Skip to content
Purdue Logo Innovative Learning
  • Contact Us
Search for:
  • Home
  • Programs
    • IMPACT
    • Teaching@Purdue
    • College Teaching Development Program
    • TLCoP
    • CoPILOT Program
    • SoTL Fellowship
    • Student Pedagogy Advocates
  • Services
    • Online Courses/Programs Development
    • Teaching & Learning Feedback
    • Instructional Data Processing (IDP)
    • Video Production
  • Events
  • Tools & Resources
    • Course Design & Development Process
    • Instructional Technology
    • Accessibility
    • AI Bytes Workshop Sessions
    • Purdue Syllabus Guidelines
    • IL Teaching Guides
      • Instructional Video
      • Hy-Flex and Resilient Pedagogy Resources
      • Tips for enhancing engagement
      • Student Toolkit
      • First Year Online
    • PoRTAL
    • Global Learning
    • Scholarship of Teaching and Learning
    • Awards
    • Teaching Excellence
    • Virtual Labs
    • Semester Resources
    • Learning Remotely
    • Intellectual Property Policy for Instruction
    • SEISMIC
    • Libraries Instructional Resources
  • About Us
    • What is IL?
    • IL Units
      • Center for Instructional Excellence Directory
      • Libraries and School of Information Studies Directory
      • Purdue Online Directory
  • News
  • Indianapolis Faculty

Course Development

Steps:

  • Initial Planning (1-2 Weeks)
  • Course Planning/Design (5 Weeks)
  • Course Development (6 Weeks)
  • Course Finalization (1 Week)
  • Course Review & Revisions (2 Weeks)
  • Maintenance Mode (Ongoing)

Initial Planning (1-2 Weeks)

  1. Develop and agree upon communication plan and project timeline
  2. Review online course development process
  3. Roles and responsibilities
  4. Initial discussion of: current iteration of course design evaluation, learning outcomes, chunking of course materials, course interaction (student-instructor, student-content, student-student) as well as accessibility, alignment of assessments, technologies, common course elements (netiquette guide, accessibility statement, academic integrity, policies, etc.)
  5. Deliverables
    1. Deliverable 1.1: Previous syllabus to designer
    2. Deliverable 1.2: Grant access to previous digital resources/artifacts (if available) to designer
    3. Current iteration of course analysis/review by designer (using PO-CDD rubric)

Course Planning/Design (5 Weeks)

  1. Finalize learning outcomes (measurable course level outcomes 3-5)
  2. Chunking of course content
  3. Development of specific learning objectives (specific learning outcomes)
  4. Development of assessment plans (alignment and Bloom’s taxonomy discussed)
  5. Discussion of course structure and potential technologies to be employed (focusing upon peer-to-peer and learner-to-instructor interactions)
  6. Video recording plan (and connections to PPTs or other visuals being made accessible)
  7. Discussion of how to meet accessibility requirements for video and print sources (including captions, reading order, alt tags)
  8. Identify materials to gather (textbook or open education resource, publisher content, activities, interactions, etc.)
  9. Design & build one module, revise as needed
    1. Required readings
    2. Relevant learning activities
    3. Supplemental interactions
    4. Assessment of objectives
  10. Deliverables
    1. Deliverable 2.1: Timeline/calendar set, including phase completion, design completion, and course review dates
    2. Deliverable 2.2: Draft learning outcomes
    3. Shared resource area developed
    4. Review of development schedule
    5. PO-CDD Course Design rubric shared with faculty

Course Development (6 Weeks)

  1. Design/build all units of instruction in LMS, including:
  2. Integrate and publish instructor bio, syllabus, course schedule, etc.
  3. Video Production Process: Submit a Video Project Request Form to get a course/project into the production pipeline. The Purdue Online Manager, Video Production and Media receives Video Project Request submission where it is assessed and assigned to a video production specialist. This person will be the project lead for the duration of the project.
    1. Pre-production
    2. The project lead receives background data from the project request form and meeting notes from the Manager, Video Production and Media.
    3. The project lead communicates with the faculty and the instructional designer regarding:
      1. Communication standards (email, Basecamp, something else)
      2. Establish scope and style for videos
      3. Establish filming schedule
      4. Establish instructional designer/faculty involvement in review process
      5. Final delivery method of project files
    4. Script writing by faculty (if required)
    5. Production
    6. Obtaining existing source footage (if any)
    7. Schedule and film footage
    8. Editing and review process
      1. Footage is edited according to established style
      2. Internal review – 1 or 2 staff or students review edited video for technical errors (visual or audio)
      3. External review – video sent to faculty for review of content errors
    9. Approved videos are sent for captions
    10. Finalized videos are provided to the talent and instructional designer according to final delivery method
    11. Typically, the instructional designer is not involved in the production process. Regular production updates are provided.
    12. Post-production
      1. Project files are archived
      2. Kaltura links to finalized videos are added to the Basecamp project
      3. Basecamp project is archived
  4. Deliverables
    1. Deliverable 3.1: Course map draft including final learning outcomes; learning objectives; activities and assessments mapped/connected to outcomes and objectives – designer adds course map to Trello
    2. Deliverable 3.2: Syllabus draft – designer adds course map to Trello
    3. Deliverable 3.3: Module 1 draft completed, revise as needed
    4. Initial plan for gathering and developing course content
    5. Determination of utilization/integration of technology to be used
    6. Accessibility plan for all print and video sources (captions, reading order, alt tags, etc.)
    7. Video recording plan (Video Express and/or Camtasia)
    8. Common course elements chosen and integrated
    9. Milestone 1 – Triggers Funding Payment 1

