8-03.6 Procedure - Course Development Stipend

Course Development Stipend Guidelines and Requirements

Quality course design and development takes careful planning, consistent communication, and time management with instructors and instructional designers (ID) working together. The Curriculum and Instructional Support Center (CISC) provides full course development support to instructors, including:

1. 1:1 consultation with an Instructional Designer
2. A targeted plan for developing an effective, engaging course
3. Aligning courses with national quality assurance standards for online and face-to-face learning
4. Exploring strategies to enhance learner engagement

Full-time faculty may be eligible for up to a $1500 temporary salary adjustment (TSA) for course redesigns or developing new courses. Faculty credentialed as a Quality Matters (QM) Peer Reviewer will receive an additional $200 stipend per course for up to $1,700, conditional on meeting the guidelines below. Occasionally, it may be necessary for adjunct faculty to develop a new course or to redesign an existing course. Adjunct faculty will be paid the same rate as full-time faculty. For adjuncts, completion of the requirements (described below) will be documented on the faculty Adjunct Pay Adjustment form, and the stipend will be added as a pay adjustment in the pay period in which the course redesign is completed if submitted to Human Resources (HR) before the HR and payroll deadline.

Course development guidelines are as follows:

1. Priority will be given to the development of courses that:
   1. fill gaps in current offerings
   2. are redesigned to reduce high D/F/W grades rates
   3. will include a substantial change in content
   4. will be included in a new program
   5. are new courses (never been offered)
   6. have been identified, through the course review, assessment process, or program review, as needing significant updates
   7. converting from one delivery format to another (i.e., face-to-face to fully online)
   8. accreditation changes
   9. have high enrollment
   10. are the oldest courses.
2. Courses that have already been developed or redesigned and for which a faculty member previously received a stipend/TSA will not be considered unless major modifications (described below in Course Design Modifications) are necessary. The stipend may be reduced based on the necessary changes. An internal QM review is required to determine the status of the course.
3. Faculty are required to complete QM’s Improving Your Online Course, Designing Your Online Course, or Applying the QM Rubric workshop regardless of modality. If they plan to progress with QM training (I.e., the Peer Reviewer course), they must take the Applying the QM Rubric workshop.
4. Courses will be designed using the standards of the QM Rubric.
5. Courses will use Blackboard Ultra as the Learning Management System.
6. Intended course-level outcomes and actual student achievement in any course must be equivalent regardless of the modality used for delivery.
7. The aggregation of time on tasks, assignments, and interactions in an online course must reflect the rigor and expectations equivalent to GTC’s Policy for Awarding Credit Hours definition of the credit hour – 15 hours of direct faculty instruction and a minimum of 30 hours of out-of-class student work for each credit hour awarded. A course blueprint document must be completed.
8. Faculty who receive the stipend will be expected to continue to develop any future course using the QM process, whether or not they are eligible to receive a stipend.
9. To meet the QM review, the review must
   1. Confirm “Met” for all 3- point essential standards in the rubric.
   2. Result in a total overall score of 85 or higher out of 100 points.
      (NOTE: Refer to the GTC QM Rubric Review form and the QM Expectations by Standard located in the online learning lib-guide.)

10. The course development or redesign must be included in the faculty’s FPMS (Special Assignment field) to be evaluated during the performance appraisal process (for FT Faculty only).

Course Design Modifications Post-QM Review

Most courses typically undergo course design modifications to continuously improve subject matter content, technology integrations, and other aspects of online courses, which asserts that course design should and will change. However, to ensure courses continue to meet QM standards, course instructors are encouraged to consider the following guidelines as they modify their online courses.

Course instructors are best suited to know how substantial the changes will be in their courses and are encouraged to implement any course modifications necessary so long as those changes do not impact the overall design and alignment of coursework or invalidate any essential course design standards as defined in the QM Rubric and Standards. 

