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Course Design and Development Best Practices
Final ID Review Checklist
You can find the document in the file structure you download from GitHub for your project, Phase 0 - Predev Notes Templates > Dev Form Templates > Final ID IntCheck YYYY-MMDD. The numbers in the file name are the years, months, and days the file was updated. The checklists are updated as course build requirements change, so ensure you have the most recent version as you finalize and self-check your build. Update checklists will be emailed and added to the GitHub template.
Use the checklist to assess your work as you finish your build and prepare to send it for review. You'll need to provide information on your developer's preference for Turnitin settings and other notes your ID reviewer may need.
Your ID reviewer will also use this checklist and the Accessibility Excel file to review your course build and provide feedback.
The checklist is organized by page or tool to help structure the review.
Grades
The grades section of D2L must match the names and point values outlined in the schedule of due dates in the syllabus.
D2L setting requirements for grades are available in the Final ID Review Checklist, found in the “Dev Form Templates” folder located in Phase 0 documentation.
Please note, Columbia College uses a points grading system. We do not use weighted grades. We do not use bonus points. It is not necessary to set dates on grade items or attach rubrics to grade items.
Grade Weights
In general, undergraduate courses are typically out of 1000 points possible. Using 1000 points is helpful for students when figuring out their final grade, but there are also things to consider, like number of assignments, point values, etc. The ID may need to work with the developer to adjust the total as necessary to avoid either too many or too few points per assignments or to meet particular Department requirements. The PreDev notes will specify if there are specific Department requirements for grade weights. If these specifications are not met, this could cause potential rework during the course map review process. If your developer feels strongly and has written up academic justification for not adhering to the department requirements, please discuss options with your team lead before finalizing and submitting your course map.
Course Checklist
D2L setting requirements for the course checklist are available in the Final ID Review Checklist, found in the “Dev Form Templates” folder located in Phase 0 documentation. The naming convention should reflect the following example:
Quizzes & Exams
The are available. Some departments have outlined their expectations for quiz and exam setups. See the PreDev notes provided by the PC for this information.
Visit the . Log in and click “Course Help for Faculty and Staff.” Submit a request to access a Word document of the publisher test banks for developer review. All quiz and exam banks should be vetted by the developer and aligned to the weekly objectives. If there are no test banks available from the publisher, the developer must write the questions.
D2L setting requirements for quizzes and exams are available in the Final ID Review Checklist, found in the “Dev Form Templates” folder located in Phase 0 documentation.
The Question Library
There are two options for getting these questions into the D2L Question Library:
Question Pools
When possible, use randomized question pools as opposed to a set number of questions to ensure the integrity of the exams. While there is not an exact number or optimal ratio recommendation for the size of the question pools, encourage developers to create question pools structured around assessment of student learning and alignment with CLOs.
Question pools should also be structured so that the assessment of students is consistent across sections and sessions. Avoid the possibility that one student will see all questions from Chapter 1 and another student to see all questions from Chapter 10. Instead, create question pools based on objectives or chapters.
Discussions
Online courses must have at least one graded discussion each week because Columbia College attendance rules require students to submit some form of graded work each week. The majority of courses typically have one to two discussion topics each week. In addition, Week 1 must include an introduction discussion. It may or may not be graded, depending on if there is another graded discussion that week.
D2L setting requirements for discussions are available in the Final ID Review Checklist, found in the “Dev Form Templates” folder located in Phase 0 documentation.
Must Post First
“Must Post First” is a D2L Brightspace discussion option that requires students to make a post before seeing any other posts. It is important to understand that students can edit their posts. So they may post and then edit to see other posts. If students are required to select a unique topic, idea, case, etc. from other students, this feature should not be used. If used, make sure to mention it in the discussion expectations in the syllabus and the course.
Sample language is as follows:
You must submit your own original posts before you will be able to view your classmates’ posts. A complete, original post is expected at initial submission.
Essays, Papers, and Other Assignments Requiring Submission
To help students be successful, larger assignments can be scaffolded into smaller parts with due dates and opportunities for feedback dispersed throughout the 8-week session.
A common practice, especially for Writing Intensive courses, is to scaffold activities. A sample scaffolded structure that spans an eight-week course is provided below.
D2L setting requirements for Dropbox assignments are available in the Final ID Review Checklist, found in the “Dev Form Templates” folder located in Phase 0 documentation.
Plagiarism Detection
is integrated with the D2L Dropbox Tool. To turn on the integration, update the settings in the Dropbox Folder.
TurnItIn is turned on for all Dropbox Folders except for the proctoring forms Dropbox or other Dropbox types where students will be submitting forms or other assignments where plagiarism is not a concern.
Discuss with the developer if they want to “Allow submitters to see their Originality Reports” and set the settings accordingly.
Video Hosting
Tools like Video Note and Bongo are available for students to submit videos.
Refer to the section for more details on how to set these activities up.
Due Dates and Late Policy
Due Dates
Assignments are always listed in the week they are due, even though students may need to begin working on them earlier.
All discussion due dates must be staggered, typically Thursday/Sunday. This includes one initial post that responds to the topic (due by 11:59 pm CT Thursday) and one to two responses to other students (due by 11:59 pm CT Sunday). The Sunday deadline allows students time to review materials and participate throughout the week.
