IN: Academic course development process

Academic Course Development Process

Overview

Embarking on an academic course development is a group adventure. We rely on subject matter experts (SMEs) for content and learning outcomes (since it’s their expertise that the course will be based on). To support them, we build a design team of our experts to work alongside the SMEs to ensure that, in addition to reliable and relevant content, the learning experience is instructionally sound, engaging, and accessible for learners and has original media tailor-made for the audience and subject. We work collaboratively with our SMEs to ensure that the final product meets their needs and expectations!

sketch of people holding hands and climbing to the top to plant their flag.

What CTLI provides:

  • Project management and people coordination
  • Knowledgeable and reliable team members
  • Space for creativity and exploration
  • Innovative, audience-specific solutions
  • Open, responsive and timely communication
  • Engaging and accessible (UDL-minded) experiences and resources
  • Opportunities for feedback and review

What centres and SMEs provide:

  • Reliable and relevant content and subject-matter resources/information
  • Availability for regular (usually weekly) project meetings and consultation
  • Open, responsive and timely communication
  • Feedback and engagement throughout the development process

The Process

While each course development project is unique, below are the phases that each development follows, ensuring good learning experience design.

design

1. Design

The first stage when designing a learning experience involves considering where it will fit into a program, and what the objective is of the department or institutional strategy.

Along with defining these vital factors, the design phase also includes:

  • defining the learning experience (project descriptions, learning outcomes)
  • assembling the team
  • creating a communication plan
  • drafting curriculum alignment framework (CAF)
  • drafting assessments

The heart of learning experience design

Regardless of a project’s complexity, human-centred design (HCD) takes centre stage – and it’s the mindset maintained throughout the entire phase. That means, not only do we consider who our learners are and what we want them to gain from their experience, but we also gather feedback from multiple perspectives (faculty, industry, institutional leadership/priorities, etc.). This helps us design a more robust and interactive learning outcome, which is, after all, the heart of learning experience design (LXD).

The final step of design is to draft, revise or update the learning experience’s curriculum alignment framework (CAF) – then the project is ready for development!

develop

2. Develop

Now that the blueprint has been set for the learning experience, it’s time to put ‘rubber to the road’!

In other words, it’s time to put that well-designed plan into action and develop it. Like the Design phase, you’ll maintain a human-centred design (HCD) mindset throughout, keeping the learners in mind while you build and iterate:

  • activities
  • media prototypes
  • assessments
  • overall learning experience content

Bringing the blueprint to life

The Develop stage involves four elements:

  • creating the learning experience content
  • assigning specific work for the design team
  • following institutional practices
  • providing completed deliverables

Once you implement an efficient workflow plan with your team to ensure good communication and adherence to timelines, you’ll need to work to maintain a flexible learning strategy overall. This means incorporating multiple perspectives and leveraging all available resources at your disposal.

As milestones are achieved and final touches (such as editing and formatting) are applied, invested stakeholders will take one last look through to ensure learning experience integrity.

Once they’ve signed off, it’s time to hit the big green button – that is, implement the learning experience.

implement and evolve

3. Implement & Evolve

This is it – this is the moment you’ve been waiting for… It’s time to Implement your learning experience for the betterment of students everywhere! Then you’re free to ride away into the sunset knowing the world is better for your service.

As much as you may want to hang up your hat and call it a day, implementing your learning experience design is actually not the final step. Evolution is the final, and never-ending step. Because students are constantly growing and changing, learning experiences are always evolving. That means there’s no sunset silhouette ride for learning experience developers.

Fostering evergreen experiences

Even though the learning experience is complete, the experience will be continually reflected upon and adapted based on current feedback. We’re striving for a continual evergreen process to make sure learning experience content doesn’t stagnate.

This means that once implemented, we:

  • reflect on the learning experience as it’s delivered, analyzing data and completing surveys
  • determine what works and what can be improved on
  • evolve, adapt and deliver again

Development Milestones

Read through the development timeline by clicking on each point.

