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Online Course Development Process
Dev-Redev Process
Phase 0 – Pre-Development
In Phase 0, the contract is signed by the developer, and redevelopment goals are shared with the ID.
PreDev Notes
The Program Coordinator (PC) provides PreDev Notes, which pull information from the master syllabus, department assessments, department goals and expectations, student and section instructor feedback, etc. PreDev Notes also include information on the current textbook, if the course uses third-party courseware, and if specific changes to either are necessary or proposed. If PC foresees any complications with the course or needs to relay important information, a PreDev meeting can be scheduled between the ID and PC to prepare for the kickoff.
If the course is a Redev, the ID should review the existing course. It is recommended that the past three live sessions, especially the Course Questions forum, be reviewed to see if any student questions were not captured in the course feedback. If needed, the ID can request access to the previous Master of the course for the developer to also review.
Master Syllabi
Master syllabi are created by full-time faculty within each department. Changes to them must go through a full review by Columbia College’s curriculum committee. Each master syllabus includes:
ID Preparation for Pre-Kickoff Meeting
The ID reviews the PreDev Notes, master syllabus, existing syllabus, and course (if applicable) to become familiar with the course and anticipate course design needs.
When sharing redevelopment goals with developers, some information, particularly student and section instructor feedback, is paraphrased to protect the identity of the reviewer.
At this time, the ID also prepares the Kickoff files and Dev Form Templates.
Setting Deadlines with Developers
Dev Form Templates
The required forms can be found in the “Dev Form Templates” folder located in the Phase 0 documentation. An informal meeting agenda form is also provided. Revise the developer’s form templates for your specific course in preparation for the Kickoff meeting, adding information from the master syllabus to the document(s).
Pre-Kickoff Meeting
The ID schedules and facilitates a Pre-Kickoff Meeting with the PC and the developer to launch the (re)development process. An informal meeting agenda is provided in the corresponding process documentation. Textbook selection usually begins at this time, based on master syllabus requirements and PreDev Notes. This meeting may be combined with the Kickoff Meeting (See Phase 1) when it makes sense to do so.
Phase 1 – Course Design (2 Months)
In Phase 1, the developer and instructional designer (the development team) work together to create a course map that illustrates alignment with the course objectives.
Kickoff Meeting
The ID schedules and facilitates a Kickoff Meeting with the developer to review the process, form templates, and schedule. Textbook selection should be finalized at this time.
Textbook Selection
The ID fills out the Textbook Selection Google Form once the textbook has been selected. A new form must be filled out for every textbook. The form will email you a copy of the entry. Save that entry in a folder in case you need to return and shift the debut or revise the textbooks.
Textbook Access
The ID helps the developer access the eTexts through . If new to VitalSource, the developer will need to create an account and be verified as an instructor. Review the page provided by the library for instructions on accessing an eText through VitalSource.
Weekly Planners
The developer provides the ID with eight weekly planners that briefly outline the learning plan for each week to be used to create the course map, including:
Course Map
The ID revises the content as needed and uses the weekly planners to create the course map. This is a great time to double-check all the details and make sure all necessary information is included. The developer should review and approve the final course map before internal review begins. The course map includes:
Audience and Voice
The audience of the course map is the Faculty Approver. Assignment Expectations should be bulleted and simplified in the course map to make it easier for the Faculty Approver to review specific assignment details quickly. Break down assignment overviews for each scaffolded assignment and include information about each piece (topic, outline, draft, etc.).
Avoid using language like “the student should”. For example,
Internal Review of Course Map
The Team Lead (TL) and the PC review the course map. This provides a review with a fresh pair of eyes before the document goes to the department. Reviewers check if the course map aligns with Online Education and department expectations.
Phase 1.5 – Department Review of Course Map (1 Month)
Department Review
The course map created in Phase 1 is sent to the Faculty Approver for department review. The Faculty Approver has two weeks (14 days) to review the course map. This is a hard stop, meaning that all work must pause until the course map is approved. This prevents extra work or revision of work if the department requests changes to the course. The development team, the ID, and the developer must revise the course map as necessary to incorporate department feedback. As soon as the course map is approved, Phase 2 may begin.
When receiving review feedback, comments typically fall into one or more of these categories:
Review and Approval Feedback
Category
Description
Approved as is
No changes are required, the content is approved as it is and the process can continue.
There are no additional reviews of the content required (for that stage of the process).
Not Approved, see revisions listed
Changes are required, and the process cannot continue until the changes are addressed.
An additional review must take place at this stage of the process, before the process can continue.
Approved with Suggested and/or Required Changes
Changes are either suggested or required, however the process can continue once those are addressed.
There are no additional reviews of the content required (at that stage of the process). Good practice to document changes made in response to feedback.
-Required Changes
These changes must be made in order for approval to be obtained and the process to move forward. Good practice to document changes made in response to feedback.
-Suggested Changes
These changes are suggested, and may be fixed at the development team’s digression.
If not made, a brief rationale must be provided. The concerns should also be documented for consideration the next time course changes are made.
