First, I want to thank all of you for your support of faculty participation in course review and the changes we’ve made over the last few years in response to faculty and reviewer feedback.
The feedback we recently received on the Course Design Academy concept was generally positive, but we did hear concerns from you and your faculty about the impact on faculty workload if course work and additional professional development activities were added to the process. In fact, what we have been told consistently is that the course review process itself is already a rigorous professional development experience that significantly impacts quality in the reviewed courses and other courses taught by the faculty completing it.
In response to your concerns, we are keeping the review process the same as it was last year, but with the important name change to Course Design Academy.
Why OEI Course Design Academy?
Peer Online Course Review (POCR) started in 2014.
Since then, we have added several elements: dedicated instructional design support, hands-on accessibility help, and the opportunity for faculty to connect with other online faculty to discuss best practices in online teaching.
By renaming our process Course Design Academy, we better communicate all of the elements involved in aligning courses with the rubric. Through badges and certificates, we can also recognize the rigorous and rewarding professional development faculty complete as they work with other faculty, instructional designers, and accessibility specialists to enhance and strengthen their courses.
What is OEI Course Design Academy?
As a participant in the Course Design Academy, faculty receive:
- Confidential feedback and course design recommendations from fellow online faculty through peer online course review.
- Support from a Canvas Course Design Specialist (CCDS) to assist with applying feedback and getting the most from the tools and features in Canvas.
- Hands-on assistance, as needed, from Accessibility Specialists to make courses fully 508 compliant!
- Badges awarded as they align their courses with each section of the OEI Course Design Rubric: Content Presentation, Interaction, Assessment, and Accessibility.
Upon completion, their work will be recognized with an Aligned Course Badge and a Course Design Academy certificate that show the course:
- Is “exchange ready” and eligible to be offered through the Online Course Exchange.
- Has met the CCC’s highest level of design standards of quality and accessibility to support online student success!
We have updated our @ONE web pages to reflect this update and clarify the features and benefits for participants. We invite you and your faculty to register for one of our upcoming information meetings:
- Friday, February 9, 2018 from 3:30-4:30 pm
- Thursday, February 20, 2018 from 9:00-10:00 am( )
- Tuesday, March 6, 2018 from 3:00-4:00 pm
And if you have faculty ready to participate in Course Design Academy, you can refer them to our updated step-by-step guide and course submission form.
If you have questions, please let us know and thank you again for all you do to support us in our work with your faculty!
Autumn Bell
Chief Professional Development Officer
California Community Colleges’
Online Education Initiative (OEI)
Hosted by the Foothill-DeAnza District
Phone: (650) 949-7801
Schedule a meeting with me: http://doodle.com/autumnbell
West LA Digital 