Orientation for Subject-Matter Experts Developing a New Course

In this section you’ll find information on:

New Course Development

Developing a course in a new program can be a rewarding and creative process. Many subject-matter experts (SMEs) enjoy the behind-the-scenes work of developing a course and the creativity you can use to create a course from scratch.

Many SMEs report one of the biggest challenges to developing a new course is staying on schedule because it can be tempting to try and fit too much in or wrongly estimate how much time one design task will take.

It’s important to know you are not alone, and the Learning Design and Support Team member (Teaching & Learning Specialist or Curriculum Development Consultant) you are working with can help you manage these challenges to help the course development process be enjoyable and successful for you.

When you’re developing a new course as part of a new program, there is an extra layer of alignment to consider. Alignment means two things:

  1. how all the courses fit and align together to make a cohesive, and not a repetitive, learning experience for students; and
  2. how all the courses align with the Vocational Learning Outcomes, and, if your program includes them, the Essential Employability Skills.

Your assigned LDS Team member can help you navigate these alignment questions, and each program may approach this process in a custom way that works for them, their program, and their SMEs. The important takeaway here is that you are not developing a course in isolation, and knowing what is happening in other courses in the program may help you as you develop your course.

This resource has basic information about new course development, and, as always, the assigned LDS Team member is available to help.

What are my responsibilities for course development?

Subject-Matter Expert Responsibilities

While most courses have similar development expectations, each course can have unique circumstances that may alter this list. Be sure to clarify with your Academic Chair or Dean what your responsibilities are for the course that you’ve been hired to develop, and what deliverables and timelines they are expecting.

Here is a list of common SME responsibilities for course development:

  • Develop a course for delivery (usually 14 weeks plus 1 Independent Study/Reading week);
  • Complete a course outline using our approved course outline template and input it into Fleming’s online course outline system in Evolve;
  • Create weekly lesson plans or modules and related learning materials as applicable (slide decks, classroom activities, videos, lab content, other learning resources, etc.);
  • Complete a detailed assessment plan and create related rubrics;
  • Create quizzes, tests, and other assessments as specified in the course outline;
  • Set up a functioning and content-rich D2L course shell;
  • Create a Required/Recommended textbook and/or manual list as well as equipment/software lists;
  • Provide monthly updates to the Chair/Dean throughout the development process; and
  • Attend bi-weekly development team meetings.

What is the process for developing a new course?

Course Development Process

When you’re developing a new course, there are some common steps you will need to complete during the design process. Here is a brief overview of those steps, and some resources for you to explore. Your assigned LDS Team member and colleagues are also excellent sources of information and support. It is good practice to ask your assigned LDS Team member to review your work and provide feedback at each step to help you create a high-quality course.

  1. Review the Vocational Learning Outcomes for the program.
    • If you don’t already have them, check with your assigned LDS Team member
  2. Use the course outline template to get organized.
    • Collect the information you have, such as course description, name, hours, delivery, and identify the information you need to collect or develop.
  3. Write the course-level learning outcomes.
  4. Create formative and summative assessments, including rubrics, to give students ungraded and graded feedback.
    • Formative assessments are ungraded assessments intended to provide feedback to students before a graded assessment, and provide feedback to you, as the instructor, about the progress of the learners.
    • Summative assessments are graded assessments and are part of your grading scheme.
    • You will need a variety of formative and summative assessments. Your assigned LDS Team member can help here too.
    • Review thisĀ information about creating assessments.
  5. Curate and create content for lessons and supporting learning materials

How do I create my course in D2L?

Creating a D2L Course

D2L Brightspace is Fleming’s Learning Management System (LMS). Once your course has been developed using the template(s) provided and reviewed by your assigned LDS Team member, a D2L course shell will be created for you to move the course contents into D2L. For a brief introduction, please see ourĀ D2L Overview.

Your D2L course should be set up as a series ofĀ content modulesĀ for visual appeal and ease of use for the students taking the course. Our D2L UDL Template will be imported into your course shell to support this set-up.

D2L Tools

D2L has a variety of tools, some of which you will need to use to set up your course:

There are other D2L tools that you may use in your course design, including

For more information on D2L and other D2L tools that are available, please see theĀ Brightspace D2L pageĀ of the LDS Team website.