The e-Learning Institute

Courseware Design and Development Process

Statement of Purpose: The driving purpose of this process is to ensure that every online course offered by the College of Arts and Architecture is of the highest possible quality. This includes courses created by the e-Learning Institute, as well as those developed outside the Institute but with our guidance.  To this end, we have developed a solid instructional design and development process which guides all parties involved in creating a sound, reliable course in which students learn effectively and efficiently.  This process has benefited from the combined experience of the instructional design staff of the Institute, representing more than 30 years of lessons learned in the design and development of online learning. This proven process, customized to fit the unique needs of the College of Arts and Architecture, results in several critically important outcomes for the College:

• Results in student learning that is effective, efficient, and consistently repeatable
• Establishes a framework which subsequent courses can follow, contributing to sustained effectiveness and quality
• Provides a greater return on investment for significant development costs
• Helps ensure that courses are developed and delivered in a timely manner
• Provides a mechanism of checks and balances
• Ensures that any course so developed may be offered more broadly through delivery units such as the World Campus and The E-Learning Cooperative

 

The process consists of six discrete phases, with each phase build off the previous one.  In addition, each phase has specific deliverables that must be created to properly inform the next phase. 

The Six Phases

1. Design Specification
2. Instructional Design
3. Prototype Development
4. Production
5. Quality Assurance Review
6. Implementation

 

Phase-by-Phase Expectations

Following are the major tasks and decisions in each phase, and the deliverable product that documents or contains them:

Phase 1: Design Specification

• Determine what students need to know
• Determine the hardware and software needs for the course
• Develop measurable learning outcomes
• Decide how and when learning will be assessed
• Determine how the course will be offered with relationship to copyright
• Quantify the enrollment and offering expectations

 

Phase 1 Deliverable: Course Specification Document

 

Phase 2: Instructional Design

• Use learning outcomes to create a instructional outline for the whole course
• Chunk the content outline into logical units in a sequence
• Create a consistent instructional sequence for the course
• Determine a pacing scheme/strategy for the course (weekly)
• Determine content creation needs
• For a given unit of instruction, decide the learning activities needed; for example:
  
  • Background reading from a textbook
  • Watch and listen to an instructor-produced lecture
  • Present reading list to students
  • Complete a short discussion activity
  • Take a quiz
  • Etc.
• Determine what media (text, images, audio, video, animations, etc.) are needed; which media may be used as is, which adapted, and which must be created from scratch
• Write all assessment items and major assignments

 

Phase 2 Deliverable: Instructional Design Plan

 

Phase 3: Prototype Development

• Choose a representative lesson from  the course (one that will adequately reflect the intended design and also produce every required technology solution)
• Create an interface and navigation system for students to work smoothly and easily through the course
• Create the lesson as thoroughly as possible: all lesson pages in place, lecture and images, assignments, functional test/quizzes, etc.
• Evaluate the tools and process used to create the prototype and adjust as necessary before full production begins
• If possible, try out the unit of instruction on “trial” students to validate and modify as necessary

 

Phase 3 Deliverable: Fully Functional Prototype of one unit/lesson/week of instruction

 

Phase 4: Production

• Create a project plan that maps out and coordinates all tasks and responsible parties
• Document copyrighted materials
• Build each unit of instruction as per the prototype

 

Phase 4 Deliverable: Completed Course

 

Phase 5: Quality Assurance Review

• PSU Online Quality Design Standards Review
• Editorial Quality Assurance
• 508 Compliance Test

 

Phase 5 Deliverable: Quality Review Document that conveys the outcome of the reviews and details required and suggested revisions

 

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Phase 6: Implementation

• We recommend a limited pilot offering
• We also strongly recommend that Week 1 is a non-academic course orientation for students
• Work out a solid plan for learner support/technical troubleshooting
• Precede this with an implementation guide (what instructors should do week-by-week)
• Carry out instructor and TA training and orientation
• Survey students late in the course to get revision data

 

Phase 6 Deliverable:  Post-Pilot Revision Data