Course Design

For schools, departments, or programs seeking to transition courses online or create new online courses, the FCTL begins by establishing the scope of course development services required. The FCTL creates a memorandum of agreement on the scope of work and responsibilities for its completion.

Next, we meet with departmental faculty to describe what to expect in the development process. Faculty new to online teaching might wonder about the dynamic of working with an instructional designer on their course. This collaborative meeting helps address their questions and concerns.

Instructional designers (IDs) then schedule individual consultations with instructors to begin the course planning process. Faculty and IDs work together in the preparation of a set of “storyboards” that are helpful for organizing learning outcomes, assessments, learning strategies, course materials, and other key instructional components.

Once this initial planning phase is complete, IDs begin building the course in Blackboard, adding multimedia and interactive features where appropriate.

Prior to launch, the course is tested and the instructors may receive course facilitation coaching.

All course activities, multimedia, and interactive features are made available for student viewing in Blackboard.

Finally, FCTL provides ongoing course maintenance throughout the first course offering and completes a quality review after the first offering concludes.