Minor modifications typically do not impact course design quality and can be implemented by the course instructor as often as necessary. Examples include but are not limited to:

• Changes to course policies
• Updates to instructor contact information or course introductions
• Addition of instructional materials
• Addition of graphics, multimedia, external links, and articles 
• Modifications to assignment instructions
• Updates that improve accessibility or usability 
• Less than 20% of critical course design elements are modified (see major modifications below)

Major modifications could impact alignment between critical course elements within a course. If more than 20% of ANY of the following QM alignment standards are to be modified, faculty are encouraged to consult with an instructional designer: 

• Course Level Objectives [QM Standard 2.1]
• Module Level Objectives [QM Standard 2.2]
• Assessments in the Course [QM Standard 3.1]
• Instructional Materials [QM Standard 4.1]
• Learning Activities (including Assignments) [QM Standard 5.1]
• Tools used in the Course [QM Standard 6.1]

When there is a concern that significant course design modifications will impact the course, an instructional designer can ensure all critical course elements are aligned and meet QM standards and may recommend that faculty undergo a complete course redesign.

Course Development Stipend Payment for Complete Course Redesign

• $1500 will be awarded upon completion of the following:
  • Completion of one of the 3 QM trainings:
    • Applying the QM Rubric workshop
    • Designing Your Online Course
    • Revising Your Online Course
  • Draft syllabus is developed, outlining
    • Course Learning Outcomes that are measurable and mapped to the Program Learning Outcomes
    • Module Learning Outcomes that are measurable and mapped to the Course Learning Outcomes
    • Overall grading criteria for the course
  • Semester schedule of the course
  • Complete study guides, lectures, and handouts
  • Assessments are created
  • Completed course blueprint
  • The course redesign by the stated deadline and meeting the requirements of the QM review.
• The stipend is taxable income.
• The stipend will be paid after the work has been completed and reviewed and paperwork has been provided to Human Resources/Payroll prior to the deadlines for the pay period.

Deadlines to apply for consideration of a stipend

• Fall Term: September 1 for a course to be implemented the following summer semester.
• Spring Term: February 1 for a course to be implemented the following fall semester.
• Summer Term: May 1 for a course to be implemented the following spring.

Application Process

1. Faculty member submits the Course Development/Redesign Application.
2. Upon approval to move forward, the Director of CISC will initiate the faculty agreement form. This form will require the signatures of both the faculty member and school dean.
3. An Instructional Designer will be assigned to the project.

Quality Review Process

• Faculty member emails the Director of CISC and assigned ID stating that the course redesign is complete and ready for review.
• ID has up to 10 business days to review and provide feedback to the faculty member.
• Based on the ID’s review, the faculty member is notified that the course is:
  1. Accepted and TSA eligible;
  2. Requires revisions;
  3. Rejected

Expectations of Faculty for Revisions

Faculty are expected to work closely with ID to correct any suggested revisions so that the course meets the QM standards (see requirements listed above).

• For the first revision, faculty have up to 30 days to complete and submit for review to the ID.
• For the second revision, faculty have up to 10 days to complete and submit for review to the ID.

If further revisions are necessary, the faculty member is disqualified for the stipend. For extenuating circumstances, an extension may be granted by the Director of CISC.

Deadlines for Completion

The specific deadline will be noted in the faculty agreement. Upon approval by the Director of CISC, an extension of one term for completion may be granted.

Stipend Payment

• Once the re-design is completed, the agreement and scoring rubric will be sent to the Learning and Workforce Development Chief of Staff to create the documents for payment.
• Faculty should reference the Academic Workload and Payroll Master Calendar. The faculty member is responsible for meeting each of the deadlines listed. Missed deadlines will cause delays in processing payments.
• Stipends will be paid in a lump sum.

Quality Matters (QM) Training

To register for QM training, contact the Director of CISC.

Professional Development

Completion of the QM training will render eight (8) hours of professional development for faculty.