Revised Course Delivery Types

After researching practices at over 200 institutions from across the country and conducting numerous forums, focus groups, department meetings, presentations, and town halls with students, faculty, and staff, USU is releasing a new set of course delivery types to be available for the Summer 2023 class schedule.

These updates are a response to recent and ongoing changes, including confusion from course delivery changes made during COVID, upcoming technology upgrades from the current IVC technology (CISCO) to Zoom, and the recent release of the University Strategic Plan - Aggie Action 2028. As change occurs, it is important that USU continues to effectively provide transformative, high-impact learning experiences throughout the state and region. These revised delivery types provide clarity, choice, flexibility, and structure. They leverage our residential campuses and regional education centers across the state, our growing digital presence, and our position as a national leader in this activity.

 Initiative Goals

 This work is centered on the following initiative goals (the 7 S’s):

• Student-Centered - focus on student learning, providing transformative educational and creative opportunities
• Sound Pedagogy – a commitment to high-impact practices based on sound pedagogy
• Simplicity - simplification to reduce confusion and complexity
• Structure - a structured framework to guide activities, avoiding the “wild west”
• Strategic - forward looking focus, with a commitment to our mission and strategic goals
• Statewide - effective use of all USU locations, including our digital presence
• Shared values - a commitment to centering decisions on a common set of shared values

Timeline & Resources

Beginning in Summer 2023, the following course delivery types will be available. While in-person (face-to-face), online, and arranged (supervised) remain mostly unchanged, there are significant changes associated with hybrid, connect, and virtual delivery options. We encourage faculty to visit teach.usu.edu to learn more about each delivery type and how these changes might impact their teaching going forward. This website will be updated regularly with additional resources and information.

Beginning in February, an extensive marketing campaign and website updates will be launched to inform students of these changes, in preparation for registration in April.

Empowerment and Shared Values

Associated with these changes, is the empowering of the academic department heads and other academic administrators to effectively identify the appropriate delivery types for their given program and location.

To guide this work, a set of shared values and management guidelines have been organized. Department Heads and other academic leaders have committed to work collaboratively together using the following shared values in providing an effective portfolio of delivery options.

• Student Centered – focus on student learning, sound pedagogy, and providing transformative educational and creative opportunities
• Access – access to programs and services regardless of experience or location
• Balance – support for departmental and university goals, and effective utilization of our residential campuses, regional education centers, and digital presence
• Choice – delivery options for students that promote choice and flexibility
• Commitment – commitment to the published schedule and no mixing of delivery types

This initiative will likely introduce additional questions that have yet to be considered and will require that we monitor activities closely to ensure that an effective balance of the shared values have been achieved.

For additional information and questions, please contact:

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