PRODUCTION STAGE PRE-LAUNCH STAGE LAUNCH STAGE. knowledge or content. skills. advises on pegagogy and course design to.

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1 PROPOSAL STAGE PRODUCTION STAGE PRE-LAUNCH STAGE LAUNCH STAGE PROPOSED ON-LINE COURSE DESIGN PROCESS FOR NIAGARA COLLEGE conversion of a fully on-line course is proposed creation of a new fully on-line course is proposed approved through minor modification to program process and endorsed by Dean ED unit in CAE is notified Course Design Team is formed subject matter expert creates content tied to learning outcomes skills educational developer (design team leader) advises on pegagogy and course design to assist in the alignment of: educational/multi-media technology specialist advises on e-learning technologies knowledge or content learning outcomes values or habits of mind instructional strategies and learning activities library advises on and arranges for integration of e-resources source, develop and manage customized library of digital content for each course Learning Management System tools web 2.0 tools assessment strategies course created pre-launch course review Course Design Team approval Chair approval Dean approval course pilot launch students feedback revisions finished course launch peer review course enters normal program cyclical review and improvement course design team

2 Selecting Courses for Development into Hybrid or Distance Education Courses It is recommended that credit courses selected for development as blended courses (courses that feature a mix of periods of face-to-face instruction with periods of on-line only instruction) or distance education courses (fully on-line courses with no face-to-face instruction) at Niagara College meet most, if not all, of the following criteria for selection: the learning objectives, content and pedagogical approaches used in the course are well suited to on-line teaching and learning and the learning outcomes can be wellsupported using the Learning Management System and other Niagara College supported e-learning technologies, resources, and services; the resource list can be produced by the subject matter expert at least 2 months in advance of the commencement of the course to ensure sufficient time for the Library to acquire and provide access to e-resources including alternate formats; the characteristics or profile of the course instructor(s) and typically-enrolled students are conducive to the successful achievement of learning outcomes via hybrid or distance education; the course is a core requirement or high-enrolment course with a high likelihood of longevity and sufficient student numbers to justify the investment of time, resources and effort required for online course production; the creation of a fully online or blended course has the potential to ameliorate pressures on the use of campus instructional spaces; courses selected for development into an online offering are representative of a unique or noted curricular strength of Niagara College and therefore have the potential to become a well-appreciated contribution to the assortment of credit distance education courses on offer to Niagara College as well as non-niagara College students; consideration be given to the possible inclusion of online courses in the future creation of college-university transfer agreements or online credit certificate programs; the course selected for online development has the potential to satisfy the requirements of Niagara College students who wish to seek permission to take an alternate format course, a course on overload, during a co-op or study-abroad semester, or during the summer semester to increase the likelihood of timely program completion.

3 The Academic Divisions, Educational Development Unit of CAE, IT Services, and the Library jointly support elearning course development and delivery at Niagara College. Members of this support team contribute to: Overall course design, including writing learning outcomes and defining assessment criteria Creating an engaging online learning environment Consulting on best uses of educational technologies including but not limited to Blackboard Teaching in an online environment (e.g. facilitating discussions, engaging students in group work) Using Blackboard tools effectively and efficiently Searching for resources including print, digital, visual etc., and coordinating permissions for use Integrating multimedia elements into your course The development of Niagara College s fully online courses should be a flexible, iterative process; however, specific milestones need to be achieved in order to create a quality online course. These include: Analyzing the context of the course, including intended students, course logistics, and the fit of the course within the program Setting/reviewing the overall goals of the course, as well as specific and measureable intended learning outcomes Creating an overall course map or blueprint, which will be used to guide the development of the course materials, learning activities, and assessment instructions Creating a list of resources (text, images, multimedia etc.) to be cleared for permission to use Building a plan for the selection and use of elearning technologies Designing and developing a sample module/week/unit of the course, and creating this module in Blackboard, for review by course team and other identified reviewers Designing and developing all course materials (content, multimedia, learning activities, assessment instructions, supplementary documents), and transferring this content to Blackboard Preparing course for launch, including functionality testing

4 Planning for/delivering technical and pedagogical training and support for instructors as needed Proposal Phase the selection of courses for development into elearning education offerings is initiated within an Academic Division the staff of the Educational Development Unit in the Centre for Academic Excellence will be available for consultation during the early stages of the proposal phase the elearning course proposal may emerge from a number of sources ranging from individual or groups of instructors, Chairs, and/or Associate Deans or Deans formal proposals progress through all appropriate academic governance processes the Dean(s) of Faculty or Dean Designate alert the Director, Centre for Academic Excellence of online courses approved for development Production Phase once the onlinecourse proposal is completed and a subject matter expert has been identified, the Educational Development Unit in the Centre for Academic Excellence will: o work with the Chair to schedule the course design project for development and jointly sign off on a detailed plan for the course design project o strike a design team represented by the subject matter expert, an educational developer, educational technology/multi-media expert(s), and a Library Liaison and set a meeting to talk about the process of course design, learning objectives, learner profiles, accessibility and universal design, and the special needs of hybrid or distance learners in this course the subject matter expert refers to the course learning objectives and creates or defines the course content the course design team establishes the framework which will guide students through the course the course design team contributes to the selection and/or development of learning activities and resources necessary to achieve the course goals as appropriate to their areas of expertise using the Blackboard Learning Management System and the additional tools available in the selection of e- Learning technologies supported by Niagara College s IT Services a sample "segment" or unit of the course is created for consideration by the design team to provide a model for developing subsequent units Pre-launch Phase the course design team continues to build and refine the course based on the input of the design team members

