Lansing Community College
Procedure Details

Procedure Title: Converting Sections to Online Format in an Emergency Situation
Procedure #: AA.011
Revision #: 002

Unit Responsible: Academic Affairs
Individual Responsible: Director of Academic Operations

Effective Date: 01/19/2024
Initial Approval Date: 12/11/2020
Last Review/Update Date: 01/19/2024
Next Review Date: 01/01/2027

*Does this procedure support a Board Policy? Yes
If yes, identify: 3.030 - Academic Records

Board policies can be found at: LCC Board of Trustees Policy Page

*Does this procedure support HLC criteria? Yes
If yes, identify: 2B, 3A, 3D

HLC Criteria can be found at: HLC Accreditation Criteria

*Does this procedure support a State or Federal Regulation? No
If yes, identify: Depending on the emergency, may be required to comply with Department of Health or Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines.

*Note: Standard Operating Procedures should be in furtherance of some LCC policy and/or accreditation criteria, even if the relationship is not direct. Assistance in determining this information can be obtained from the Academic Procedure Advisory Committee (APAC) and/or the Accreditation Liaison Officer.

Converting Sections to Online Format in an Emergency Situation, BP 3.030

1. Purpose

To document required tasks in an emergency situation resulting in the conversion of sections from a face-to-face (F2F) format to an online format, for a smooth and efficient transition and to maintain the academic integrity of those sections.


2. Scope

This procedure covers all courses meeting in a F2F format requiring conversion to an online format, including non-credit courses in Banner and Modern Campus.

Hybrid and hyflex sections that have F2F and online components will convert entirely to online in these types of emergencies and therefore are not affected by these procedures.


3. Prerequisites

N/A


4. Responsibilities

  • Director of Academic Operations (DAO) – coordinates the process.
  • Senior Director of Financial Aid and Accreditation Liaison Officer (ALO) – Determine if the conversion to online is allowable under the circumstances creating the need to change the format of the sections offered.
  • Course Information Management Team (CIMT) members – Work with programs to identify which sections can convert to online, and which faculty are qualified to teach in that format. The CIMT representatives are responsible for data related to the sections, including the schedule development for the restart of sections that are not able to convert the entire course content to an online format. They are key players in the communication of the status of the sections, providing updates as needed to representatives across campus. As such, it is important that they are included in the discussions regarding the program plans, restart information, and any changes that occur throughout the process.
  • eLearning – Provide training for faculty who require it, and communicate completion of training to the CIMT reps and Director of Academic Operations.
  • Marketing, Public Relations, and Communications – Ensure that a webpage is created and maintained regarding the emergency and the affected sections. In addition, the Internal Communications Coordinator will send updates to students and staff regarding the emergency course conversions via emails and The Star as needed.
  • Community Education and Workforce Development (CEWD) – Project Managers or Coordinators facilitate the process for Modern Campus sections.


