New online courses at the University of Nevada, Reno will follow a standard development process with the help of the Office of Digital Learning (ODL). This process will guide faculty from initial planning to building their course in WebCampus, with a course development team available to assist with training, answer faculty course developer questions, and keep the process on track. All new online courses will be required to meet the University Standards for Digital Instruction.
It is important to note that this development information is specifically for asynchronous online courses. Development information for other modalities (including synchronous online, hybrid, etc.) will be forthcoming.
Explore the online course development process
Learn about the steps involved with the online course development process.
Review the course development timeline
Familiarize yourself with the online course development timeline.
Learn about the course development team
Review the roles and responsibilities of the course development team.
Frequently asked questions
Get instructor/faculty focused answers to frequently asked questions related to online learning.
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To begin the course development process, an online course proposal will need to be submitted. The deadlines for submitting online course proposals are below:
| Courses to be offered for the first time: | Proposal must be submitted no later than... |
|---|---|
| Spring semester | June 15 |
| Summer semester | October 15 |
| Fall semester | November 15 |
Interested in developing a course sooner? Contact the Office of Digital Learning for more information and to discuss timelines.
The Online Course Approval Request Form must be completed through Curriculog. The form will represent the initial application to develop a course with the insight and support of the Office of Digital Learning, and attest that the faculty member has sought the approval their department chair and college dean. Please see our Online Course Proposal page for instructions on preparing the Online Course Approval Request Form in Curriculog.
Once the course proposal has been approved by the Office of Digital Learning and the Vice Provost for Online Education, a course development team will be assigned to the faculty member (referred to as the “Faculty Course Developer” or FCD) to begin the development process. Each course development team consists of the following members:
See the course development team page for more information on the roles and responsibilities of each member of the team.
The course development process begins with a team-wide meeting to discuss the class and establish a course development timeline. Then, the FCD completes ODL’s online course development training, if they have not already done so within the past academic year.
After completing the training course, the FCD will sign the course development agreement, which serves as the contract for course development, covering responsibilities, timelines and conditions for the development of an online course.
The online course development process includes four main steps:
The FCD will complete these steps with the help of their course development team, who will answer questions, provide tips and best practices, and assist with training.
Once the FCD completes the development and building of their course in WebCampus, it will be informally reviewed by the development team’s Instructional Designer before the University Digital Learning Quality Assurance Officer conducts a final review to ensure it meets University Standards for Digital Instruction. Once the course passes the quality assurance review, it can be offered.
Please take a look at the online course development process page for more information on what each step of the process entails.
If you’d like to know more about the new online course development process, or have questions or comments, please contact the Office of Digital Learning.
