You are here

ODL 310: Course Design Practicum

Delivery: Facilitated; asynchronous/synchronous blend

Time requirements: Variable, based upon participant

Duration: Variable, based upon participant

In this workshop, participants will build a new online or hybrid course in Moodle with the aid of their own dedicated instructional designer. The course design will occur in six separate phases, with a synchronous web conferencing call at the end of each phase to verify progress and review suggestions for improvement.

To earn certification, a participant must complete all six phases as described below as evaluated by their instructional designer.


Through guided course design in this workshop, faculty will develop mastery of creating measurable course objectives with aligned assessments, creating and implementing a plan for modular course design, and ensuring an online or hybrid course meets the Quality Matters Essential Standards.

The participant and their corresponding instructional designer will proceed through the following six phases of course design. Each participant will be given their own sandbox course in Moodle with the Standard Layout to use throughout this process.

  • Phase 1: Course Planning and Objectives - Participants will develop course and module-level objectives and complete a plan for student assessment in the BluePrint Document Part 1.
  • Phase 2: Modular Design - Participants will assemble a list of instructional materials, learning activities, and technology tools for each module of their course in the BluePrint Document Part 2.
  • Phase 3: Syllabus and "Getting Started" Module - Participants will finalize the "Getting Started" module of their course, complete their course syllabus, and provide a course schedule.
  • Phase 4: Build 50% of Your Course - Participants will build 50% of their design in the sandbox course provided.
  • Phase 5: Build 100% of Your Course - Participants will build 100% of their design in the sandbox course provided.
  • Phase 6: Quality Matters Essential Standards Review - The instructional designer will review the completed course for Quality Matters Essential Standards and suggest changes if all standards are not met.

The pace of the course will be set by the participant’s schedule and the expected time for the course to be taught. After completing all six phases of design, the participant will earn a course completion certificate.

This course can be taken as the final step in reaching the Course Designer Certification, or it can be taken on an as-needed basis.

Enroll by emailing distancelearning@louisiana.edu.