Typically, assignment due dates including quizzes and exams are 11:59 PM Central Time (CT) Sunday, except for Week 8 assignments which are due by 11:59 PM CT Saturday, the last day of the course. This Sunday deadline allows our students the time they need within the week to complete the assignment. Courses with large workloads or large papers or projects may have assignments due earlier than Sunday.
Late Policy
Ask the developer to specify the late policy for the course during course design.
Discussions close on Sunday at 11:59 pm CT expect in Week 8 and late discussion posts are not accepted. However, some courses may allow late initial posts for a reduction of points. This must be specified in the grading rubric.
If the developer prefers, late assignments may be accepted at the discretion of the instructor. However, late assignments are not accepted after the last day of the course.
Content Area
D2L setting requirements for the Content area available in the Final ID Review Checklist, found in the “Dev Form Templates” folder located in Phase 0 documentation.
Start Here Section
After the welcome screen, the “Start Here” Section of D2L is the first module students actively review when entering the course. It contains the syllabus, assignment expectations, plagiarism information, and proctoring information (if applicable). Sometimes, particular course resources (i.e. student handbooks, templates and samples, third-party software links, etc.) may also be provided within the Start Here module.
Assignment Expectations
The Assignment Expectations, designed using the tabbed module, should include all of the details from the syllabus Assignment Overview as well as the more detailed instructions needed to successfully complete the assignments. Expectations do not need to go into detail of each weekly topic. Rubrics should be included as that open a new document on each assignment page.
If the course includes complex assignments, large research papers, or scaffolded projects that each have their own detailed instructions, it may be useful to break that project out into its own dropdown menu or topic/module.
Plagiarism
The Plagiarism Tutorial and Quiz are included in every course. Some courses may use the viewing of the tutorial or attempting the plagiarism quiz as a conditional release for another assignment.
Proctoring Information
The Proctoring Module and Dropbox are automatically copied into the Redev course shell and must remain in the course for any course that uses a proctored exam. If the course does not use a proctored exam, this module and Dropbox must be removed from the course.
Weekly Modules
There are 8 weekly modules in each online course. Each weekly module must include the instructional materials for that week located in the tabbed module, as well as all the D2L and/or third-party assignments students must complete that week.
Welcome Module
Any course with a welcome popup on the course homepage must have a Welcome Module in Content.
The Welcome Module includes two topics by default, Course Home and Content Area. Course Home includes an introduction video on how to navigate the homepage. The Content Area topic is a quick overview video of course content for Online course offerings.
Because the Welcome Module doesn't include course-specific information, it is typically located at the bottom of the Table of Contents in most courses.
The module must be named Welcome for the welcome popup on the homepage to work. You can customize the pages of the welcome popup by adding additional topics to the module or editing the existing modules. The current content topics are course-specific, so you can edit them as necessary.
Conditional Release
There are instances where assignments must have conditional releases in place to ensure students complete one activity prior to moving on to another. Because assignments with conditional release are hidden from the students, an “assignment page” must be created for each assignment that has conditions. In general, conditional release requirements are only used on one or two assignments in a course.
If set-up correctly, until all the release conditions are met, the assignment page will display to the student in the Content area, and the Course Events widget. It serves as a reminder of the assignment and due date, as well as directing the student to any activities that need to be completed before they are able to complete the assignment. Once ALL the release conditions have been satisfied, in the student’s view the Assignment Page will be replaced with the actual, conditionally released, assignment.
To encourage consistency and appropriate use of Conditional Releases, refer to the documentation.
Calendar
D2L setting requirements for the calendar are available in the Final ID Review Checklist, found in the “Dev Form Templates” folder located in Phase 0 documentation.
Manage Dates
In a textbook update or redevelopment, you can use Manage Dates Bulk Offset Dates to push most dates forward in the course. However, it will not push forward the discussion due dates set in Content. Select all the dates that need to be adjusted and then check the box for Bulk Offset Dates. Select the option to Calculate range between two dates. After you enter the two dates, make note of the number of days. You’ll use the number of to offset the discussion due dates.
Note: The calendar does not consider Day Light Savings Time, so you will need to check times. You can use Offset Dates to push the time forward or backward by an hour.
Discussion, Dropbox, Quiz Date Restrictions: Due and End Dates
There is a difference between the Due Date and End Date in Restrictions. It is something that trips up people, especially as Online typically sets the End date for Quizzes and the Due date for Dropbox assignments.
Special Case Note: you may notice that Math courses will use both due dates. This is because once the quizzes open they are available to students for the rest of the session.
Rubrics
Use rubrics for consistent grading across sections and sessions. Rubrics provide detailed grading expectations to instructors and for students. Rubrics can be associated with discussions and other assignments. These rubrics are interactive once built in D2L, so instructors can use them to assess students' work.
Do not include criteria for “late” work or meeting deadlines, as the late policy will guide any point deductions. Build the lowest level for each criterion to be “0” to allow instructors to provide a 0 grade for non-submission or plagiarized work.
Analytic Rubrics
The ID helps developers create analytic rubrics and break up into criteria and levels of performance based on the assignment expectations, including the following:
The ID reviews points assigned to each description by criteria and level, then considers the following:
The developer should check/test the score to see if it matches the assignment and their expectations of student’s work.
Holistic Rubrics
Some assignments may not require an analytical rubric. Some courses may use holistic rubrics for simple assignments or have worksheets points broken down by question.
Quick Links
Use Quicklinks to link to rubrics within a D2L course. Edit the code within D2L to ensure the quick link opens in a new window, otherwise it may not be visible within the D2L frame.
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