Program-Based
In addition to working with individual faculty members to meet their instructional goals as described above, we also work with departments/programs to transition entire degree programs to fully online. One benefit of transitioning program courses into an online environment is that the process encourages groups of faculty within departments to collaborate throughout the process by way of regular meetings and discussions about course content and program goals. Larger than just one course, a program transition requires that faculty become more attuned to the needs of colleagues and students beyond their own individual course because their course is inextricably linked to other online courses. Degree programs selected for transition are assigned an instructional designer to serve as the main contact person to coordinate the design and development of all program courses in consultation with identified faculty Course Developers.
In addition to developing program courses, the instructional designer will also organize and facilitate whatever meetings are necessary to ensure implementation of program transition is successful. Typical meetings that would occur before the first course in the program is delivered, include:
- Intake - Initial discussion with Department Chairs/Program Coordinator and CIRT personnel
- Orientation – Meeting with all faculty members in the program to make decisions on program-based design elements that will be incorporated into all of program courses.
- Progress – Presentation to faculty members in the program to show course development progress and discuss issues or concerns they may have.
- Implementation – Another presentation on the status of program development coupled with discussions on best-practices for delivering and maintaining the integrity of program-based course design elements.
Each academic year, up to two certificate or degree programs will be provided significant support and resources to either (a) convert the entire program to fully online or (b) develop a new certificate or degree program as one delivered fully online.