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Online Course Design & Development

Designing and Developing Effective Online Courses: An Overview

UConn faculty members are at the core of eCampus’ mission to design, develop, and deliver the highest quality online courses. Their content knowledge and pedagogical expertise are the starting point for all UConn online courses. eCampus provides faculty development and personalized support to transform faculty strengths and practices into effective online learning environments. We ensure courses meet Quality Matters standards while simultaneously giving faculty all the information, training and resources to meet research-based best practices, federal, state, and institutional policies and regulations, and NECHE accrediting standards.

The content provided here introduces the guidelines, design processes, support services, and research-based best practices that faculty members can leverage as they create courses of the highest academic and pedagogical quality. Upon reviewing these pages, we encourage you to contact us to discuss how eCampus can assist in creating your online course.

How Are Online Courses Developed?

The development of quality face-to-face and online courses follows a similar process. Faculty members plan and design their course objectives, assessments, activities, and content. They then develop and build the elements needed to teach the course and, once created and taught, they review their work, evaluate the course, and make necessary revisions.

Transferring versus Transforming Courses

The Transfer Method of Course Development

As most online courses evolve from existing face-to-face courses, it can be tempting to simply transfer course elements (assignments, content, materials, assessments, activities) into an online environment. Though this may seem the easiest and quickest solution, it inevitably leads to problems when using elements designed for face-to-face environments in a wholly different online space.

Face-to-Face Course Contains:

  • Lecture
  • Face-to-Face Activities
  • Textbooks/Content
  • In-Class Assessments, Midterms, Finals

When Simply Transferred, Online Course Contains:

  • Lecture designed for face-to-face delivery
  • Content designed for face-to-face use
  • Assessments designed for face-to-face format
  • Little or no content designed for a digital environment 

Transformative Course Design and Development

Transforming face-to-face courses for online delivery requires more than placing materials into an online environment. Creating a course for online delivery requires addressing the unique risks and challenges as well as benefits and advantages of the online space. eCampus uses the instructional design process to ensure faculty neither become overwhelmed by challenges nor miss the benefits that exist for online courses.

Through the Instructional Design Process, Online Courses Contain:

  • Activities that foster student interaction with each other, the content, and the faculty
  • Content designed specifically for the benefits and challenges of an online environment
  • Sequenced and varied assessments appropriate for online delivery
  • Activities, content, and assessments that are designed for the unique needs of the online environment using the Blackboard HuskyCT learning management system and other digital learning software solutions 

Instructional Design

The instructional design process outlines the systematic approach we recommend faculty follow. Though presented step-by-step, this model can be adapted to your unique situations in collaboration with a team from eCampus. More detailed explanations of these steps appear in the sections below.

Designing for Quality

The University Senate’s Scholastic Standards Committee’s Online Standards Subcommittee endorsed the Quality Matters Rubric for developing online courses. Quality Matters (QM) is “a faculty-centered, peer review process designed to certify the quality of online and blended courses.”

eCampus uses QM in developing courses and supporting the ongoing growth of our online services. Faculty are encouraged to become familiar with the Quality Matters Rubric. The eCampus instructional design process ensures that QM standards are met in all courses we develop.

All faculty working with eCampus receive the “Quality Matters Rubric Workbook for Higher Education,” and it is available to any other UConn community members upon request. Please email eCampus if interested.

UConn is a Quality Matters institutional member. All UConn community members have access to QM resources under this institutional membership.

The Faculty Role

Regardless of their experience with online teaching, technical skills, or instructional design background, all faculty members are experts in their discipline, content, and pedagogy. This expertise is the most important resource faculty bring to course development, and our processes exist to help transform this knowledge into a quality online course that faculty can teach for years to come.

When creating online courses, faculty retain all responsibilities associated with creating face-to-face courses while taking on additional responsibilities specific to online courses.

eCampus has compiled a set of Competencies for Online and Hybrid/Blended Instruction that serve as the basis for all faculty development efforts. Reviewing these competencies provides a preview of the skills, knowledge, and abilities you will develop and improve through working with eCampus.

The Instructional Design Team

A team of instructional designers and eLearning developers collaborates directly with faculty to plan, build and iterate online courses through a systematic cycle. Though much of the QM standards and instructional design process may seem familiar to faculty, there are inevitably unfamiliar elements. The ID Team ensures faculty progress through the course creation process seamlessly regardless of gaps in their knowledge of online course creation.

