Course Development
This page provides information on adding course content, course quality, tools and resources for online courses, and tips for teaching online.
Course Approval and Requests
Please refer to DL Faculty Procedures and Guidelines page for information about course approvals and course requests.
Copying/Importing/Adding Course Content
There are a number of options for adding content to your course shells. The link below will describe how to copy course content, import packages, import course cartridges and more.
Learn about your options for adding content to your course shell.
Course Quality Guidelines and Help
- CFCC DL Course Approval Procedure (pdf): This document explains the procedure for requesting to develop a new online (hybrid or Internet) course.
- CFCC DL Course Request: Note that course shells for credit courses are automatically created from Datatel. Use the Course Request form only for Continuing Ed courses or when requesting a developmental or master course.
- CFCC Course Essentials Checklist (PDF: This list of 25 specific standards will help you start developing a quality Internet or Hybrid course. These standards were agreed upon by the CFCC Distance Learning Committee and the Distance Learning Department.
- CFCC Course Essentials Rubric (PDF): This rubric accompanies the Course Essentials checklist and provides you with an easy way to help assess your course strengths and areas for improvement. Each of the standards includes references to sections of the Best Practices course (see below) that address the standard.
- Best Practices for Online Teaching (opens in new window): Having a list of course essentials is great, but how do you use them? Our Best Practices for Online Teaching site will explain how you can proceed with setting up a quality online course by using these standards. Modules on this site include Getting Started (preparing students, instructor performance); Creating Course Content (creating lesson objectives, developing content, addressing copyright, plagiarism); During Teaching (motivating students, interaction, feedback and support, dealing with conflicts, multiculturalism); and Pulling it All Together (time management, evaluation, professional development).
Are Your Courses Ready for the New Semester?
Before you roll out your course for the semester, make sure you have reviewed them for accuracy and required items. The first document, the Course Readiness Checklist, provides you with an interactive form to help you document the status of your course(s). The other documents support the Course Readiness Checklist.
- Course Readiness Checklist (pdf): This checklist provides you with a list of items that should be included in your course . Please use this document to help determine if your course is ready for the first day of class. View Interactive Version of Course Readiness Checklist (includes links, text notes, etc.).
- Course Essentials Rubric (doc): View 25 critical standards for online courses and use this rubric to identify any areas that need improvement and make notes about your courses.
- Grade Center Check (pdf): This document explains items to check to ensure activities were properly copied; that the correct grading schema is used (if applicable); and that items are weighted correctly (if using grade weighting).
Tools and Resources for Courses
- Create Accessible Content:
All students should be provided an equivalent learning experience, including students with disabilities (motor, visual, hearing, cognitive). This link identifies a few important guidelines instructors and staff should follow to help create accessible Web content.
- File Naming and File Optimization (includes reducing file size by compressing images):
Did you know that by including certain characters in your file name, the file might fail to display? Did you know that you can compress graphics in your documents to significantly decrease the file size? Learn how to properly name files used in your online course and how to decrease the size of your files (primarily those with many graphics) to decrease uploading speed and time and for you and your students. - File Viewers and Converters:
Let your students know about free viewers for file types used in your course so they can access course content easily. There are also a number of converters available, which can be useful for you and for students to save assignments in the desired file type. - Graphics and Animation:
Find free graphics and editing tools for graphics and amimations. - Learning Objects and Open Source Content:
Find reusable learning objects (RLO's) and other free educational content for your online courses. - Lecture Recording and Web Conferencing:
Learn about some free and low-cost tools that allow you to record instructional materials or conduct live interactive session with your students. - Organizers (Mind Maps, Timelines, etc.)
Learn about exciting tools to present interactive concept maps, timelines, and more to make your courses come to life. Organization does not have to be boring. - Podcasting:
Learn how to record audio lessons and post them to CFCC's iTunesU, where your students can subscribe to a listen to recordings. - Software Tutorials:
This section includes a list of some great tutorials for MS Office, Camtasia, and other popular tools.
Online Teaching Tips
- Best Practices for Online Courses :
View exemplary courses and learn how to employ widely accepted best practices in your online courses. - Copyright and Fair Use :
Identify potential copyright and fair use issues when integrating content in your distance course. Learn about what is safe, what is off limits, and what is questionable. - News, Journals and Abstracts :
Keep informed about distance learning news and research at CFCC, in NC and elsewhere.