5. Procedure

  1. Before sections are converted to online, complete the following steps.
    1. DAO meets with the Senior Director of Financial Aid and the ALO to determine if the circumstances allow for conversion to an online format, or if Department of Education and/or HLC approval is required. Communication should include if an entire program of study is converting to an online format, and if the sections will need to extend beyond the semester start and end dates.
    2. Programs determine which sections can switch from F2F to an online format. The online instruction can be asynchronous or synchronous.
    3. CIMT reps determine if the faculty meet one of the following:
      • Completed Teaching Online Certification (TOC).
      • Received a waiver from needing TOC due to tested experience. Any waiver of TOC must be approved by the appropriate Dean and must be documented in Banner on PPACERT.
      • Completed Emergency Teaching Online Essentials (ETOE) in D2L.
    4. CIMT reps compile a list of faculty needing ETOE and submit it to eLearning.
    5. eLearning sends communication to faculty for access to ETOE.
    6. As faculty complete ETOE, eLearning notifies the CIMT reps and the DAO. The DAO updates Banner to reflect completion of the training.
    7. For Modern Campus sections in CEWD, the Project Manager or Coordinator overseeing the project identifies which sections can convert to online, and which faculty are qualified to teach in that format.
  2. In order to maintain the history of the section format as originally scheduled, section data is not changed in Banner with one exception: a code is added in the SSATEXT Section Text field to indicate the status of the section post conversion. For example, for COVID-19, a prefix of “COVID19” was added to the code so the reason for the conversion is also maintained. In an emergency unrelated to COVID-19, another prefix will be identified based on the reason for the conversion. For Modern Campus sections, a code is added in Student Manager under the Instructors Tab within the Notes field.
    1. For sections that are converted to online, the code “Virtual” is assigned. For example, for COVID-19 the code is “COVID19-Virtual.”
    2. For sections that are not able to convert to online format, the program determines the appropriate status from the following options.
      • Canceled – Section was canceled due to the emergency before it could begin. Departments run mass drop.
      • Paused – Section began but is paused with the intention of resuming. This may be because the program needs time to convert the materials to an online format.
      • Paused-Completed – Section is not able to resume but sufficient learning objectives have been met for grades to be awarded. Section ended and is considered complete.
      • Paused-Incomplete – Section is not able to resume and students given an incomplete. The section will be restarted when students are able to return to campus.
      • Incomplete – At the time of conversion, section could not be continued as planned but a minimal amount of work needs to be completed, so students are given an incomplete, and a default grade is assigned. Students are then given a specific time frame to complete the work.
      • Delayed – Section has not started and is unable to begin as intended. This is a temporary status until it is determined if and how the course should proceed.
      • Terminated – Section began but it is not able to restart and a small percentage of the material was covered.
      • Delayed-Completed – Section has not started but needs to be rescheduled due to the emergency. The section is completed during the same semester.
    3. Paused and Delayed are temporary statuses and the code should be updated in Banner/Modern Campus as decisions are made about the future of those sections.
    4. Sections may change statuses during the semester. For example, a class could start out in Virtual status but reach a point where the remaining material needs to be covered in class. At that point, the status would change from Virtual to Paused-Incomplete. SSATEXT/Modern Campus are updated, replacing the original status code with the new code.
    5. When the semester ends, the status code in SSATEXT should reflect the status of the section at the end of the semester in which it began. The status codes should not be updated after the semester ends unless there was an error.
    6. A list of the sections affected by the crisis and the status of those sections is reported to Center for Data Science, Financial Aid, Student Finance, Controller, Registrar’s Office, Center for Academic and Career Pathways, Center for Student Support, Academic Success Coaches, Marketing, Physical Plant, Information Technology, Media Services, Public Relations, and LCC Police Department. If the status changes, a notification is sent to those departments to inform them of the change. This information should be provided as soon as the information is available.
    7. Marketing staff creates a webpage related to the emergency situation to include a list of the affected sections and their statuses, along with remote services, grant funds, grades, and other information.
    8. The Internal Communications Coordinator will send updates regarding the emergency course conversions to students and staff via emails and The Star as needed.
  3. Restart of Sections to Face-to-Face Format
    1. If needed, programs develop Safety Plans in accordance with LCC’s Business Resumption Plan to explain how they will safely and effectively deliver the course at a new location and/or under new guidelines. For example, with the COVID-19 pandemic, the programs were required to address the following:
      • Personal Protective Equipment
      • Physical Distancing
      • Cleaning Protocols
      Before the section can resume, the plan must be approved by the Emergency Management Policy Team.
    2. The data related to the restart of the section is entered in a Banner database custom page. This includes the following:
      • Term (original term, not the term in which the restart occurs)
      • Course
      • Section CRN
      • Faculty ID
      • Section indicator
      • Restart begin date
      • Restart end date
      • Start time
      • End time
      • Days
      • Building and room
    3. The restart data is communicated to the Center for Data Science, Financial Aid, Student Finance, Controller, Registrar’s Office, Center for Academic and Career Pathways, Center for Student Support, Academic Success Coaches, Marketing, Physical Plant, Information Technology, Media Services, Public Relations, and LCC Police Department. Communication should occur as soon as the information is available. If needed, Physical Plant requests at least 48 hours prior to the restart in order to ensure that a cleaning protocol has been established. Information Technology and Media Services need the information to ensure that they have staff available to assist faculty during those restart days and times. Marketing updates the webpage related to the emergency with the restart information.
    4. Programs communicate directly with the students regarding the restart information. Restart data is sent to the faculty, and they are instructed to indicate whether or not the students will be attending, then return the information to the Registrar’s Office. The Registrar’s Office staff then issues the grade on record for those not participating in the restart.


6. Reference

This procedure was developed as a result of a pandemic but also is applicable for other emergencies, including those that affect only part of the College, such as a building or one campus.


7. Definitions

N/A