty member can be present at the distant site. Exceptions can include required student-to-student interaction between and/or among students assigned to geographically distant sites that may not involve a faculty member.
      3. any session that is contiguous to a session that a course director designates necessary to be at the NEOMED Rootstown campus because of student to student, or student to faculty interaction, or
      4. courses/sessions scheduled in a room that does not contain video conference capabilities
  5. The decision to allow a student to participate in an approved Videoconferencing session is based on the designation of the training site as a Distant Training Site, and a student’s assignment to that academic teaching site; it is not necessarily based on the location of a student’s residence.
    1. Students who reside in a community proximal to a Videoconferencing location may participate in instruction via Videoconferencing only if given special permission by the Associate Dean of Medical Education and the site administrator.
  6. Delivery of any portion of the curriculum via Videoconference is subject to:
    1. availability of technology (including hardware and software which, if functional, does not need to be approval by NEOMED)
    2. availability of resources, including but not limited to faculty/small group facilitators and personnel available for set-up and support on the Rootstown campus as well as for set-up and support at the remote site(s)
      1. In the event of limited resources, preferential access will be recommended by the M1/M2 Curriculum Subcommittee and/or the M3/M4 Curriculum Subcommittee with a final decision made by CMAC.
    3. appropriate curricular articulation
  7. Prior to actual implementation and use of Videoconferencing, appropriate and necessary individuals and/or departments must be notified of the schedule for using Videoconferencing in the following educational situations:
    1. instruction originating from a Video-conference enabled educational space on the Rootstown campus, and
    2. student-to-student interaction for educational purposes that are part of the curriculum.
    3. Appropriate and necessary individuals and/or departments at the originating and receiving end include but may not be limited to Academic and Instructional Technology, course coordinators and other academic, instructional and technology support personnel.
  8. Any discussion of patients via Videoconferencing must adhere to all state and federal requirements to ensure patient privacy, including but not limited to the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).
    1. In order to ensure HIPAA compliance, the NEOMED-provided Videoconferencing system must be used for all student-to-student educational interaction via Videoconferencing that is part of the curriculum.
  9. NEOMED, the curriculum team and the instructional technology team are not responsible for unplanned interruptions in the delivery of instruction via Videoconference.
  10. This policy is not applicable to remote administration of written examinations (i.e., at a site other than the Rootstown campus; See Academic Policy 3349-AC-404).
  11. Requests for consideration of exceptions to this Policy should be submitted to the Associate Dean of Medical Education, who will forward the request to CMAC for consideration and approval.
  12. Faculty development will be provided, as needed, for course directors and faculty presenters to enable full implementation of this Policy and optimal use of Videoconferencing in the curriculum.

[1] Use of videoconferencing must be approved by the Curriculum Management and Assessment Committee at the time of coursed approval beginning with academic year 2018-2019.
[2] At the time of original approval of this policy, the only recognized remote teaching site for the M1 and M2 curriculum is the facility NEOMED leases at Cleveland State University.

CONTACT

Lisa Noland
Administrative Specialist
Phone: 330.325.6354
Email: lnoland@neomed.edu

Office of General Counsel

Northeast Ohio Medical University