This semester, I had the opportunity to go behind the scenes with USF Innovative Education鈥檚 Digital Learning team to see firsthand how they collaborate with faculty to transform online courses. I tagged along on one course, Public Policy, to see how the initial stages of the development process unfold. As they reach the halfway point in their course design, I want to share my impressions of how the partnership between learning designers and faculty works.
As a team, InEd鈥檚 learning designers have worked on more than 1,400 courses across the university, collaborating with faculty to enhance their teaching experiences while boosting student engagement and promoting the achievement of learning outcomes. This semester, they鈥檙e redesigning Public Policy, an undergraduate course taught by Assistant Professor of Instruction Jocilyn Martinez, PhD, and I sat in on collaboration meetings to see how the first half of the development process unfolds.
Martinez partnered with InEd last year to refresh her Leadership in Public and Community Service course. Having seen the impact of that joint effort, she knew exactly where to turn when she wanted to bring her Public Policy course to the next level.
USF鈥檚 Public Policy course gives students an inside look into the formation and implementation of public policy in the economy, healthcare, affordable housing, and other sectors.
Building the course from the ground up
In January, Martinez met with two learning designers, Kimberly Hall and Dawn Adolfson, and a project manager , Alexandra Ward, to kick off the pre-design phase, which is the first of a strategic five-phase process to designing an online course with InEd. This stage is all about planning 鈥� gathering essential information, identifying student needs, and making strategic decisions to address instructional challenges during the development process.
During these early conversations, the team worked closely with Martinez to define her vision. Her goals were clear:
- Make complex content digestible
- Help students build tangible skills and achieve course learning outcomes
- Replicate and amplify in-class experiences for the online setting
- Increase instructor presence
- Improve learner engagement
鈥淓very course is unique, and these initial conversations help the learning design team brainstorm strategic recommendations to support student and faculty needs.鈥�
With these goals guiding their work, the team mapped out a plan. Martinez brought her subject matter expertise and invaluable teaching experience to create a syllabus, establish a course schedule, select a design theme, and, together with the InEd learning designer experts, draft a course plan and course curriculum map to guide the development process.
鈥淚t鈥檚 very intentional that we start the development process by listening and asking questions to gather information,鈥� Ward said. 鈥淓very course is unique, and these initial conversations help the learning design team brainstorm strategic recommendations to support student and faculty needs.鈥�
Bringing the course to life
One of the most fascinating parts of this redesign was seeing how the learning designers
and Martinez approached curriculum and media planning. Every other week, I joined
their Microsoft Teams meetings, where they reviewed course progress, made adjustments,
and brainstormed ideas to improve students鈥� learning experience.
It was intriguing to observe how highly structured the process was. Martinez and the InEd team dove into every detail of the course plan and course curriculum map to ensure each piece serves a purpose and contributes to the ultimate goal of helping students become well-versed in public policy and able to address current issues in the field.
For instance, one noteworthy new element of the course is a guest speaker podcast series featuring professionals working in public policy with the City of Tampa. This series is being designed to give students a real-world perspective on common public policy issues such as affordable housing, making the coursework more relevant and impactful.
鈥淐onsulting with experts working in the field gives students a real-world perspective on what it鈥檚 like to work on policy problems,鈥� Martinez said. 鈥淲ithout the ability to bring guest speakers into a traditional classroom, these recordings are a great way to connect students to professionals.鈥�
Making every decision with intention
The team also used this period to determine which technology platforms best suited the class.
One of the assignments asks students to select a public policy issue and design an infographic visually portraying elements associated with their chosen topic. Since students come in with varying levels of design experience, the team recommended offering students the opportunity to choose between a few specific tools based on their readiness levels 鈥� some might prefer more advanced software, while others gravitate toward more user-friendly platforms like Adobe Express and Canva.
鈥淔or any tools we recommend, we include support resources in the assignment instructions to ensure learners have the guidance they need to be successful,鈥� said Hall.
Incorporating technology into assignments, whether through design platforms, artificial intelligence, or other tools, can be exciting, but it鈥檚 essential that every tool serves a clear purpose and enhances learning in a meaningful way. The learning designers offer expert guidance on digital technologies and through ongoing conversations with faculty partners, try to strike the right balance between innovation and intentionality.
Ensuring a high-quality learning experience
At the midpoint of the redesign process, I observed the prototype review 鈥� a critical step where the team assesses the course against the USF Quality Online Rubric. This step ensures the course is on track to meet all quality design standards, including clear learning outcomes that align with course content, student support, opportunities for interaction, engaging content, varied assessments, and accessibility.
Recommendations made during the prototype review help the team refine their plan and guide adjustments that need to be made throughout the media creation phase.
From the outside looking in, this step was another eye-opening experience of how much thought and intention go into each step of the course development process. Every element is closely examined 鈥� no stone is left unturned.
Next steps in media creation
Now that they鈥檝e reached the halfway mark, the learning designers and Martinez will spend the next two months bringing everything to life.
This involves building interactive presentations, providing student resources throughout the modules, collaborating with InEd Studios to create engaging guest speaker videos, and wrapping up other design elements of the course.
A screenshot from the course meet your instructor page, which incorporates Genially to provide an interactive instructor introduction for learners.
鈥淚n this phase, we鈥檒l work together to continue refining assignment elements and potentially incorporate additional instructor tips, guidance, career resources, anecdotes, and other insights from Martinez鈥檚 professional experience,鈥� said Hall. 鈥淲e鈥檒l continue having detailed conversations to discuss the alignment of any course additions with the learning outcomes and other course components.鈥�
To stay on track, Martinez will continually assess the course to see how the content aligns with her envisioned goals. She and the learning designers will then collaborate to make any necessary adjustments before moving into the finishing stages.
Once everything has been created and added to the course, the team will conduct a final quality review to ensure the finished product meets the highest quality design standards.
Why this work matters
Watching this process unfold gave me a new appreciation for the work that goes into designing a high-quality online course.
InEd鈥檚 learning designers wear many different hats 鈥� they are curriculum and instructional design experts, project managers, graphic designers, accessibility consultants, multimedia developers, and more. Their work ensures that faculty have the tools to succeed and that students receive the best possible learning experience from their online courses.
This project goes beyond course redesign 鈥� it鈥檚 about creating an immersive learning environment where students develop the confidence to navigate public policy, have meaningful conversations about today鈥檚 most pressing issues, and tackle real-world challenges.
After seeing the dedication of this team, I have no doubt that when the development process is complete, this course will make a lasting impact on students. Whether learners want to enter careers in public policy or simply become more active in civic engagement, this course will equip them to make a real difference in their communities.