Online Graduate Course Launch Process

Financial Model

Steps:

1. The business office from Purdue Online and the business office of the academic department will create a financial model to understand if the program is financially viable. The financial model will include:
   1. Enrollment estimates for a minimum of 4 years
   2. Expenses
   3. Revenue
2. The online program launch director will work with the faculty lead, the department head, and the respective business offices to analyze the expenses and revenue of the program and create a financial model.

Questions to Consider:

Tuition and Fees

• What is the price per credit hour to the student?
• What is the total price (to the student) to complete the program?
• Assist with program deposit forfeiture communication.
• Ensure tuition and fees are assessed accordingly.
• Send student communications regarding tuition due dates and cancellation dates.
• Customize invoices for students who require additional/more specific information than is on the myPurdue invoice.

Program Costs, Margin, Profitability

• What costs will be incurred to develop and deliver the program?
• What is the cost to deliver instruction?
• What are the non-instructional costs?
• What are the expected costs of new support staff?
• What is your expected revenue?
• What type of support does the department need from the college or university?
• What is the estimated margin?
• Provide your financial model for this program.
• Who will provide ongoing financial management for your program?

Faculty Incentives

• What incentives will be available for faculty to develop an online course?
• What incentives will be available for faculty who teach an online course?

Revenue Share

• What is the expected revenue distribution model for the program? (Include university, OPM, college, department)
• If your program is an interdisciplinary program, how will the net revenue be divided among the departments?
• Are you working with faculty from other departments? If so, have you considered sharing a percentage of the net profit with that department?

Program Feasibility

• Assess proposed program’s operational feasibility, student’s return on educational investment (ROEI) and cost to deliver instruction and service.
• Propose data-based changes to product design to improve feasibility.
• Do you have enough faculty members interested in teaching online? Will you need additional faculty or staff?
• Will your program be financially sustainable?
• Who will provide the feasibility study?
• What is the estimated margin?
• What is your program growth plan?
  • What is your planned enrollment at launch?
  • What is your planned enrollment in 5 years?
  • Do you have capacity constraints?

Consider:

Download the image

Who is Involved:

Purdue Online (Initiator)
Department (Collaborator)
Business Office (Collaborator)

Process Map:

Download the process map

Forms & Resources:

• Financial Model Template
• Faculty Incentive/Financial Model Examples

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Curriculum Development

Steps:

1. Lead faculty designs the curriculum using already approved courses and/or creating new courses.
2. The curriculum is shared with the department and/or college according to the policies of the academic department.
3. The department/college reviews and approves the curriculum.
4. If new courses were created a new course form is submitted to Curriculog.

Questions to Consider:

Program/Curriculum Design

• How many start dates to the program are available yearly?
• What is the designated time to complete the program?
• How many credits are required for completion of the program?
• Will you work with instructional designers to help form your curriculum plan?
• What courses and experiences will make up the proposed degree?
• How many of the courses in the curriculum are completely new courses?
  • Get necessary approval for new courses.
• Who are your faculty?
• Indicate all that apply:
  • Lock-step program (components must be taken sequentially with no breaks)
  • Full-time required
  • Part-time allowed
  • Program can be started and stopped
  • Program is calendared (specific start and end dates to courses/components)
  • Program is self-paced (students can complete requirements as slowly or quickly as desired)
  • Synchronous online time (students must meet online at a particular time)
• Utilize Curriculog, an online interface that allows programs, minors, courses and off-campus programs and courses to be proposed, created, assessed, revised, approved, and implemented.

Learning Management System (LMS)

• What LMS will you use?
• Ensure that all business systems and chosen technologies integrate with the LMS.

Content Delivery Plan

• How will the content be delivered and where? (online, personal website, YouTube, LMS)
• What LMS will you use?
• Does the program require any of the following face-to-face components? (lab, clinical, internship/externship, exams, instruction/courses, international experience/study abroad)
  • Indicate the frequency of the face-to-face components.
  • Indicate the location of the face-to-face components.
  • Describe the barriers to offering the face-to-face components online.

Who is Involved:

Faculty (Initiator)
TLT (collaborator)

Process Map:

Download the process map

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Internal Approvals

** Skip this step for exsiting face-to-face courses.

Steps:

1. Gain the following approvals based on the proposed offering
   1. New courses:
      1. New course is reviewed and approved following the guidelines of the academic department and/or college.
      2. Form 40G is submitted in Curriculog.
      3. Graduate School Council reviews and approves new course.
      4. Registrar’s Office adds course to the catalog.

Questions to Consider:

Internal Approvals

• Secure the necessary approvals from the department head, dean, and Graduate School.
• Course approvals
• Program approvals
• Utilize Curriculog, an online interface that allows programs, minors, courses, and off-campus programs and courses, to be proposed, created, assessed, revised, approved, and implemented.
• Rate request

Intellectual Property

• Procure faculty intellectual property agreements for instructional content
• What faculty are involved?
• What graduate students are involved?
• Did you include any 3rd party content? What is it? Who is it from?

Who is Involved:

Faculty (Initiator)
Graduate School (Collaborator)
Office of the Provost (Collaborator)
Purdue Online (Collaborator)

Process Map:

Download the process map

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