Course Finalization (1 Week)

  1. Create introduction to course
  2. Create course navigation aid
  3. Complete course worksheet for review, share with review team
  4. Deliverables
    1. Complete course introduction
    2. Complete course navigation aid
    3. Deliverable 5.1: Complete course worksheet for review; share with review team by placing in Trello
    4. Milestone 2 – Triggers Funding Payment 2: Faculty self-review of course design – designer to add review to Trello

Course Review & Revisions (2 Weeks)

  1. Completion of course review by instructional designer
  2. Make revisions
  3. Nominate course parts or whole for CDD Exemplar Commons
  4. Deliverables
    1. Deliverable 6A: External Course Review (CDD team)
    2. Milestone 3 – Triggers Funding Payment 3: Review response/revisions completed (based upon self-review and external review)

Maintenance Mode (Ongoing)

  1. Course Reflection, Revisit Review after first semester taught
    1. Identify areas for improvement
    2. Instructor trained to complete course copy/updates
  2. Review every 3-5 times taught
  3. Deliverables
    1. Design Finalization Part A: Course Reflection, Revisit Review after first semester taught
    2. Design Finalization Part B: Instructor trained to complete course copy/updates

Questions to Consider:

Course Design

  • Consider making content modular and stackable to support rapid program development and bite-sized learning. This strategy will allow you to reuse content in several learning activities in the non-credit and for-credit areas.
  • Determine right mix of in-house, externally sourced, and open source content.
  • How many of your courses are already approved to be taught online?
  • Determine the faculty and staff resources needed for course design and development.
  • Will you consider having faculty leads for each course?
  • Who will develop instructional content?
  • Will you have instructional design support for your faculty developing courses?
  • Who will support faculty in the development of online content? (OPM, local resources (EX: college, department), central resources (EX: Purdue Online, ITaP), faculty on their own)
  • Will you provide training to instructors new to online teaching?
  • What tools will you use in your courses?
  • Plan, define, or develop the following course components:
    • Introduction to the course/orientation
    • Course navigation aid, syllabus, schedule
    • Learning outcomes
    • Chunking of course materials
    • Course interaction (student-instructor, student-content, student-student)
    • Readings
    • Relevant learning activities
    • Assessment of objectives
  • Utilize the Quality Matters rubric

Assessment

  • Develop a course assessment plan.
  • Will you assess overall program learning through a capstone project, comprehensive exam, etc?
  • How will exams be proctored? (no proctor needed, online service (EX: Proctortrack), students are required to visit a testing facility (EX: Sylvan Learning Center), students are required to find their own proctor (EX: librarian, other university), students are required to come to campus)
  • Use insights gained from assessment to improve course design and delivery.

Compliance

  • What are the accessibility, copyright and intellectual property policies faculty will need to follow when developing online courses?
  • Ensure adherence to applicable regulatory, legal, and statutory guidelines.
  • Enforce codes of conduct and compliance rubrics for all student-facing functions.
  • Navigate compliance issues such as facilitating the communication and execution of the Textbook Opt-out regulation for programs that included books and supplies in the student fee.
  • Create and refine the report to submit to insurance and PUSH to waive associated requirements.

Technology, Digital Materials & Licensing

  • Procure and/or license any externally sourced content.
  • Do you need central resources to develop new technologies for program delivery? If so, briefly explain.
  • If you are using an OPM or non-standard learning platform, how do you intend to integrate with Purdue’s technology systems?
  • Indicate who will provide technology support to the students? (no support, professor/instructor support, local support (EX: college, department), central support (ITaP))
  • Indicate which of the follow software students will need.
    • Standard software only (EX: Microsoft Office Suite, Google Docs/Sheets/Slides)
    • Non-standard software (included in fees/tuition – provided by University // EX: CAD, statistical software)
    • Non-standard software (student provides // EX: CAD, statistical software)
  • Who will you work with for video production and editing?

Accessibility

  • Convert books and reading material to ADA compliant, digital format.
  • Do you need central resources to maintain an inclusive program (EX: closed captioning, alternative written formats)?

Who is Involved:

Faculty (Initiator)
TLT (Collaborator)
Purdue Online (Collaborator)

Process Map:

Process Map

Download the process map

Forms & Resources:

  • PO-CDD Rubric
  • Purdue Logo

    An equal access/equal opportunity university
    Copyright Complaints

    Trouble with this page?

    Disability-related accessibility issue?

    Please contact ITaP at itap@purdue.edu.

    Address

    Purdue University Innovative Learning
    Fourth Floor of Young Hall
    West Lafayette, IN 47907

    Contact Us

    765-494-4600

    Email Us

    Follow Us

    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • LinkedIn
    • Instagram
    • Youtube
    • snapchat
    Copyright © 2025 Purdue University. All Rights Reserved. Trademark Statement.
    Accessibility | EA/EO University | Integrity Statement | Privacy Policy