Online Program Development

I. Interest and Feasibility

Department chairs or college deans are encouraged to contact UNF Online to discuss considerations for online delivery prior to submitting a proposal for Distance Education delivery. Those include but are not limited to state authorization, practica/internships, SACSCOC notification, international students, military affiliates, and program modality. We can also provide market research data to assist departments in determining program feasibility.

When a department chooses to move forward with program development, the next step is the completion and approval of a Distance Education Delivery Proposal presented in the next phase.

II. Proposal and Approvals

Once the academic department decides the online program is feasible for distance education delivery, the next step is to complete a Distance Education Delivery Proposal and send as pdf attachment to Dr. Deb Miller, deb.miller@unf.edu.

Note: The proposal is for delivery mode only and does not address the program curriculum. All new degree programs must follow the New Major/Degree Program Process for curriculum development as established in UNF Policy 2.0040P.

This phase of program development is complete once the proposal is approved and all other required curricular and accreditation approvals have been obtained.

III. Program Planning

Planning for program development starts when UNF Online contacts the department to schedule an intake meeting. The purpose of the intake meeting is to review the Distance Education Delivery Proposal, ensure appropriate supports and procedures are in place and discuss available services (e.g., faculty training, course development, marketing, student enrollment support, student orientation). The Department Chair, program director, and certain administrators from UNF Online and CIRT must attend the intake meeting.

Following the intake meeting, CIRT will schedule a kickoff meeting with key stakeholders to review the proposed development timeline and discuss faculty training and support, program course-design templates, specialized course tools, media production, and the Quality Matters (QM) internal review process. At a minimum, the program director and instructional designers must participate in the kickoff meeting; however, faculty course developers are also highly encouraged to attend.

IV. Program Development

To ensure timely and effective program development, regular communication will be established between key program stakeholders, including the program director, course instructors, and instructional designers, according to an agreed-upon implementation timeline. The program development process typically takes between 18 to 24 months, depending on the number of courses and the availability of course instructors to participate in the process. To facilitate the development process, instructional designers at CIRT will serve as the primary contacts to coordinate with faculty course developers. Program stakeholders will collaborate closely to plan, design, and develop online coursework using a best-practices framework for instructional design, aligned with national standards for distance learning courses and programs, and leveraging the Canvas platform. Through this collaborative approach, the program team will ensure that each course is optimized for student learning and engagement, with accessible and high-quality materials, effective multimedia tools, and a clear structure and flow. As program development progresses, regular checkpoints and quality reviews will be conducted to assess progress and identify areas for improvement.

Completion of program development represents a significant milestone that indicates the following has occurred:

• Faculty scheduled to develop or deliver courses within the online program have completed the Teaching Online Foundation Course (TOL).
• Courses within the online program scheduled and delivered as distance learning follow the Quality Assurance measures outlined in UNF's DL policy. Each course in the program must obtain the Florida High Quality (HQ) course design designation within two years of initial delivery and renew that indicator every five years. Courses that have already been reviewed remain valid until expired.

Marketing and Enrollment Support

UNF Online also provides admission and retention support to distance education programs in enrollment management, including marketing and recruiting prospective students for online degree programs and the coordination of student services for online learners. For more information, contact Associate Director Erica Anga, erica.anga@unf.edu.

V. Program Delivery and Continuous Improvement

Depending on the program start date, an overlap between program development and program delivery may occur. The primary goal of the program delivery phase is to promote ongoing communication between program stakeholders and continue to provide whatever support is necessary to ensure continuous improvement across all coursework throughout the lifetime of the online program.

Examples of services that UNF Online provides to promote continuous improvement for online programs include:

• Quality Matters Certification
• Ongoing Communication

Program Refresh

Program development is not a one-and-done event. Within five years, most, if not all, courses within an online program will likely have undergone many modifications or curricular changes resulting in variations in the quality and consistency of course design across the online program. UNF's DL policy states that courses scheduled and delivered as distance learning must complete a course design quality review every five years. Therefore, to ensure all coursework within the online program undergoes continuous improvements, UNF Online works with program stakeholders to address the immediate and future needs of the online program, including the addition of new courses and provides support for continuous improvements of their online course.

Questions

View the FAQs for more information.