Coordinating Communication: A Blueprint for Multi-Team Course Design and Development Projects

Concurrent Session 7

Brief Abstract

How do you manage communication with multiple stakeholders representing different aspects of an online course development project? Learn about the Blueprint used at one university to create quality courses in a 14-week period by coordinating communication across all members of the design and development teams.

Presenters

Additional Authors

Laura Widenor, Boise State University

Laura leads the team of instructional design consultants that work primarily with the College of Business & Economics, the College of Engineering, and the College of Innovation & Design at Boise State University. She provides assistance with the design, development, and revision of online courses while advocating for effective and innovative delivery of courses to online students. She facilitates formal faculty development opportunities related to online teaching and learning. Prior to becoming an instructional designer, Laura acquired several years of teaching experience in Idaho and held a variety of administrative positions in student life. Laura holds a Master's degree in Elementary Education, which she received through a hybrid online and on-campus program from University of Phoenix, Boise. She holds two certificates from the Online Learning Consortium in online teaching and instructional design and the Lamar University Advanced Graduate Certificate in Online Education.

Extended Abstract

Our course design and development process includes project teams including instructional design, quality assurance, copyright and accessibility specialists, course developers, multimedia consultants, and faculty with subject matter expertise. Team members may be working on multiple projects during overlapping 14-week cycles. To overcome the challenges of coordinating a project among a dispersed team, the department created a Google document template, called a Blueprint, which acts as a coordinated communication channel for all aspects of a project.

Whether working across a large team or as a solo course designer, participants will learn how they can create their own Blueprint to use from course conceptualization through the final build in the LMS. Presenters will discuss the evolution of the Blueprint, the built-in faculty development features, and the advantages of documenting changes and streamlining communication.

The Blueprint provides:

  • A structured design process,

  • A centralized Communication channel,

  • Just-in-time faculty support,

  • Efficient build and quality assurance functions, and

  • A project archive to maintain course history and archive.

By the end of the session, participants will have a blueprint template to incorporate or adapt for their projects, ideas/methods for continuous improvement of course design & development, and a no-cost communication tool for team projects.