The Harriet W. Sheridan Center for Teaching and Learning

Online Course Design

Learn our process for creating effective, engaging and inclusive online courses.

The Learning Designers and Media Producers of the Digital Learning & Design (DLD) team partner with instructors throughout the online course lifecycle to create engaging and effective student learning experiences. Whether the course begins as a face-to-face class or is designed from scratch, course development takes considerable time and thought. 

Before embarking on this journey, an instructor should ask:

  1. Why do I want to design and teach an online course?
  2. Do you normally completely design your course before it begins? How much time do you have to design an online course before it begins?
  3. In what ways do I want my online course to be engaging, student-centered and dynamic?
Online course design takes place over many months. It is an involved process requiring collaboration between faculty, the Learning Designer and the Media Lead.
Launching a successful online course with the Digital Learning and Design team depends on meeting the milestones outlined here within the suggested timeframe. Feel free to work ahead of the suggested deadlines; your Learning Designer will work with you to develop a schedule that ensures successful course development.
Asynchronous strategies -- which allow students to complete course work or participate in discussion at different times -- offer real advantages in the remote environment. One key advantage is that student learning and thinking become more visible. Instructors and teaching assistants can make use of additional time to develop intentional and thoughtful feedback.