Course development team makes instructors' visions into online reality
May 12, 2014
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The Instructional Design team in Purdue Extended Campus consists of Jason Carter, instructional designer, left; Chad Mueller, lead instructional designer for online learning, center; and Ji Hyun Yu, instructional designer. (Purdue University photo/Steven Yang) |
For the past year, the Instructional Design team in Purdue Extended Campus has helped instructors turn high-enrollment, foundational courses into dynamic online offerings.
Housed in Stewart Center, PEC's Instructional Design team consists of three instructional designers who work one-on-one with instructors to create online options for even the most complex courses.
The result is online classes that meet instructors' pedagogical goals, improve student accessibility to high-demand classes and promote distance learning during summer sessions, says Chad Mueller, lead instructional designer for online learning and the team's leader.
Working with the team is optional for instructors creating online classes, but doing so provides a distinct advantage, Mueller says.
"Creating online versions of courses can be a bigger endeavor than most think," he says. "We have the collective experience to help, because each of our team members has taught online classes themselves. We use that experience to inform our development work, make the process easy and achieve the best possible results."
So far, the team has created about 30 online courses that cover subjects as varied as anthropology, Chinese language, geography and oceanography.
The team accepts applications for course development year-round. It reviews new applications about once per month and accepts those that meet its development criteria, found along with the application here. Course development is free of charge.
Once an application is accepted, the team works with the course author to determine the development timeline. It then works to complete a needs analysis and schedule a project kickoff meeting with the author. Development progresses based on information gathered during those steps.
Among its projects, the team has developed short lecture videos and specialized communication tools for students to reach the instructor and vice versa. Throughout the process, the team solicits feedback and develops targeted prototypes based on the course author's needs.
Jonathan Harbor, professor of earth, atmospheric, and planetary sciences, recently worked with the team to develop the online course EAPS 120: Introduction to Geography. Its first section will accommodate 50 students and will begin in June. Eventually, Harbor says, the course's enrollment will be unlimited.
"Working with the team was invaluable," Harbor says. "They brought excellence ideas, technologies and research-based solutions to the discussion. As we outlined what we hoped to achieve, they were able to make specific suggestions and shared other ideas that could enrich our course. Without their involvement, we would not have been able to develop several key aspects of the new course."
Beyond its one-on-one work with course authors, this summer the team plans to help instructors on campus learn more about online course creation, including online pedagogy and best practices. For instructors interested in creating their own online offerings, the team will facilitate an online training session through Blackboard.
The team is also available to consult with faculty members who are already creating an online course.
"Whether we serve as course developers or consultants, our goal is always to keep the end user -- the student -- in mind," Mueller says.
"Our goal is to make online course creation simple and intuitive for instructors so that Purdue's students experience the best, most innovative and most effective online instruction the University can offer."
Michael Eddy, PEC assistant dean, says the team can provide invaluable assistance to instructors who are ready to begin teaching online.
"The courses the PEC design team develops with faculty give students great learning experiences and increase students' access to courses they need to graduate," Eddy says.
Writer: Amanda Hamon Kunz, 49-61325, ahamon@purdue.edu