Developing on-line courses can appear very daunting to an instructor who has not worked with on-line communications extensively. Fortunately for an experienced instructor, the process of developing the on-line course will probably increase the instructor's skills in working on-line to the point where teaching with the new media is a pleasant (or at least survivable) experience. The following mileposts for developing an on-line course were developed to help an experienced instructor reprocess the excellent instructional materials currently used to create and effective on-line environment for learning. This guideline addresses the steps that need to be done and addresses who is responsible for the activities in each step.

Mileposts:

• Getting ready
• Designing the course
• Developing the course

1. Select the course to be developed
2. Secure a work area and materials for course development

1. Secure a development site consistent with the production environment for the course
2. Secure an e-mail account that will be used for the course when it is delivered on-line
3. Have backup for accessing course materials

Return to mileposts

1). Identify a course that the instructor believes "should be" put on the web.

2). Get approval from department chair and program academic team and reach an agreement about compensation for development (if any... lack of money to support the development should not STOP and instructor who wants to do it KNOWING there are no funds available for development). Instructor should submit a PLAN with his/her expected time-line for accomplishing all the steps listed below as being done by faculty)

3). Identify faculty and staff support personnel who will commit to working with the faculty member. Establish WHO does WHAT for what compensation.

| Return to getting ready | | Return to mileposts |

1). Request ITP Create a Vcollege course account and faculty status on the forum (FOLLOW UP and make sure this is done. If possible ask the FTP and Frontpage password preference as well as the id and password for the private area from instructor)

System: vcollege

Desired action: establish a course account XXXX### with FTP and frontpage password $#@#$

Private access: Establish id #@#$%$# and password @#$%$#@ for the private subdirectory

Return to getting ready

2). Make sure the instructor has AND USES an LCC controlled e-mail account. Request one from Student if necessary. Use the password suggested by faculty if possible.

System: Student

Desired action: establish an instructor e-mail account XXXX###X with password $#@$%##

Return to getting ready

3). Add course passwords and course e-mail account information to the SECURED, LOCKED, backup information for Vcollege courses maintained by the department executive secretary (NOT TO BE DONE BY STUDENT AIDS!!)

| Return to getting ready | | Return to mileposts |

• Create the initial course shell
• Organize the course material
• Secure "approval"

Return to mileposts

• Course Description which advises the student as to the content of the course and where it fits in the curriculum
• Course objectives
• Overview of the course including the policies and procedures, words of advice, and other information that the instructor would tell students who dropped into the instructor's office asking for more information because they were considering taking the course
• Syllabus
• Requirements including formal prerequisites, textbook, skills needed to take the course on-line, special equipment and software that will be needed, and so on.
• Schedule doing a first pass at breaking the course content into chunks for on-line delivery. This first schedule may miss some of the details to be added later, but it should provide a first pass at the quantity and sequencing of the instruction to be delivered on-line.
• Capstone activity that will provide the instructor with some assurance that the student has mastered the course objectives

| Designing the course | | Return to mileposts |

• Chunk the course into "modules" or segments of instruction that you will be using. (frequently the same as the traditional sessions)
• Identify a set of procedures that will be used to test the format and quality of instruction
• Identify minimum number and timing of supervised evaluations of student work required to be satisfied that the student work is original
• If computerized systems are planned for evaluation test the system
• If testing centers are to be used, gather information assuring testing procedures are satisfactory
• Identify the timing and type of assignments.
• Create at least the first 3 assignments
• Have students look them over and give you feedback on how clear they are

| Designing the course | | Return to mileposts |

• Secure "approval" from the course coordinator or academic team for this format, assignments and evaluation security
• Modifications for different environment?
• More or less supervised evaluations?
• Changes in assignments for environment?
• Different prerequisites?

| Designing the course | | Return to mileposts |

• Write the "module goal" or introduction to the first 3 modules within 6 weeks of the start of the project
• list the LEARNING objectives of the first module within 8 weeks of the start of the project
• determine what information needs to be added to the textbook presentation for each learning objective
• Develop the instruction
• Post it on the web site.
• Get feedback (within 8 weeks of the start of the project)
• from at least one instructor experienced with web instruction
• from at least one who is familiar with the traditional format of the course for the module created
• from at least three students who try the module created. (I frequently offer extra credit for my current classes for students using the on-line modules
• from member of the advisory committee if there is one for your curriculum area
• FIX PROBLEMS
• EXPERIMENT WITH FORMATS
• Develop and test the next two modules, within 12 weeks of the start of the project, using the class communication tools as well as instructional materials
• Develop and test at least one "quiz" and "exam" that will go with the material
• Test the directions and evaluation of at least one assignment.
• By the start of the Semester that the course will be offered, finish no less than 50% of the course and have a plan for the development of the rest that will assure all materials are available for students when needed.
• Work closely with a "mentor" instructor currently teaching on the web

| Return to mileposts |

Extra compensation for TEACHING on the web:

Each Virtual instructor will receive X amount of dollars per term for mentoring other faculty, doing peer evaluation of instruction and instructional techniques on the web, and sharing tips and techniques with fellow Vcollege instructors as "directed" by the divisional instruction leader. A possible amount would be $200 per semester for the first Vcollege class. $100 each for the 2nd and third. $50 each for any additional Vcollege classes. Faculty would also be expected to attend meetings called by the distance education director and possibly work with outside agencies at the request of the instructional leader or the director of distance education (such as MVAC or MIVU)