Participation in the Course Design Academy
During Spring 18, COD was accepted to become part of OEI’s online course exchange. The college’s implementation team is working with OEI to be able to be part of the Exchange when it opens to new colleges sometime in 2019 (the semester of availability not yet set by OEI). This is an exciting time! As we begin expanding our online course offerings, we will continue to uphold the high standards for course design and delivery that got us into the OEI and garnered us a commendation from the accreditation team. While we work on the details and changes necessary to both offer our courses on the Exchange and to get our students enrolled in the Exchange, you can prepare by participating in the Course Design Academy. Participation in the Course Design Academy does not guarantee your course will be shared on the Exchange, but it does assure you peace of mind that your course has met the highest state-wide standards in instructional design.
There are some requirements prior to enrolling in the Academy:
Faculty Qualifications:
- You must be a certified online instructor and you must have taught online for at least one full term, in Canvas at College of the Desert.
Course Qualifications:
- The course must be a fully online course.
- The course must have been evaluated by the DE Subcommittee and Distance Education Coordinator within the last two years.
- The course must be part of an ADT, GE Transfer Pattern (CSU or IGETC), or a CTE program.
- The faculty member submitting the course must have taught it for at least one full term.
Procedure to Enroll:
- Check with the COD Project Leader: Marvin Gabut, mgabut@collegeofthedesert.edu for personal and course eligibility.
- Let your Dean know that you are participating in the Academy and which course you are submitting.
- Notify the DE Coordinator that you are participating in the Academy. The Coordinator will track courses and instructors participating in the Academy and will assist with creating a blank course shell and adding the OEI reviewers, if and when the course is submitted for review and eventual inclusion in the Exchange.
- Attend an online OEI Faculty Information Meeting. (Meetings are held twice a month)
- Prepare your course using the Review Ready Checklist.
- Your POCR Lead will have the Course Review Request form needed to submit your course to us.
- When you submit your course, you are provided with an add code for self-paced mini-courses to review most common areas needing work. You will also be enrolled in the Course Design Academy.
- Once your course is submitted, it will be assigned to a review team.
- Review Cycle:
- Information Session
- Week One – Reviewers Complete Review
- Week Two- Lead Compiles Feedback
- Week Three- Results Call is Scheduled between Specialist and Faculty
- Review Cycle:
After Submission:
- Once you receive the results of your review, you will work with a Course Design Specialist to implement necessary changes to make the course “Exchange Ready”.
- Most courses are returned with incomplete items.
- Follow up work usually takes between 3-6 weeks.
FAQs:
While COD is part of the Consortium, we do not currently have a “go live” date. Once we do, the deans will be notified that they can schedule courses on the OEI.
While faculty are the ones who initiate course shell review, scheduling of courses is a collaborative process Per AP 4105, Online Education Initiative Course Exchange Scheduling should be mutually agreed upon by the Office of Student Learning, Area deans (in collaboration with department chairs), the Distance Education and Instructional Design Coordinator, and the Academic Senate Educational Technology and Distance Education committee. As per the Collective Bargaining Agreement, all teaching assignments requiring Distance Learning, including in the OEI Course Exchange, shall be voluntary on behalf of the faculty.
The policy and procedures for listing a course on the Exchange have not been provided. However, registration is not a faculty purview.
No, there is no requirement to offer any particular courses on the Exchange. However, we did agree that we would work towards offering a percentage of our courses on the Exchange. Per the collective bargaining agreement, all teaching assignments requiring Distance Learning, including in the OEI Course Exchange, shall be voluntary on behalf of the faculty.
Our students will have access to online courses offered at colleges throughout the state without having to register at each college. It will help students who are unable to get a course needed for degree completion due to scheduling difficulties.
Faculty gets access to Course Design Specialists to assist with improving online teaching practices and we are joining a state-wide network of innovative faculty peers.
Course design is the foundation of an effective online course. The design of your course communicates to your students what you expect them to know or do, how they will do it, and how they will demonstrate their mastery to you. Effective course design ensures your students’ learning experience is transparent, eliminating the confusion and guesswork that can hinder student learning.
Questions?
Register for an upcoming online information meeting. You can also join our Course Design Academy Online Community and post to our Q&A, or contact Stacey Carrasco at scarrasco@ccconlineed.org
