For distance education teaching certification course requirements, click here.

For HCCS definitions of both Distance Education and hybrid courses, click here.

The current process for developing a Distance Education course is as follows:

• Download this .pdf version of the application form or go to http://distance.hccs.edu/de-staff/app_instructions.pdf. Important instructions, deadlines and other information for filling out the form are attached to the application. Or, request an application for course development from the Distance Education Department by contacting Mary Beth Schillaci (713-718-5252) or Eva Gonzalez (713-718-5152). Complete information on DE course development policies is in the DE Operating Plan (section 12, “How Faculty Get Involved in Teaching Distance Education Courses”).
  
  For Continuing Education Only: If you are planning to produce a continuing education DE course, contact Madeline Burillo (713-718-5145) and use this alternate .pdf version of the application form for continuing education courses.

• If you have never taught a distance education course before, please review the required professional development courses listed on the instructions with the application.
• Submit the signed application to the Distance Education Department.

Distance Education STRONGLY recommends that you consult and review The Principles of Good Practice for Electronically Offered Academic Degree and Certificate Programs offered by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board. This document will serve as a guide for incorporating and developing these principles into all new distance education courses.

• Upon completion of any credit course, a course review will be conducted by the appropriate department chair and discipline (if an academic course) prior to its being offered to HCCS students. The Approval of Completed Distance Education Course form is available specifically for this purpose. No stipend will be awarded to faculty developing a new distance learning course prior to review, signed approval, and submission of that approval form to the Distance Education Department. Course review deadlines, in order to be able to offer a course to students by a specific semester, are provided on that form.

• For Continuing Education Only: Upon completion of course development, a course review will be conducted by the college CE Director and then by the HCCS-Director of Online Continuing Education. A Cont. Educ. Director Approval Form, and a HCCS-Director of Online Cont. Educ. Final Approval Form are available together with the Application for Continuing Educ. DE Courses described above in Section #1.
• Following successful department chair and discipline committee review, the Distance Education department will pay a stipend to the instructor for his/her development time, if it was originally requested on the application and submitted by the deadline.  Again, no stipend will be awarded to faculty developing a new distance learning course prior to review, signed approval, and submission of that approval form to the Distance Education Department.
• The course will then be offered from the DE course server and promoted through the Distance Education Course Schedule, the HCCS Course Schedule, the Distance Education website, and other appropriate means.

According to HCCS policy, all tuition and state reimbursement revenues for distance education credit courses go to the home college of the instructor.

For additional information, please contact the following HCCS Distance Education staff:

• Mary Beth Schillaci, Faculty Liaison, Distance Education

  713-718-5252 marybeth.schillaci@hccs.edu

• Eva Gonzalez, Distance Education Associate

  713-718-5152 eva.gonzalez@hccs.edu

• Stephen Levey, Executive Director, Instructional Resources & Technology

  713-718-5261 stephen.levey@hccs.edu

• Madeline Burillo, Director, HCC ACT Center/Online Continuing Education

  713-718-5149 madeline.burillo@hccs.edu