The process of designing and developing a course with the ID team typically takes between 4 and 6 months. Ongoing improvement and iterative revisions normally occur more intensely in the semesters immediately following the first offering of the course. eCampus is also available for the life of the course as a source of guidance and support as faculty continue to revise their courses over time.

The Process

The instructional design process follows three main phases: Plan and Design, Develop and Build, and Review and Evaluate. Each phase includes specific tasks and Quality Matters standards to ensure courses meet quality benchmarks.

The planning and design of your online course begins with brainstorming and the realization of concepts, ideas, and strategies that will become the plan for your course. We encourage you to meet with eCampus staff as you undertake these steps.

Needs Analysis, Identifying Situational Factors, and Brainstorming

Consider the course you will be teaching. Who are the students? What are your expectations? What are your department’s curricular needs? What skills should students develop? What challenges do you foresee? What broad educational goals do you have for students? Answering these and other questions prepares you to approach course development aware of multiple challenges and needs. An instructional designer can guide you through a needs analysis of situational factors to address important pedagogical, institutional, and student-based questions using a “Situational Factors to Consider” worksheet. L. Dee Fink has given permission to share his Situational Factors Worksheet. The instructional designer will also ask you to self-assess your current online teaching and learning competencies by taking the UConn Competencies for Online & Hybrid/Blended Instruction survey in Qualtrics.

Map and Align Course Components

Course planning is more effective when done systematically. With or without instructional design team assistance, we encourage faculty to map their course objectives, assessments, and learning activities by creating a Course Design Plan. This Knowledge Base article on Using a Course Design Plan is an excellent resource.

Develop Learning Objectives

Measurable student-centered learning objectives are at the core of successful online courses. Learning objectives become the foundation by clearly defining expectations and guiding the selection and creation of assessments, activities, and content.

Resources

Develop Your Own Knowledge

Research on learning has identified best practices in online education. Start at our workshops and resources page, join us for seminars or workshops, review our policies and best practices page, explore Quality Matters professional development opportunities (eCampus can cover or subsidize costs), or contact eCampus staff for one-on-one consultation.

Review the Quality Matters (QM) Rubric

The research-based QM Higher Education Rubric has 44 specific quality standards, each addressing a specific element of quality online courses. We recommend reviewing the QM rubric and associated documents before proceeding with course design and development. UConn faculty are encouraged to create a free QM account to access the QM Rubric Online and participate in professional development. Paper copies are available by contacting eCampus.

Plan Your Assessments and Activities

With knowledge of best practices and Quality Matters Rubric standards, you will be ready to plan assessments for the online environment. Choosing the right blend of formative and summative assessments ensures you and your students have sufficient opportunities to measure success. Planning activities that utilize current technology and provide opportunities for students to interact with each other, the content, and the professor increases effectiveness. 

Resources for Assessments

Align Objectives, Assessments, and Activities

Before building your course, ensure all objectives are appropriately measured and that relevant activities and appropriate content exist to help students meet the objectives you have set.

During Phase 1, Faculty Will:

  • Provide content expertise and pedagogical skills
  • Self-assess online teaching and learning competencies
  • Write objectives and plan associated assessments for theonline environment
  • Work with eCampus staff to map out your course and determine the best delivery strategy
  • Plan activities and choose approrpiate content
  • Collaborate with eCampus staff to determine deadlines and deliverables

During This Phase, Instructional Designers Will:

  • Present a plan for course design and development
  • Provide project management support
  • Provide course design and development documents, timelines, curriculum alignment guides, and frameworks
  • Work with faculty to identify and bridge gaps in online pedagogical knowledge
  • Guide faculty through applying the Quality Matters rubric
  • Make recommendations for pedagogical and technological solutions
  • Provide customized support for unique faculty and situational needs

During This Phase, eLearning Developers Will:

  • Review needs analysis documents and begin the process of developing a customized training plan for faculty based on the emerging information about the course situational factors and the faculty member’s background and experience

Quality Matters Standards for This Phase

  • Learning Objectives (Standards 2.1-2.5)
  • Assessment and Measurement (Standards 3.1-3.5)
  • Instructional Materials (4.1-4.6)
  • Learner Interaction and Engagement (5.1-5.4)

The development and build phase transforms materials planned in the design stage into an online environment. HuskyCT Ultra Course View (UCV) is the learning management system UConn uses for delivering online content. Regardless of a faculty member’s technology skills, they and the eCampus team work together to achieve the following steps.