Initial Consultation
Design Team Assembly
Project Kick-off Meeting
Design Team Kick-off
CAF drafting & content gathering
Content & assessment development
1st Review of CAF & module
Content & assessment development
Formatting & editing
Final review of CAF & course
Participants: Production Coordinator, LXD, associate dean and/or chair
Actions: Identify courses ready for development (new build or revision), confirm timelines and SME availability
Participants: Production Coordinator, LXD, associate dean and/or chair
Actions: Project assignments, contract offers and processing
Participants: LXD, instructional designers (IDs), subject matter experts (SMEs)
(optional: Production Coordinator, associate dean and/or chair)
Actions: Orientation to the course development process, design team roles and expectations. This meeting should not take place until contracts are in place for all roles.
Participants: ID, SME(s), writer/editor, media specialist
Actions: Meet and greet for all design team members; go over roles and responsibilities, as well as plans for communication.
Participants: ID, SME(s)
(optional: writer/editor, media specialist)
Actions: Revise and/or draft curriculum alignment framework (CAF) as needed, review outcomes, begin to gather content and flesh out first module
Participants: ID, SME(s), media specialist
(optional: writer/editor)
Actions: Gathering and development of content and assessments, media prototyping and feedback
Participants: ID, LXD, associate dean and/or chair
Actions: ID to submit CAF draft and first module for review and recommendations/approval from LXD and AD/chair
Participants: ID, SME(s), media specialist
(optional: writer/editor)
Actions: Gathering and development of content and assessments, media prototyping and feedback
Participants: formatter, writer/editor
Actions: Format course and supporting resources, edit content; this sometimes happens after or during the final review of CAF and course
Participants: ID, LXD, associate dean and/or chair
Actions: ID to submit CAF and course for final review and recommendations/approval from LXD and AD/chair as a project sign off

Design Team Roles

The SME is the hinge upon which all development rests. 

The SME will:

  • provide reliable and relevant content and subject-matter resources/information
  • provide experience and/or teaching expertise in their field
  • be available for regular project meetings and consultation
  • be an open, responsive and timely communicator
  • be actively involved in the ideation and development of assessments and learning activities
  • provide feedback and engagement throughout the development process

Your usher into the learning experience development process.

The LXD will:

  • provide learning design, project management and educational structure expertise
  • provide teaching experience and expertise
  • provide high level consultation on your project
  • facilitate a needs assessment
  • situate the course being developed within the program
  • identify program outcomes a course is aligned to
  • provide guidance on any necessary scaffolding and content duplication
  • liaise with the ID regularly to address program level questions or provide institutional direction

Team captain of the course build and steerer of the development process. This person has experience as an educator and in building learning experiences.

The ID will:

  • bring learning design and project management expertise
  • provide teaching experience and expertise
  • provide direction and expertise in learning strategies and learner profiles
  • connect team members
  • provide project management, including the creation and maintenance of a project plan
  • lead the creation of meaningful learning activities and assessments that suit your audience and purpose
  • ensure learning activities consider and integrate EDI (equity, diversity and inclusion), Niitsitapi Strategy, and Universal Design for Learning principles

Your media specialist takes audience engagement to the next level with custom visuals and information design.

The media specialist will:

  • bring expertise in the areas of visual, information, and user experience design
  • consult regarding use and types of media
  • provide ideas for media that suit your project or concept
  • prototype and develop various media objects tailored to your audience and purpose
  • ensure appropriate branding standards are followed
  • ensure media objects and materials consider and integrate EDI (equity, diversity and inclusion), Niitsitapi Strategy, and Universal Design for Learning principles

They’re here to make you sound amazing and ensure people understand what you’re trying to communicate.

The writer/editor will:

  • bring a high level of expertise in the fields of editing and writing for technical and educational purposes
  • expertly craft, consolidate and unify content from a variety of sources
  • edit in accordance with Lethbridge College CTLI writing guidelines and expectations
  • utilize plain and accessible language to engage your audience and ensure their comprehension
  • ensure writing considers and integrates EDI (equity, diversity and inclusion) and Universal Design for Learning principles
  • ensure applicable content is properly referenced and represented

Their fine attention to detail ensures your learning experience is consistent and accessible for all learners, and that everything’s been checked twice!

The formatter will:

  • bring a high level of expertise in document formatting and attention to detail
  • ensure quality, consistency and compliance with CTLI formatting guidelines and expectations
  • check to ensure all links are functional and correct
  • ensure your resources and materials are screenreader ready, including providing alt text for all graphics and figures
  • ensure the formatting of resources and materials considers and integrates EDI (equity, diversity and inclusion) and Universal Design for Learning principles

Alignments

Academic Portfolio Vitality Assessment

An Academic Portfolio Vitality Assessment is a proactive and strategic data analysis of multiple elements that impact institutional enrolments, student retention, and programming success across the entire portfolio.

