The Center for Distance Education
Course Developer Guide
Table of Contents
Welcome ....................................................................................................................................................... 3
What is an Online Course? ............................................................................................................................ 4
How is an Online Course Structured? ........................................................................................................... 4
Online Course Development Team ............................................................................................................... 4
Academic Affairs ....................................................................................................................................... 4
Executive Director, The Center for Distance Education............................................................................ 5
Instructional Designers ............................................................................................................................. 5
Online Course Developer .......................................................................................................................... 5
Online Course Developer Expectations ......................................................................................................... 5
Online Course Development Process............................................................................................................ 6
Online Course Development Templates ................................................................................................... 6
Course Map Template........................................................................................................................... 6
Online Course Syllabus Template ......................................................................................................... 6
Online Course Curriculum Summary..................................................................................................... 6
Approvals/ Sign-Off ............................................................................................................................... 6
Key Online Course Developer Terms ............................................................................................................ 8
Course Description: ............................................................................................................................... 8
Course Goals: ........................................................................................................................................ 8
Learning Objectives:.................................................................................................................................. 8
Bloom’s Taxonomy:................................................................................................................................... 9
Learning Activities: .................................................................................................................................... 9
Discussions ............................................................................................................................................ 9
Content Assessments .......................................................................................................................... 10
Assignments ........................................................................................................................................ 10
Readings/Lectures............................................................................................................................... 10
Online Course Development Time Guidelines ........................................................................................ 11
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Welcome,
I would like congratulate you on your decision to be an Online Course Developer for Hudson County
Community College. I am confident that this experience will be a positive one for you.
The origination of this guide goes back to my initial days at the college. In February 2010 I visited four
NJ community colleges that were successful with their distance education programs on a fact finding
tour. My goal was to discover how their distance education programs were structured and learn from
their successes and opportunities for improvement. From these visits came many recommendations but
none more important than “Quality should not be sacrificed for quantity.”
Recognition exists that while growth is very important to the success of our program, quality must come
first. Without this foundation any online courses offered could be potentially damaging to the students
and college. As an Online Course Developer you play a critical role in ensuring we have that solid
foundation of quality.
Hudson County Community College in offering its distance education courses has developed clear
processes and standards to ensure that all courses offered to our students are of the highest quality and
equal in their rigor to their traditional in-class counterparts. This guide will you help you to understand
what it will take for you to develop the highest quality online courses.
The Center for Distance Education staff is excited about working with you on your online course
development. Please do not hesitate to contact us regarding anything in this guide or related to the
online course development process.
All the best!
Corey Vigdor
Corey Vigdor
Executive Director, The Center for Distance Education
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What is an Online Course?
Students who are enrolled in an online course will experience no in-person meeting requirements
as all course content, class discussions, assessments, assignments, feedback and communications
occur entirely online through a Learning Management System. At Hudson County Community College
we are utilizing Blackboard which we refer to as “Hudson Online”.
Online Courses are built to accentuate interactivity, content mastery, critical thinking and student
application of learning. In order to ensure that each course fully integrates this model, standard design
and learning activities are included in each course. Course Developers are subject matter experts who
have full control over the content in each course; however, the structure and design of all courses are
standardized. This helps to ensure that students can take part in similar high quality educational
experiences in all courses.
How is an Online Course Structured?
Each online course is developed for a seven-unit schedule and will use a standard of 1000 total points.
Students will find common graded and non-graded learning activities present throughout the course.
Each unit will include:
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Readings/Resources
Lecture
Discussions (30 Points/Unit, 210 Points for the Course)
Assignments (580 Points for the Course)
Content Assessments (30 Points/Unit, 210 Points for the Course)
Through the Online Course Development Process highlighted in this document, Course Developers will
learn about their important roles in developing all material to fit into this standardized structure.
Online Course Development Team
The following are members of the online course development team as well as the important roles they
play in the development process:
Academic Affairs
The Vice President of Academic Affairs along with the Division Academic Deans determines which
courses will be developed online and who will serve as the Course Developers. Academic Affairs is
ultimately responsible for ensuring that the developed online courses are rigorous and meet their
intended goals and learning objectives to satisfy the requirements of the Middle States Higher Education
Association.
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Executive Director, The Center for Distance Education
The Executive Director oversees the development process for each course to ensure that it completed
according to high quality standards and in a timely manner. The Executive Director will provide the final
course development approval.
Instructional Designers
Instructional Designers report directly to the Executive Director of The Center for Distance Education.
As project managers for online course development, they collaborate with Course Developers to ensure
that established quality standards and specified timelines are adhered to. They are responsible for all
technical aspects of the online course development process including the uploading of content
information directly into Hudson Online and determine any multimedia needs for a course.
Online Course Developer
Course Developers provide subject matter expertise for the development of online courses. They work
directly with Instructional Designers to develop course content. The Course Developer is required to
complete specific templates by deadlines noted in the Course Developer Agreement. Course Developers
should have basic knowledge and understanding of Hudson Online tools. All developers will
communicate and submit all online course materials using the Hudson Online platform in developing
their online course.
