All faculty — full time or part time, consistent with the provisions of each local contract — should have the opportunity to develop and teach departmentally approved DE courses. Not only does this help achieve AFT Guideline #8, which encourages experimentation with a broad variety of subjects, it also is fair and equitable. Especially on those campuses at which DE is considered a valuable commodity by administration, denying some faculty members the opportunity to participate could adversely affect their promotion and/or tenure.

Furthermore, compensation is a significant issue as well; if additional compensation is given for developing and teaching DE courses, all faculty members should have the opportunity to develop and teach DE courses. If not yet qualified to do so, faculty should have training and professional development opportunities available to develop the necessary skills to become effective DE practitioners.

By the same token, no faculty member should be denied promotion or tenure for choosing not to teach in a DE format. Colleges must consider other professional growth, development, and creative and innovative contributions when
granting promotion and tenure to those faculty who are engaged in same.

While all faculty should be given the opportunity to develop and teach DE courses, no faculty member should be required to teach a DE course.