Communication and Contacts

Online courses are designed to be engaging and interactive for both the instructor and the students. The instructor has full responsibility for the course. The instructor creates learning opportunities through:

a detailed course syllabus outlining course description, completion requirements, grading policies, and more
- IMPORTANT: ensure you have read the syllabus in all courses!
instruction organized into modules, activities or unit learning plans
a schedule to follow in completing course activities
guidance in completing activities and assignments
access to expertise in the content area
interactive and engaging discussion board topics

Instructors may schedule specific telephone office hours or specific times within a chat room when groups of students may go online to have questions answered. Instructors also respond through threaded discussion or individual e-mail, and they make general announcements through the course website. Instructor contact information is available in the course syllabus or in the EFSC Faculty & Staff Directory.

Student Communication

Instructors will post contact information to their respective syllabi. Students must use either the EFSC Titan email account or Canvas Inbox to communicate with EFSC faculty and staff via email. Instructors will respond to email from students within 48 business hours. In the event a student does not receive a response from the instructor by the end of 48 business hours, the student may contact the appropriate Collegewide Chair for assistance.

The Collegewide Chair provides instructional leadership, coordination and support four courses areas/discipline. Students should contact the Collegewide Chair after attempts to resolve issues with the instructor have failed.

Student Complaints

Eastern Florida State College is committed to resolving student complaints in an expeditious, fair and friendly manner. Students enrolled in an online course wishing to file a complaint related to their course and/or instructor should contact the appropriate Collegewide Chair. Students wishing to be reinstated into a course must contact the instructor before filing an official appeal through the Collegewide Chair office.

If the concern is not resolved at the Collegewide Chair level, the student may request in writing an appeal through the appropriate Dean.

Finally, Distance Education students who have completed the internal institutional appeal process and any applicable state grievances may appeal non-instructional complaints to the Florida State Authorization Reciprocity Agreement (FL-SARA) Postsecondary Reciprocal Distance Education Coordinating (PRDEC) Council (for more information, review the 'Out-of-state student information' website).

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