Course Developers are responsible for ensuring that the course goals, learning objectives and time
allocations for the online course they are developing is equivalent in rigor and content to the identical
course offered in the traditional in-class learning environment.
Online Course Developer Expectations
Online Course Developers are expected to:
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Meet all deadlines outlined in the signed “Course Developer Agreement”.
Demonstrate a solid understanding of course goals and learning objectives.
Identify meaningful readings and create appropriate assignments and assessments that are
linked to course goals and learning objectives .
Complete and submit all required material in the Hudson Online Course as assigned by the
Instructional Designer.
Maintain speedy communication with your assigned instructional Designer throughout the
development process. All email communications sent by the Instructional Designer must be
replied to within 48 hours.
Submit original content work that is free of plagiarism and adheres to copyright laws as well as
the APA and MLA citation standards.
Use no textbook references in lectures or assignments to ensure the couse remains green.
Have proficiency with MS Word 2007.
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Online Course Development Process
The Course Developer Agreement lists major deliverables in phases and due dates for the online course
development. The templates listed below reside in the Blackboard Online Development Course for
which you will be enrolled in. Additionally these templates will be submitted through this course by the
specified due. The Course Developer should communicate any delays in submitting completed
templates at least 48 hours prior to the due dates set forth in the Course Developer Agreement.
Online Course Development Templates
Course Map Template
The Course Map template provides the necessary framework for the course development by identifying
course goals, learning objectives, discussion questions, and assignments. It also estimates the amount of
time that students will be engaged in the course’s various learning activities.
Online Course Syllabus Template
The Online Course Syllabus Template contains information to communicate to students about the
course description, goals, learning objectives, assignments, grading policies, required texts and
resources for the course.
Online Course Curriculum Summary
The Online Course Curriculum Summary lists the course learning objectives and course components
from the HCCC Course Outline and items from the General Education Checklist. This summary is used to
provide the Course Approval Committee an analysis on how the CDE course map meets the mandated
equivalency requirements of the HCCC traditional in-class courses.
Approvals/ Sign-Off
The Middles States Commission on Higher Education requires that an online course is equal in rigor to
the traditional in-class instruction delivery. Academic Affairs will approve the Course Map to ensure that
it complies with this guideline.
The Executive Director of The Center for Distance Education will provide the final course development
approval.
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The following chart illustrates the online course development process which can take 4 months to
complete:
Kick-Off Meeting to be held
Course Developers
Agreement Sent/Received
Phase #3
Course Map
Units 2 - 7 Development
Begins/Submitted
Phase #6
Online Course Syllabus
Begins/Submitted
Phase #1
Goals and Learning
Objectives Development
Begins
Phase #4
Course Lectures and Content
Asssessment Development
Begins/Submitted
Online Course Approval
Committee evaluates online
course documentation and
provides feedback.
Phase #2
Course Map
Unit One Development
Begins/Submitted
Phase #5
Online Course Curriculum
Summmary
Begins/Submitted
Quality Reveiw
period by the CDE
Online Courses Offered
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Key Online Course Developer Terms
Course Description:
The Course Description is a series of statements that provides students with an overview of what they
will learn in the course. This information can be found in both the official HCCC Course Outline in
Section A and the official College Catalog. Course Developers will input the Course Description into the
Course Map Template.
Course Goals:
 Course Goals are general statements about the concepts you want students to understand after
completing the course. Course goals are not action items, they are concepts that student will
master by the end of the course.
 Course Goals are generally derived from the description (not the catalog description) located in
the official HCCC Course outline.
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Course Goals should be constructed as: Students will (O) (C).
O = Options: Understand, Comprehend, or Learn
C = Concept
Example: Students will understand why technology in the classroom is useful.
O = “understand”
C = “why technology in the classroom is useful”
Course Developers will input Course Goals into both the Course Map and the Online Course
Syllabus
Learning Objectives:
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Learning Objectives are specific, measureable statements that break down course goals into
what the Course Developer perceives students will be able to accomplish after learning the
material. These statements are student-centered and assessed through the course’s graded
Learning Activities.
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Learning Objective Key Question: What specific skills are necessary to accomplish the associated
Course Goal?
Learning Objective should be constructed as: Students will be able to (B) + (T)
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B = Blooms Taxonomy Verb (select from list on p. 9)
T = Task
Example: Students will be able to describe the benefits of computers in the classroom.
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M = describe
N = the benefits of computers in the classroom.
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All of the objectives listed within the HCCC Course Outline must be covered within the course
map. There may be a need to develop more Learning Objectives than currently exist.
Each Course Goal should have 3-5 Learning Objectives that have an associated Bloom’s
Taxonomy Level.
Course Developers will input Learning Objectives into the Course Map, Online Course Syllabus
and Course Content Templates.
Bloom’s Taxonomy:
Course Developers will utilize Bloom’s Taxonomy to identify the cognitive level at which the learning
activity is assessed. The Bloom’s levels are as follows:
1. Knowledge: arrange, define, duplicate, label, list, memorize, name, order, relate, recall, repeat,
reproduce, state.
