Colleagues,
Thank you to everyone who has been involved in the Colorado Online @ project this year, from the faculty, instructors, students and staff who have served directly on the project team and subcommittees, to the many more who have provided input through the Online Faculty and Instructor Advisory Committee, functional groups, the open forum, the mini-conference and other venues.
I am proud of the progress we have made so far:
- Starting this fall, faculty and students will be able to access all of their online courses from a single login screen in Desire2Learn (including web-based components of classroom and hybrid courses). This was one of the most frequent requests from faculty and students when we surveyed them last spring. Expanded help desk support will also be available.
- A common main navigation bar and course home page layout will make it easier for students to find important course information so they can focus on their learning. For fully online courses, the common course framework will display the dates associated with weekly units or content modules, helping students stay on schedule.
- We have designed and piloted a new collaborative course design process where learning designers work with faculty to develop discipline-approved Ready-to-Teach courses. Instructors from across the system will have the option to design their own courses or use the Ready-to-Teach courses as a resource – in whole or in part — confident that they address the course learning outcomes as well as accessibility and quality standards.
- The Learning Design subcommittee has developed enhanced Quality Matters standards, incorporating principles of DEI and Universal Design (QM+). They have also developed a streamlined Healthy Course Checklist based on these standards.
- We have agreed upon a registration model that increases opportunities for students to take online courses through their home college, while also providing access to online courses taught by other colleges within the Colorado Community College System. Online sections will be allocated to colleges based initially on their historical online enrollment in both home college and CCCOnline sections. This means that colleges will need to increase the number of sections they offer, and college presidents are committed to supporting CCCOnline instructors in the hiring process.
Looking ahead to fall:
- This summer we will continue working on the financial model, technology needs, and other logistical details so that we can share a more detailed timeframe for when courses and services will transition to the new Colorado Online @ consortium.
- Work groups will be established to focus on accreditation, communication, professional development, and business processes.
- We will also work with the state discipline chairs in preparation for the 2:2 so that colleges can begin planning for sections to be taught through the Colorado Online @ consortium in the following academic year (AY 23/24).
As always, additional details on the project can be found on the Colorado Online @ blog, including a recording of the Open Forum held on April 21, featuring a summary of progress on the single instance by Frank Vazquez and a quick tour of the common course framework by Stephanie Wickman. A list of questions asked during the forum and answers will also be posted on the blog site.
Don’t hesitate to contact me or Tammy Vercauteren, Colorado Online @ Project Director, with any questions.
Sincerely,
Landon