Course Revision Timeline

21-Week revision cycle

Reviewing and revising an online course takes time, and our experience has allowed us to create a finely tuned process for successful revision work. While a typical new course development is a 30 week endeavor, the timeline for revision work is 21 weeks. This means that the course revision process begins 21 weeks prior to the term launch date (the first day of each semester).

However, that doesn't mean that as a developing faculty, you have 21 weeks to complete your revision work. Portions of this time are dedicated to internal processes such as reviewing, building in Moodle, and quality assurance. As such, we've broken down the timeline into distinct sections to clearly indicate when you will need to be most engaged in the revision. The timeline also highlights the timing of major deliverables and milestones throughout the 21-week revision cycle.

Weeks 1–2. During the first weeks of the revision process, you will be asked to review the master version of your course and the information on the course edit logs. Use this time to further prepare your detailed course revision notes to have during your first consultation with the instructional designer (ID).

You will be expected to:

    • Review your existing master course.
    • Review the course edit log and prepare recommendations for course revisions and enhancements.
    • Participate in a course kick-off meeting to plan your work and deliverables with the ID.
    • Collaborate with your ID to create a timeline for the scope of revisions, the revision deliverables based on the needs of your course.

Weeks 3–15. The majority of the collaboration with your instructional designer will take place during these weeks.

You will be expected to:

    • Submit your revision deliverables based on the scope of work and the timelines agreed upon in the kickoff meeting.
    • Review and revise the course map to ensure that course objectives are aligned with the:
      • Program Outcomes
      • Weekly Learning Objectives
      • Course Assignments
      • Assessments
      • Learning Materials
    • Collaborate regularly with your ID during meetings to review and finalize the changes you are making to the Course Manual/Scrape (the Word version of your course content).
    • Review the master course on a regular basis as content is revised, copyedited, finalized and built into the master course.
    • Meet the final deliverable date, allowing your ID and build team to meet the deadline for quality assurance checks (Week 16 of this process).

Weeks 16-18. Once all of the course updates are completed, the course goes to the Quality Assurance team for a thorough review. While the course is undergoing QA, your work will diminish and your meetings with the ID will trail off.

Week 19. These weeks are intended for the implementation of changes suggested by the completed QA review and to get your course ready for the start of the term.

You will be expected to:

  • Attend a meeting with your ID, if needed, to go through any issues uncovered by the QA team.
  • Conduct a final review to approve the course revisions and confirm the course is ready for the start of the term.

Week 20. The final step before the start of the term is the duplication of the master course into the course sections. Duplication will be performed two weeks prior to the course launch (the start of the semester).

Week 21. This week is faculty preview week. During this time, the section instructors are notified of their course links and are expected to review their courses and to perform a routine set up of the course prior to their student’s arrival.

Students are given access on the Friday of Week 21 so that they can get ready for the start of the term. It’s important to note that they receive their syllabi one week prior to beginning the semester.