Southern Arkansas University of Magnolia’s office of Disability Support Services coordinates services and accommodations for students with disabilities to ensure accessibility and usability of all programs, services, and activities. Contact the office located in room 216 of the Donald W. Reynolds building at 870-235-4145. You can also visit the Disability Support Services webpage for information on disability services, eligibility, policies, and procedures.

The university’s learning management system is Blackboard. Blackboard is fully committed to ensuring that the platform contains no barriers for users with disabilities and is both usable and accessible by everyone, regardless of age, ability, or situation. Blackboard measures and evaluates accessibility levels using two sets of standards: Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act issued by the United States Federal Government and the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG 2.0) issued by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C).

Students who require additional accommodations must first register with Disability Support Services. See more information here.

Blackboard is the learning management system (LMS) used to support all courses at Southern Arkansas University (SAU). Course shells are created in Blackboard for all in-person, online, and hybrid courses. Blackboard allows faculty to make course content and materials available to students online 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. This policy lists the minimum expectations for all courses delivered at SAU.

At a minimum, all SAU faculty are required to provide the following learning materials in Blackboard:

• faculty contact information,
• faculty-student communication policy (see Online Faculty-Student Communication Policy,
• current course syllabus, and
• active use of the Bb Grade Center, so students are aware of progress in the course
  • This requirement would require, at a minimum, that assignment/test/exam grades be posted for student reference.
  • This policy does not require grade calculations to be performed in the grade center.
  • Learn how to setup Overall Grades in Blackboard or watch a video on creating 4-Week or Midterm Grades in Blackboard. 

All content uploaded and generated in Blackboard should be designed with accessibility standards in mind.

Reason for Implementation

The purpose of the Quality Assurance (QA) review is to ensure the quality and accessibility of all online and hybrid courses at Southern Arkansas University (as directed by the vision and mission of the University).  In addition, all online/hybrid courses at SAU must be reviewed for quality per the Higher Learning Commission (HLC) accreditation standards and the Southern Regional Education Board (SREB).

Process of Review

Faculty should have courses ready for review by the first class day.  Courses will be reviewed by the Office of Online Learning (OOL) at SAU during the first four weeks of the semester, on a four-year rotation (see schedule below) using the SAU Quality Assurance Checklist.  Online Learning will also review a random 10% of all hybrid and online courses, as suggested during our Higher Learning Commission (HLC) visit. The Quality Assurance checklist must be completed during the academic year specified in the schedule below.

• College of Education and Human Performance 2024-2025
• College of Business 2025-2026
• College of Science and Engineering 2026-2027
• College of Liberal and Performing Arts

Course review results will be sent to the course Instructors, Department chairs, and Deans via email. If a course does not meet QA Standards, the instructor will make needed revisions by mid-term of the designated academic semester.

The Director of Online Learning will provide the following support to the course instructor and department as needed.

• Suggested “improvements” (list of shortcomings) to the instructor and department chair.
• Recommend a faculty member who has completed the Applying the Quality Matters Rubric (APPQMR) course to work with the instructor.
• Provide a sample approved course that meets all the standards.

Approved courses will be designated as such for planning purposes before the next semester’s schedules are due.

Note on SAU’s Quality Assurance Rubric

Southern Arkansas University’s Quality Assurance Rubric includes annotations and guidance informed by the nationally recognized Quality Matters (QM) Rubric. These annotations help faculty align their online course design with best practices in instructional quality, accessibility, and learner engagement.

Faculty who supervise students in credit-bearing field experiences—such as internships, clinicals, assistantships, or student teaching—must report any placements that occur outside of Arkansas. These placements are considered Out-of-State Learning Placements (OOSLP) and must be documented and submitted annually to NC SARA.

Faculty are recommended to use the SAU Out-of-State Placements Reporting Form to report their learning placements every semester. After completing the form, please email a copy to onlinelearning@saumag.edu with the subject “Out-of-State Placements Reporting+Semester and Year (e.g., Fall 2025).

Note: This applies to both online and face-to-face programs. Accurate reporting helps institutions comply with NC-SARA and supports national student mobility and program reach data.

Student attendance in online courses is defined as active participation in the course as described in the individual course syllabus. Online courses will, at a minimum, have weekly mechanisms for student participation no more frequently than daily, which can be documented by any or all of the following methods:

• Completion of tests or quizzes
• Discussion forums
• Submission/completion of assignments
• Communication with the instructor
• Or other course participation

Students are required to log in to each online course by the second day during the week in which the course officially begins, or the day enrolled during late registration to complete the initial introductory postings required in the course. As a component of attendance student email, course announcements and discussion forums should be checked frequently (daily is recommended). The student is solely responsible for checking updates related to the course. Note: nonattendance may affect financial aid. If a student fails to meet the attendance requirements, he or she may be recommended for withdrawal from the course. In the case of an anticipated absence, such as military deployment, the student should contact the instructor in advance and make arrangements to complete the required assignments. In case of an emergency (illness/accident or death in family), a student should contact the instructor as soon as possible providing documentation supporting the need for any late submission of a graded event.

Qwickly Attendance Tool

All face-to-face, hybrid, and online courses in Blackboard have access to Qwickly, a digital attendance tracking and grading tool.

• How to Set up Qwickly Attendance 
• How to Take Attendance with Qwickly 
• Attendance Records and Reporting in Qwickly

Examination procedures and proctoring policies for online courses vary according to the different colleges and the individual courses. Make sure to check the course syllabus for each individual course on Blackboard after the first day of class for more details. SAU currently uses Respondus Lockdown Browser and Monitor.

Respondus Lockdown Browser (RLDB) – Respondus LockDown Browser™ is a customized browser that increases the security of test delivery in Blackboard. When students use Respondus LockDown Browser to access an exam, they are unable to print, copy, go to another URL, or access other applications. Once an assessment is started, students are locked into it until it’s submitted for grading. For a complete list of features, visit the Respondus web site. You may be required to use LockDown Browser with a webcam, which will record you during an online, non-proctored exam.

Communication between online students and faculty is critical for student success and retention.

Faculty who teach online or hybrid courses are required to develop a communication policy at the beginning of the semester and post the policy in their online course. Communication policies set expectations for students in the course and may include the following:

• Schedule of availability or “virtual office hours” (Times instructor will be available to answer questions.)
• Email/Blackboard Message response times.
• Instructor responses to discussion posts.
• Grading and Feedback on assignments.
• Statement that learners will receive regular announcements that include reminders and information pertinent to the course.
• “Netiquette” or online etiquette expectations for how students are to communicate online.

Note: The Instructor Resources area of your Blackboard courses includes a editable “(Faculty) Communication and Interaction Policy” template. After editing, you can make the policy and move it into the Start Here area of your courses.