Practicum
During my internship with Herzing University I developed multiple new business program courses. Herzing has been in the process of creating dozens of new business classes that are directed at business analytics and business management. While working with the Learning Design Specialist (LDS) a redesign of their master templates was needed for an upgrade to their design software; DesignPLUS. Some previous features were not compatible and need a refresh. In conjunction with the LDS, I implemented a streamlined course homepage as well as added visual aids.
There are multiple stages within the course development cycle I was included in. The first stage was s kick-off meeting with the subject matter experts (SMEs) that established the expectations for completion of the courses in line with the University standards. During the meeting the SMEs are given a template with the course descriptions and course objectives, this template aids in backwards design of their designated course. They start with the end assessments in mind. Once the LDS and business program director have approved all presented information the SME is then moved to the curation of content.
The next stage involves the gathering of content. The SME is instructed to find relevant content to support their desired assessments. At this stage we start to process the content and assess for relevance and accessibility for our learners. A variety of reading and visual resources are provided with appropriate sourcing and citations. Throughout each unit creation the LDS, SME, and program director meet weekly to continue to align the content with the course objectives. Once all resources and content are approved the content is moved into templates for loading into the Canvas learning management software. These templates are established with the background coding needed to maintain the University branding. When finished with these templates the SME and program director review for approval for initial loading. The next stage is stakeholder approval.
With the approval of all stakeholders, I moved into the loading of the course within Canvas. Using DesignPLUS software all modules with lessons and assessments are prebuilt with the multi-tool; this allows for consistency within the Herzing University business school brand. After all modules are built out, I began loading the content into each specific module. Videos, reading, and other resources are cited appropriately and included in each lesson. Each module has a discussion and at least one assignment that are loaded with individually built rubrics; in total there are eight discussions with a minimum of seven assessments. Herzing is structured on an eight-week course cycle. After all modules were completed; the syllabus, rubrics, and learning resources are updated.
The final stage is the review of the course prior to becoming 'live'. When I completed the loading the head LDS, program director, SME, and a peer SME all review the content. Any necessary adjustments are made, and the course settings are changed the course is ready to be copied for each needed semester section.