2. Comprehension: classify, describe, discuss, explain, express, identify, indicate, locate, recognize,
report, restate, review, select, translate,
3. Application: apply, choose, demonstrate, dramatize, employ, illustrate, interpret, operate,
practice, schedule, sketch, solve, use, write.
4. Analysis: analyze, appraise, calculate, categorize, compare, contrast, criticize, differentiate,
discriminate, distinguish, examine, experiment, question, test.
5. Synthesis: arrange, assemble, collect, compose, construct, create, design, develop, formulate,
manage, organize, plan, prepare, propose, set up, write.
6. Evaluation: appraise, argue, assess, attach, choose compare, defend estimate, judge, predict,
rate, core, select, support, value, evaluate.
Learning Activities:
Learning Activities are created to meet course Learning Objectives. The following are standard Learning
Activities that are contained in each online course, associated time it will take for the Learning Activity
to be completed and the recommended Bloom’s Taxonomy level:
Discussions
Course Developers will choose up to two open-ended discussion questions per week that promotes
faculty-to-student and student-to-student interaction, dialogue, feedback, and understanding of topics
that meet Learning Objectives. It is recommended that questions for these learning activities are
focused on the Comprehension, Application and Analysis levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy. It is estimated
that it will take students a total of 3 Carnegie Units or 150 minutes per week to successfully complete
this Learning Activity.
The following are guidelines you can utilize in developing various kinds of discussion questions:
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Exploratory questions: probe facts and basic knowledge
Challenge questions: interrogate assumptions, conclusions or interpretations
Relational questions: ask for comparisons of themes, ideas, or issues
Diagnostic questions: probe motives or causes
Action questions: call for a conclusion or action
Cause-and-effect questions: ask for causal relationships between ideas, actions, or events
Extension questions: expand the discussion
Hypothetical questions: pose a change in the facts or issues
Priority questions: seek to identify the most important issue(s)
Summary questions: elicit synthesis
These question types can be mapped onto Bloom’s taxonomy of learning objectives, which shows
increasing levels of cognitive complexity as students move from fairly simple tasks (such as recall of
information) to more complex tasks (such as synthesis, evaluation, or creation.) Source: Davis, B. G.
(1993) Tools for Teaching. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Content Assessments
Course Developers will create a weekly Content Assessment (quiz) which will measure student’s
knowledge and comprehension of material presented in the assigned readings, resources and lecture. It
is recommended that questions for these learning activities focus on the Knowledge and
Comprehension levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy. Content Assessments will be created to allow students a
total of 2 Carnegie Units or 100 minutes per week to successfully complete this Learning Activity.
Assignments
Course Developers will create assignments which will measure the student’s mastery of the weekly
Learning Objectives. It is recommended that these learning activities are focused on the Synthesis and
Evaluation levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy. The Course Developer will estimate the amount of time it
should take a student to complete an assignment.
Readings/Lectures
Course Developers are responsible for choosing appropriate Readings/Resources each week that are
directly connected to the course’s Learning Objectives.
Course Developers are also responsible for creating a 1200 word original lecture for each week of the
course. The lecture should not contain any textbook references such as page numbers, chapters, etc.
This is an opportunity for the Course Developer to bring their experiences and insights on the weekly
topics to the students and should not be a repetition of the information found in the assigned readings.
All lectures are required to run through SafeAssign; to assure the originality of the work, if the materials
exceed 25% of resources the lecture will be reviewed and subject to revision..
The Course Developer will estimate the amount of time it should take a student to complete assigned
readings.
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Online Course Development Time Guidelines
The following chart illustrates the amount of time students should expect to spend completing Learning
Activities in a three credit online course and how it compares with its traditional in-class counterpart.
Weeks
Time/Learning
Activities
Time/Learning
Activities
outside class
Traditional In-Class
Course
15
Time in-class
3 Carnegie
Units*/Week
150 Minutes/Week
2250 Minutes/Course
Learning Activities inclass
Discussions
Assessments
Lecture
Class
Navigation/Directions
Time
6 to 9 Carnegie
Units*/Week
Learning Activities
Readings
Assignments
Total Time
9-12 Carnegie
Range/Week
Units*/Week
Total Time
135-180 Carnegie
Range/Course
Units*
* A Carnegie Unit = 50 Minutes
Online Course
7
Time in Hudson Online
7 Carnegie Units*/Week
350 Minutes/Week
2450 Minutes/Course
Learning Activities in Hudson Online
Discussions-3 Carnegie Units*/150 Minutes
Assessments-2 Carnegie Units*/100 Minutes
Lecture-1.5 Carnegie Units*/75 Minutes
Class Navigation/Directions-.5 Carnegie Units*/25
Minutes
Time
13 to 19 Carnegie Units*/Week
Learning Activities
Readings
Assignments
20-26 Carnegie Units*/Week
140-182 Carnegie Units*
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