In the dynamic landscape of online education, the University of Florida College of Journalism and Communication's online graduate program (UF CJC Online) is at the forefront of innovation and quality. In a commitment to ensuring educational excellence and student success, UF CJC Online has developed a comprehensive course design strategy to improve its 2020 online courses. This is a mission mandated by the Florida State University System's 2025 Strategic Plan for Online Education.
National mandates set quality goals, but each agency was allowed to develop its own strategies. This article outlines how UF CJC Online developed a common Canvas course template based on best practices that meet or exceed state mandates. Master's in Mass Communication with 6 disciplines (Digital Strategy, Global Strategic Communication, Public Interest Communication, Public Relations, Social Media, Web Design) and 4 Graduate Certificates (Audience Analysis, Global Strategic Communication, Social Media, Web Design) You can get the issue. ), UF CJC Online has been in operation since 2012 and serves a diverse population of 800 graduate students.
Quality Matters: Benchmarking Excellence
To meet the ambitious quality standards set by the state of Florida, UF CJC Online has joined Quality Matters (QM), an organization dedicated to quality assurance in online education. A robust framework for QM, encapsulated in the QM Rubric, is designed to improve the quality of online courses through eight categories, including learning objectives, alignment, assessment strategies, materials, learner interactions, course technology, learner support, accessibility, and usability. Evaluate various aspects of your design. By developing course templates that meet QM standards, UF CJC Online provides students with clear learning objectives, appropriate assessment and learning activities, and high-quality study materials, creating a more engaging and effective learning environment. We aim to create.
Developing and implementing course templates
Initially, the challenge was meeting state mandates and QM standards, but the UF CJC online review team found that existing course offerings did not meet expectations. In response, UF CJC Online built an Instructional Design (ID) team to develop a standardized and adaptable framework for all online courses. Their efforts have fostered an environment that fosters innovation and engagement, driven by curriculum development and tailored to the dynamic needs of our students. Adopting a student-centered philosophy, the program prioritized accessibility, interactivity, and flexibility to help learners pursue their academic goals.
These efforts resulted in a carefully designed course template that is the backbone of the program's online offering. This template features an intuitive layout and key components such as a syllabus, clear assignment guidelines, feedback and grading policies, detailed discussion forums, and links to student support services. It includes institutional and university policies, as well as support service resources to help students and instructors easily access important information, promoting both a sense of community and compliance. . Templates are stored in Canvas and can be easily updated to reflect changes in resource or content information. Additionally, comprehensive templates equip instructors with the essential tools and eliminate the need to create courses from scratch, freeing them up to focus their time and expertise on delivering engaging and impactful courses.
Improving the student experience and learning outcomes
At UF CJC Online, the introduction of course templates has been a game-changer as we significantly improve student success by providing a consistent learning experience. Additionally, a consistent, intuitive, and strategic online learning environment actively engages students in course content, fosters deeper engagement in the online classroom, and motivates students to achieve their learning goals. will be encouraged.
Transparent communication of course objectives, objective-aligned assessment, and access to first-class teaching materials and support resources ensure a comprehensive and enriching learning experience. Notably, since the introduction of course templates, UF CJC Online has seen a significant 25% increase in course completion rates, demonstrating that our commitment to quality education is having a measurable impact.
Quality Course Review Process
Each course within the UF CJC online program undergoes a thorough review process by a peer review team established through QM. The course review team evaluates each course in a collegial, collaborative process against the QM rubric and produces a detailed report that provides valuable feedback on each of the eight areas for course improvement. Course templates are a key element in the QM course review process, as they ensure consistency in course design.
The process of integrating feedback from QM course reviews into course templates is systematic and reflective.
a. Analyzing the cour rlook rresult: The ID team thoroughly analyzes the feedback and identifies the strengths and weaknesses of the current course design.
b. Prioritize befor IImprovement: Identify key areas where changes to your course template can significantly enhance student learning and engagement.
c. Redesign of course components: Make necessary changes to the course template to address gaps identified in the QM course review.
Continuous improvement and customization
Incorporating QM feedback into course templates is not a static process, but a dynamic continuous improvement cycle. This iterative approach ensures that the program stays in sync with the latest best practices in online education and responds to the changing needs of students and instructors. Although most of the templates are standardized, certain aspects of QM course review feedback need to be customized for each course. Examples of implemented feedback from official QM course reviews include:
- Create Canvas explainer navigation videos to help students understand the platform's features and functionality.
- Clearly explain the structure and significance of each course to ensure students understand its relevance to their degree or certificate program.
- Establish transparent feedback policies and assignment grading timelines, and let students know when they can expect feedback from their instructors.
- Implement comprehensive privacy and accessibility policies across all course tools to ensure all students have fair access to course materials.
- Prepare students by identifying and communicating the technical skills needed for successful course participation.
- Specifying technical requirements, including equipment and software needs, is essential to the course to ensure that students are prepared accordingly.
- Incorporate alignment maps that link course learning objectives (CLOs), module learning objectives (MLOs), and learning activities to show their interconnectedness and relevance to student learning.
- Provides direct links to student support services, including mental health resources and technical assistance, providing learners with readily accessible assistance.
- Enhance navigation by maintaining consistent graphics throughout your template, allowing students to efficiently find different course elements.
- By empowering ID teams to take a customized approach, we ensure that each course adheres to a standardized template while also addressing the unique requirements and characteristics that define that course.
Challenges and future direction
Although the implementation of QM-based course templates has been largely successful, it is not without its challenges. One of the main hurdles is to ensure that the template is flexible enough to accommodate the diverse needs of different courses and instructors and male psychological approaches. Additionally, the ongoing process of collecting and integrating feedback requires a significant investment of time and resources throughout the year.
Looking ahead, UF CJC Online is committed to further improving the course templates based on ongoing QM reviews and feedback from students and instructors. The goal is to create a living document that evolves as online education changes and employs the highest quality standards.
continuous improvement
Over the past five years, the University of Florida School of Journalism and Communication has worked to improve the quality and effectiveness of its online graduate program by integrating quality issues standards and feedback into course templates. This process helped ensure a consistent, high-quality learning experience. Through continuous improvement and adherence to QM standards, UF CJC Online has established itself as a leader in online education, ensuring all courses meet Florida mandates by achieving QM certification by the end of 2025 To do.
Cheryl Oberlin is the Assistant Director of UF CJC Online. She earned a master's degree in project management, an MBA, and a master's degree in English composition and rhetoric from Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio. She will be teaching personal branding and digital reputation management in addition to mass communication education at the University of Florida starting in 2021. Previously, she taught Entrepreneurship at Wright State University, Sinclair Community Composition and Business Writing at Edison, and Composition and Speech at Edison. State community college. She has been with Quality Matters, Inc. since 2007. Her Oberlin passion for helping students succeed in higher education is evidenced by her track record in designing high-quality, learner-centered online courses.