There are no rows in this table
Role Ambiguity and Collaboration
Course (re)development is a collaborative process, but final content decisions should be made by the developer based on recommendations from the ID. These final content decisions must be approved by the Department during formal review. While the developer is considered the subject matter expert, there are times the ID must make recommendations regarding student experience, online best practices, department-specific expectations, scaffolding, accessibility, course alignment, scaffolding, content curation, and other Columbia College style criterion.
At times, additional reviews from the TL, PC, or even the Faculty Reviewer may be required. There are key moments built into the schedule for this type of feedback and interaction. Being open to collaboration and responding positively to constructive critique are integral parts of the ID and developer roles.
Phase 2 – Course Creation (2-3 Months depending on course level)
During Phase 2, the development team works together to create the full online course from the approved course map. This includes all aspects of the course that facilitate student learning and engagement, such as overviews, lectures, multimedia, as well as graded assignments and rubrics. Departments will be given access to the course shell during this phase (See Week 1 Review).
Assignment Expectations
The developer uses the assignment expectations form to provide a narrative, grading rubrics, and additional information regarding the general expectations of all graded activities, as outlined in the approved course map. Where appropriate, the ID provides standard language requested by departments and/or schools. This information is used to build both the syllabus and the course itself. The general assignment overviews are included in the syllabus, while more detailed and specific assignment instructions, such as specific requirements and rubrics, are used in the course. Even though they will not populate the syllabus, it is a good idea to ask the developer for more detailed instructions and rubrics at this time to ensure they are in alignment with the approved expectations.
Instructional Materials Organizers
The Instructional Materials Organizers include all of the information IDs need to create the weekly Instructional Materials. The ID should pull the weekly objectives and lecture topics from the course map into the form and create one for each week to help guide the developer in following the approved course map. Using this form, the developer must provide new information, including weekly overviews, lectures, and additional info such as required resources, supplemental resources, and self-check questions aligned to the WOs. Be sure to review and revise the lecture material (grammar, structure, voice, etc.) before placing it within the course. is an excellent resource for grammatical revisions.
Multimedia Support
Gold and Platinum level courses require custom multimedia. Templates and storyboards can be used to create these custom pieces. For ideas on how to create these custom pieces, visit .
Syllabus
The ID creates the syllabus using a Word document template within the first month of Phase 2 using the course map and the assignment expectations. You can find the document in the file structure you download from GitHub for your project, Phase 0 - Predev Notes Templates > Dev Form Templates > Syllabus Template Document. The TL and PC review and approve the syllabus, requesting revisions as needed.
Audience and Voice
The audience of the syllabus is the student. Avoid using language like “the student… ”. Use . Use “must” as opposed to “should.”
The syllabi are currently available to the public, so these do not need to include all assignment details. A general description will suffice. When shortening the expectations in the syllabus, always include a note describing where students can find full assignment details, as shown below.
Full assignment details including a detailed grading rubric are available in the “Assignment Expectations” topic located in Content area of the course.
Syllabus Form (Freelance IDs)
Freelance IDs fill out the syllabus form using Microsoft Word and submit the syllabus to review via Basecamp.
Simple Syllabus (Full-Time IDs)
Full-time IDs build the syllabus within Simple Syllabus. If needed, speak to your TL to schedule a full training on Simple Syllabus. Review the for more details.
Week 1 Review
Within the first four weeks of Phase 2, the development team builds out Week 1. This includes all of the related learning resources, graded assignments, and assessments. Full assignment expectations and rubrics are not required for this review. The department is notified that content for Week 1 has been placed in the D2L shell, and the department has two weeks (14 days) to review the content. As opposed to a review of the Course Map, this is a soft stop, and work can continue at this time. Reviewing faculty will have access to the course for the rest of the process.
Note: If the approver is also the developer, still assign this task so the PC can review it at this stage.
Phase 3 – Review (1 Month)
Before launching Phase 3 Review, the ID and developer should review and approve the final course.
In Phase 3, there are two final reviews: (1) an internal review is completed by an ID reviewer and the PC, and (2) a formal department review is initiated by the PC. These reviews include corresponding documentation: Final ID Review Checklist, WCAG 2.1 Checklist, Final PC Checklist, and the Department Review Form for Online Courses. Once reviews and corresponding documentation are received, all required revisions must be made, and suggestions are considered and/or implemented.
Phase 4 – Copy (1 Month)
Phase 4 occurs once everyone signs off. At this time, the course is ready to be copied to the master course. A summary of changes is produced and sent out to the larger team, including Session Instructors (SIs) and ISS.
Developer Evaluation
The ID evaluates the developer in terms of content, collaboration skills, and responsiveness at the end of the development process for future reference using the Google Form.
Media Tracking
For gold and platinum courses, the ID fills out the media tracking form for each custom piece created, documenting the location of the artifact and the hosting information for future reference.
Phase 5 – First Run Fixes (As Needed)
Phase 5 is a revisit to an initial development or redevelopment after the course has debuted. Phase 5 can take place during the debut or shortly after and can be scheduled based on the following scenarios:
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