Decide on a Course Structure for the HuskyCT Section

Once your course components are developed and aligned, you will determine how they will be organized in HuskyCT. eCampus provides a blueprint that ensures QM, ADA and accessibility compliance, and common web standards are met.

eCampus Accessibility Checklist and Guide

Gather and Develop Instructional Materials

Much material for your course will come from face-to-face courses you have taught. Some material will need to be digitized, recreated, and/or substituted to meet web, copyright, and accessibility guidelines. The instructional design team and University Libraries will assist in finding, digitizing, or creating new materials specifically for the online learning environment. Annotated PowerPoint slides and course notes are examples of instructional materials possible in online courses.

Create Activities, Assessments, Assignments, Discussions & Blogs

With learning objectives and a course plan in place, you will build all course elements in HuskyCT. In addition to building discussions, activities, and assessments, grading criteria and rubrics must be created and placed in the course, and settings must be applied to make elements available to students and linked to the gradebook. In limited amounts, video content can be very effective.

Complete Syllabus

The syllabus will include typical elements of a face-to-face course plus elements specific to the online environment: technology requirements, minimum technical skills, authentication and proctoring information, preferred contact method for office hours and remote communication, etiquette expectations, and links to campus resources like the Library, ITS, and Digital Learning Center.

eCampus Syllabus Template

During This Phase, Faculty Will:

  • Work with eCampus staff to determine the best overall course structure
  • Guide the instructional design team’s development and build process
  • Gather materials and ensure they meet Federal ADA and Copyright requirements
  • Review and become familiar with running the online course
  • Build components when appropriate
  • Provide information for syllabus

During This Phase, Instructional Designers Will:

  • Provide project management support
  • Familiarize faculty with eCampus’ HuskyCT blueprint
  • Implement the plan outlined in design and development documents, timelines, curriculum alignment guides, and frameworks
  • Review content and materials for alignment with Quality Matters and web design principles
  • Build the course in HuskyCT
  • Provide customized build and development support for unique faculty and situational needs

Quality Matters Standards for This Phase:

  • Course Overview and Introduction (1.1-1.8)
  • Instructional Materials (4.1-4.6)
  • Learner Interaction and Engagement (5.1-5.4)
  • Course Technology (6.1-6.5)
  • Learner Support (7.1-7.4)
  • Accessibility (8.1-8.4)

Review Course Using Quality Matters Guidelines

With a peer and/or an instructional designer, use the Quality Matters Rubric to determine the level to which your course meets quality standards. QM is intended to be a peer review process that fosters ongoing improvement. Regardless of how well we design our courses initially, the QM process allows us to continuously improve our work through informed revision.

Gather and Develop Data

As you work through the process of creating and teaching the course, eCampus recommends collecting data through reflective practice. Additionally, we recommend gathering student feedback through survey instruments, assessments, and formal University evaluation processes.

Analyze Data

Analyzing information gathered through self-reflection, student surveys, assessment performance measures, peer review, and eCampus staff consultation allows faculty to identify course elements that successfully promoted a quality online learning environment. These data can also help determine areas for revision before teaching the course again.

During This Phase, Faculty Will:

  • Review the overall course using the QM Rubric
  • Gather data
  • Analyze data to make decisions regarding course revisions
  • Work with eCampus staff to prioritize and plan revisions prior to the next offering

During This Phase, Instructional Designers Will:

  • Provide feedback to faculty
  • Assist in survey development and implementation
  • Assist in data analysis
  • Work with faculty to prioritize and plan revisions prior to the next offering

Quality Matters Standards for This Phase:

  • Assessment and Measurement (3.1-3.5)

Sample Courses

To explore examples of well-designed online courses and see how these instructional design principles are applied in practice, visit our Knowledge Base for sample course materials, templates, and examples from various disciplines. 

The eCampus Knowledge Base includes: 

For additional examples and course demonstrations, browse the full Knowledge Base.