The purpose of the “Course Development Process” diagram is to lay out UMOnline’s framework for providing instructional, media, and accessible design support to instructors who are creating new courses in UM’s Learning Management System (LMS): Moodle.

The timeline in the diagram indicates the general tasks that occur sequentially over the development period using an example of a Fall Semester new course delivery. A period of 6-7 months would be optimal for development. For course development with only a semester to prepare, the timeline would be compressed. Any shorter development periods would result in less available services from the instructional design and development team.

The Department Chair formally notifies the Registrar’s Office and the Director of UMOnline that a new blended or fully online course will be offered during the upcoming Fall Semester. The promptness of this notification is critical since UMOnline and Instructors need adequate time for quality course development. Once notified, UMOnline internally identifies the Instructional Design Team that will work on the project (Instructional Designer, Accessibility Specialist, Media Artist, Videographer, etc.).

UMOnline conducts the initial planning meeting with the Instructor(s) and the Instructional Design Team. The purpose of this meeting is to gather high-level information about the course and overall project. Generally speaking, all Subject Matter Expert(s) are identified (e.g. Instructors, Guest Experts, etc.) and pertinent course audience issues are discussed. Instructors share any constraints that may be involved in the project. Delivery options are defined (percentage of face-to-face and online course time for blended courses, any use of Zoom for fully online courses, etc.). A timeline for completing deliverables (LMS topics, video content, etc.) is clearly laid out. The Instructional Designer shares the UMOnline Course Rubric with the instructor(s) to use as a guide for quality assurance. Instructor knowledge of the LMS and accessibility is gauged so that the UMOnline team can provide appropriate training and support if needed.

The team begins storyboarding the course content. Following backward design principles, learning outcomes that align with the syllabus are identified by the Instructors. Formative and summative assessments that provide acceptable evidence of outcome achievement are outlined. Course content is then framed around the outcomes and assessments. The essential “Topics” for the course are established and added to the LMS. Specific content areas requiring video and audio multimedia content (graphics, video, audio, etc.) are identified. The overall visual design of the course is discussed and the Media Artist begins providing samples for Instructor review.

Next, the Instructor and Instructional Design Team use the storyboard/template to build out one topic, using the desired resources and activities in the LMS. Graphic design, multimedia content, external web links, external documents, etc. are added. Once the Instructor approves the topic structure and content flow, all other topics are based on this template so that consistency is built into the course design.

The development phase of the course is the most time-intensive period in the Course Development Process. The Instructional Designer advises the Instructor as they gather assets and write course content using LMS resources (such as Pages, Books, etc.) and external authoring programs. The Videographer and the Instructor begin developing video and audio content and the Media Artist creates the course branding and graphics. The Instructional Designer advises on student activities that effectively assess the learning outcomes and that increase active learning and student engagement with course content, with other students, and with the Instructor. Course syllabus alignment, UMOnline Course Rubric quality indicators and accessibility checks are continuously reviewed so that no “after the fact” retrofitting is required.

Once all activities have been created in the course, the Instructor and the Instructional Designer review the grade book set-up and make sure all grade items and points are in order.

Quality Assurance review is approximately 2-3 weeks prior to the start of the semester, the fully developed course is ready for review using the UMOnline Course Rubric. Feedback from peer reviewers is also provided to the Instructor. Adjustments to the course content are made as needed before the course is opened to students.

While the Instructor is delivering the course, the Instructional Design and UMOnline Tech Support Teams provide on-going support, as needed by the Instructor. Gaining early feedback from students using an LMS Questionnaire may also be used by the Instructor.

Upon course completion, the Instructor shares their reflections, peer feedback, and student evaluations with the Instructional Design Team. Any needed course adjustments are made in preparation for the course’s next delivery.