Course Design Guidance
Course Developer Program
The Course Developer Program (CDP) training course lays the foundation for how course developers and faculty can achieve quality and excellence throughout the entire life cycle of a course.
The standards of course development offer a set of guiding principles for the development of online courses. The scope and depth of the guidelines assure that the course design will be thorough and detailed through all levels of the course structure. Where many other course design rubrics present broad and widely-interpretable standards, the TN eCampus Rubric drills down to more detailed specifications within the broad areas of course design.
The Course Developer Program training course addresses:
- Course Development Standards
- Accessibility Standards and Guidelines
- Services and Support
- D2L Learning Management System
- Digital Media in Courses
- Instructional Design/Pedagogy
Questions about course development or redevelopment processes and proposal forms can be directed to Dr. Nicola Wayer, TN eCampus Director of Instructional Design & Training at nwayer@tbr.edu. She is available to meet with you to discuss ideas and answer questions.
Proposal forms for course development and redevelopment can be found in Frequently Used Forms
We are here to provide full support and assistance as you:
- Integrate the required TN eCampus course design standards into your course design
- Identify where to locate TN eCampus policies, guidelines, and standards for course development
- Apply TN eCampus course design standards by performing a self-assessed course review
- Reflect on the academic research base for TN eCampus design standards and their impact on students
- Perform the actions necessary to develop a course using D2L tools and widgets
- Use feedback on course development progress
Post Development Responsibilities
Once the development process is completed and the course has passed the Quality review process, the course is placed into the TN eCampus course inventory to be offered through TBR campus registration systems. Once a course has been placed into the course inventory, a new set of responsibilities emerges. Course developers are responsible for updates to the course prior to the beginning of each semester to ensure that it is ready to be cloned. TN eCampus uses a Master Course that is kept up-to-date with the latest updates, modifications and current information. The Master will be copied into sections to be taught during a specific semester. Updates need to be completed per the schedule communicated by TN eCampus staff.
Updates prior to the beginning of a semester include:
- Due dates for tests/exams/quizzes/assessments that are in the Assessments tab to reflect appropriate dates for the upcoming semester.
- Due dates for any assignments/assessments that are in the Dropbox tab to reflect appropriate dates for the upcoming semester.
- Due dates for any discussion Forums/Topics that are in the Discussions tab to reflect appropriate dates for the upcoming semester.
- Due dates within in the Course Checklist to reflect appropriate dates for the upcoming semester, if this tool is used.
- Calendar tool to include major milestones within the course and due dates for any graded assessment within the course for the upcoming semester.
- Continual modifications to the course. Course developers should be always look for additional content and resources to further enrich students’ learning experiences.
TN eCampus courses should not be considered static courses that are finished after initial course development. Course developers should strive to continually improve their courses. Suggested improvements may come from Sectional Faculty or even students who have taken or are taking the course. TN eCampus is a cooperative, and, as such, Course Developers should consider course improvement a collaborative process.
