Faculty may use Honorlock at no cost to the student or direct students to Computer-Based Testing Services for a fee.
MS State Online encourages online faculty to seek alternatives to proctored exams as a primary method of assessment. Our instructional design staff is happy to help design new assessments that align with courses outcomes and objectives.
At Mississippi State, all courses that have not been formally proposed to be an online course (Campus 5 course) must move through the UCCC process to be approved to be taught online.
See our UCCC and course development resources for more information
No, all MS State Online programs are recognized as official degree programs by the university. All online programs are equitable to face-to-face programs, so there is no need for distinction between the two on a student’s diploma.
A course template defines the aesthetic and layout of a course. Each template is individually designed for departments with carefully curated layouts and graphics to meet the goals and needs of that department’s online courses. All templates are created in accordance with the standards established by research in online course best practices, Quality Matters, and general web accessibility.
Templates may be requested through MS State Online’s design staff at idhelp@online.msstate.edu ; our staff will contact you to schedule an initial meeting.
When a department requests a template, MS State Online’s design staff work with the department to develop the template; to read more about the development process, see our template timeline.
Once a template is developed, all potential template users are required to train with MS State Online design staff on how to properly use the template. Once users are trained, the template is released to the department and MS State Online is on standby for continued maintenance and assistance.
A prefabricated course is a course shell that has been created as a joint effort between faculty and MS State Online instructional designers. Faculty supply the content, instructional designers create the course based on the supplied content, and faculty review the course for use within their department.
Prefabricated courses are an excellent option for courses taught on a large scale, have high instructor turnover, or both. For more information or a consultation, contact our design staff at idhelp@online.msstate.edu.
Quality Matters is an internationally recognized standard of excellence for online courses, programs, and teaching. Mississippi State adopted QM as its online standard in 2017 and holds an institutional membership. For more detailed information on QM, visit their website.
There are two types of QM reviews that Mississippi State faculty can pursue: internal and QM official. Internal reviews are conducted by the design staff at MS State Online at no charge to the instructor of a Mississippi State campus 5 course. QM official reviews are conducted through the official QM portal by an official QM review team at a cost.
MS State Online recommends that instructors seeking either type of course review teach the course in question at least twice before considering the review process. To find out more, contact our design staff at
Design staff are well-versed in Canvas and can answer most questions concerning courses. If you are having a problem with your course, contact design staff at idhelp@online.msstate.edu If our staff cannot answer your question, they will help you find the appropriate office.
If you are experiencing difficulties with hardware or software other than Canvas, you will need to contact ITS or the software publisher.
Yes. Students are not required to disclose any disabilities to access accessible content within a course. Accessible content is required by federal law (Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act) in all courses no matter the format. Students requiring additional accommodations, such as extra testing time or an interpreter, will need to speak with the Disability Resource Center.
The easiest way to work with an instructional designer is to contact them directly. Our designers are all well-versed in online education and can assist with course design, assignment design, content delivery, and many other things. Even if you are unsure what you want help with, our design staff can help you discover what you need.