Vitality assessments are designed to simultaneously complete a programming gap analysis and an in-depth assessment of all existing programs.

So why is this important to course development? Well, the Academic Portfolio Vitality Assessment will eventually (it’s in a pilot phase right now) categorize programs into four categories (see the APVA project page for more detail). Each category will result in program recommendations and suggested timelines, including course development (both new and revisions/evergreening). In other words, this process will determine how most courses enter the course development process. Of course, there are always exceptions and things that pop up so faculty can contact our Learning Experience Design Team anytime for course design consultation and/or work with their associate dean to have a course added to LC Studio course development list.

Other Alignments

  • Lethbridge College’s mission—“inspires and facilitates learning and innovation to meet economic and social need”
  • Lethbridge College’s vision of “leading and transforming education in Alberta”
  • Lethbridge College’s Niitsitapi Strategy
  • Lethbridge College’s Institutional Management Agreement with the Government of Alberta
  • The government’s Alberta 2030: Building Skills for Jobs strategy (which requires programming to become operationally efficient, diversified to meet the needs of new job markets, and able to provide new learning opportunities for upskilling and reskilling along with pathways to further education)

Core Team

Kelsey Janzen

Project co-lead: Kelsey Janzen, Production Coordinator, LC Studio

Role: Co-lead the project management, and strategic direction; consultation on project scope and timelines; coordination of developments and design teams

Trevor Gellrich

Project co-lead: Trevor Gellrich, Learning Experience Designer, LXD Team

Role: Co-lead the project management, and strategic direction; learning experience design and instructional design expertise; mentorship of instructional designers

Engagement

We believe that meaningful stakeholder engagement is essential to any good initiative. Below is a list of engaged stakeholders. (Classification based on CTLI engagement framework and IAP2 Public Participation Spectrum)

Our promise: We will keep you informed about the project and decisions that are made.

All LC employees will be kept informed through webpage, documentation and announcements, as applicable.

Our promise: We will inform, listen to, and acknowledge concerns and aspirations and provide feedback on how your input influences each decision.

General faculty, staff and students.

Our promise: We will work closely with you to ensure your concerns and aspirations are directly reflected in developing alternatives, and we will provide feedback on how your input influences each decision.

LC Studio team members (Instructional designers, media specialists, writer/editors, formatters)

Our promise: We will look to you for advice and innovation in formulating solutions and strive to incorporate your recommendations into decisions to the greatest extent possible.

Faculty collaborators (ongoing)

  • annual feedback survey of course development participants
  • feedback and collaboration throughout course development process

Associate deans: Erin Howard (CTLI), Brad Taylor (CJHS), Candace Lewko (CTED), Marda Schindeler (CBAS), Kevin Wiber (CTRA), Carina Zhu (CHW)

  • Role: Improve processes, collaborate to determine project scope and timelines, contract subject matter experts (SMEs)

Emerging Learning Models Lead: Joelle Reynolds

  • Role: improve processes and best practices, share information, align processes with ELM

Our promise: We will implement your feedback and decisions to the betterment of the process.

LXD Manager: Christie Robertson

  • Role: Provide insight and consultation on strategic direction; identify and advise on alignment with program-level practice and initiatives; learning experience design expertise

Production Coordinator: Kelsey Janzen

  • Role: Co-lead the project management, and strategic direction; consultation on project scope and timelines; coordination of developments and design teams

Learning Experience Designer: Trevor Gellrich

  • Role: Co-lead the project management, and strategic direction; learning experience design and instructional design expertise; mentorship of instructional designers

Updates

2022

  • Continued development of role-specific resources for writer/editors, media specialist and formatters (ongoing)

2021

  • Piloted post-course development survey of participants (included associate deans, chairs, SMEs, instructional designers, media specialists, writer/editors, formatters, learning experience designers)
    • Main takeaways:
      • could improve clarity around design team roles and responsibilities
      • participants are often overwhelmed by time constraints and their own capacity
    • CTLI response:
      • development of roles and responsibilities resources
      • enhancement of kick-off orientation for SMEs and IDs
      • consultation with academic centres to look for ways to improve the process and experience for design team members
  • Feedback meeting with team members from CJHS
  • Development and expansion of ID orientation and mentorship program
  • Development of role-specific resources for writer/editors, media specialist and formatters (ongoing)
  • Piloted staggered project timelines with CTED and CJHS
  • Piloted new needs assessment process for course developments with Brad Taylor (CJHS) and Donna McLaughlin (LXD)
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