5 functionality testing and copy-editing are completed final production of the course is checked and approved by the team and the Chair in time for its scheduled first offering Launch Phase students are enrolled into the course the course is published in the LMS the instructor teaches the course and the members of the course design team observe as a participants during the first offering to ensure that the course is progressing as anticipated and to address any issues that arise in the first run the course design team communicates regularly as required and holds a mid-point check-in meeting approximately half-way through the course and a final review meeting following the completion of the course cyclical review and improvements of all elearning course offerings will coincide with the Niagara College s schedule for cyclical program review

6 Anticipated Tasks, Workflow and Timeline for Course Development Following is a suggested workflow, timeline, and deliverable for the 14-week course design and development cycle. Timeline Tasks Deliverables Weeks 1-3 Analyze teaching and learning context: Students: program term, prerequisite courses, knowledge and/or skills; number of students per section; number of sections. Logistics: credit weight; frequency of course offering; number of instructors. Course Instructor(s): number of instructor(s); experience teaching elearning courses; experience with the course under development. Create course map/blueprint: Set overall course goals and specific learning outcomes (skills, knowledge, and values/attitudes). Define instructional approach and/or model. Define instructional flow and learning activities: pace of learning, grading and feedback and turnaround time. Determine course content including: o resources to request o text, images, or multimedia to create. Create plan for development tasks and timelines. Build a technology plan: Explanation of roles, and schedule of planned meetings throughout the semester (by end of week 2) Course Map (by end of week 3) outlining learning outcomes, content, activated and assessment for each week/unit Technology Plan (by end of week 3)

7 Identify technology needs; discuss available technologies, possible limitations, and best uses. Discuss accessibility concerns and requirements. Assess needs for instructor technical or pedagogical training during course development and pre-launch. Weeks 4-6 Create a sample module for reviews: Following course map, write/develop course content, learning activities, and assessment for sample module. Set up sample module in Blackboard. Review of sample module by group. Amend development plan if needed. Sample module (by end of week 5) Feedback on sample module (by end of week 6) Weeks 7 11 Design and transfer course material for all units/modules Content and course tools set up in Blackboard (by end of week 11) Week Week 14 Test course and tweak as necessary: Functionality testing of course. Review of content, organization, technology set-up, accessibility, etc. Final touches: Make necessary modifications based on functionality testing. Confirm plan for any resources or training needed prior to course delivery. Results of functionality testing (by end of week 12) Plan for instructor training and/or resources (by end of week 13)

8 Prior to Course Delivery Follow up (during and after course delivery) Prepare course for launch Deliver instructor technical or pedagogical training as needed. Enrollment of students into Blackboard course. Deliver Course and Collect Feedback Track and document any issues and resolutions that emerge during the first delivery. Student feedback (formal and informal). Instructor feedback: debrief course after first delivery and identify/prioritize revisions. At least 3 weeks prior to course delivery Summary of feedback, and plan for revisions.

9 Principles of elearning Course Design Throughout the design process, the members of the elearning course design project team will endeavour to support the creation of courses that will: have clearly articulated learning outcomes tied to the Ministry Program Standards or the OCAV degree level expectations as appropriate; be intellectually challenging and rigorous at a level appropriate to the learner, content and the parameters of student effort hours suited to the credit weight and intent of the course relative to associated curriculum; engage students in active, socially-connected learning; sequence learning activities in a logical fashion; offer a variety of learning modes, activities, and learner assessments conducive to the learning objectives of the course; reflect universal instructional design principles and comply with AODA regulations; feature high-quality, scholarly library and open source e-resources; provide formative and summative feedback to students in a regular, timely and meaningful way; ensure that the instructor has presence and voice in the course; ensure that instructors and students are aware of and comply with all institutional policies on the use of educational technologies support students on-line in their learning, writing, research and use of technologies; support faculty in the design of learning objectives, activities and assessments appropriate to the mode of delivery; pre-assess and pre-evaluate the hybrid or distance course throughout the four phase development process for the purposes of ensuring compliance to institutional quality assurance and quality improvement efforts; comply with the Ontario College sector Intellectual Property policy.