Course Development Process

calendar Courses do not open for enrollment until they are completely developed and ready to teach

Developing an online course can take six months or more, depending on an instructor's schedule and availability. The process involves gathering materials, creating online content, designing assessments, and structuring the course in Canvas—often taking longer than expected.

Keep in mind that courses DO NOT OPEN for enrollment until they are fully developed and ready to teach. To align with enrollment timelines, aim to have the course completed by April for Fall and October for Summer and Spring semesters.

Check here for specific enrollment dates

The course development process is outlined below. Read through the different steps and begin to determine what a course timeline might look like for you.

Course Development Process

The online course development process includes five main steps.

Course Development Process
STEPS	TO DO ITEMS
STEP 1: Initial Meeting and Course Setup	Before the course development begins the following occurs: Instructor views the Guide to Online Course Design Instructor meets with an instructional designer (ID)/course manager Course Starter Template copied into course
STEP 2: Initial Course Planning	The course planning process begins with the development of the following items and a meeting with the media specialist: Learning Outcomes Syllabus Course Schedule >> A meeting should be scheduled with media specialist to discuss online lecture options
STEP 3: Content Development and Creation	During this step of the process the items below are created and placed into the course. Modules Introductions and Overviews for modules Narrated lectures Readings and learning materials Teaching content Assignments (including instructions, dates, rubrics, etc.) In addition, course checks are performed at different points during this step (see below). Instructor should also complete the Teaching Online section of this orientation during this step. COURSE CHECKS Course Development Check 1 1-2 Modules* Course check performed after 1-2 modules* of the course are set up and completed (feedback is provided) PowerPoints for mini-lectures can be sent in for feedback on formatting and images prior to recording Course Development Check 2 5-8 Modules* Course check is performed after 5-8 of the modules* are completed and feedback is provided *A module is the equivalent of 1 week of work in a 16 week semester. There are typically 16 modules or sections in a course. Shorter semesters will have the same amount of work and modules in spite of their condensed format.
STEP 4: Course Review	During this step, the course development is complete including all modules, assignments, and teaching elements and the Course Evaluation Rubric is applied.
STEP 5: Final Meeting	Final meeting with ID/course manager - Review of course Adjustments to course are made based on final course review feedback
STEP 6: Course Enrollment Opens

Some of these additional steps may occur once the course development is complete and the semester begins.

Additional Steps After Semester Begins
STEPS	TO DO ITEMS
Semester Begins
Course Begins	Instructor reviews the Teaching Online module prior to course start date Instructor reviews all content, links, etc. prior to student access each day/week
Mid-Term	Check-in at mid-term to see how course is going
Course Concludes	Post-course debrief and reevaluation of course Course is updated for teaching in next semester

>>This completes the Standards and Guidelines portion of the Guide. Once this is completed you can proceed onto:

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