HMCSE Program Development

Project Overview

The University of West Florida launched this initiative to support the development of new online degree programs aligned with projected workforce needs in computer science, information technology, cybersecurity, and data science. The project included the redesign of 18 existing sixteen-week courses into accelerated eight-week formats and the development of 12 new online courses.

Faculty partnered with the instructional design team throughout the course development process using a structured consultation model that combined project planning, individualized design support, media development, accessibility guidance, and course quality reviews.

The project began with a group consultation to identify each faculty member's course development goals, timelines, and support needs. Faculty completed a course development worksheet to guide planning, while instructional designers used project checklists to coordinate milestones and ensure consistent support throughout development.

Each instructor then worked individually with an assigned instructional designer through a series of personalized design sessions. These meetings focused on course organization, instructional strategies, learning activities, accessibility, multimedia, and overall course quality. Design sessions were conducted in person and virtually to accommodate faculty schedules.

Resources and Course Development

Faculty received a variety of course planning resources aligned with Quality Matters principles, including planning documents, development templates, and annotated guidance for meeting course quality standards. Standardized course templates provided a consistent "Begin Here" module, reusable course components, and institutionally maintained resources that reduced the need for instructors to update common materials.

Instructional designers also developed custom course home pages and supported faculty with multimedia production throughout the project.

Meeting Faculty Where They Are

A guiding principle of the project was to tailor instructional design support to each instructor's experience, instructional goals, and comfort with online teaching.

Some faculty sought assistance with instructional technology, while others focused on learner engagement, instructor presence, multimedia development, or assessment design. Instructors transitioning graduate-level courses received additional support writing measurable learning objectives and aligning course activities with higher levels of Bloom's Taxonomy.

One of the most significant design challenges involved condensing sixteen-week courses into eight-week formats. Faculty and instructional designers worked together to prioritize learning outcomes, reduce unnecessary cognitive load, and develop realistic expectations for student workload and instructor grading within the accelerated schedule.

Open Educational Resources and Emerging Technologies

The rapidly evolving nature of information technology, cybersecurity, computer science, and data science required faculty to rethink traditional textbook adoption. Rather than relying solely on commercial texts, many courses incorporated current vendor documentation, professional training materials, and industry resources from organizations such as Oracle.

Faculty interested in Open Educational Resources (OER) collaborated with instructional designers and UWF Libraries to identify openly licensed instructional materials through resources such as OASIS and the Florida Orange Grove.

The project also encouraged departments to develop shared repositories of instructional videos and learning materials that could be reused and adapted across multiple courses, promoting long-term sustainability and collaboration.

Course Quality and Accessibility

Accessibility and course quality were integrated throughout the development process rather than addressed only at project completion. Instructional designers reviewed course materials as they were developed, providing recommendations to improve accessibility, organization, and learner experience before courses were delivered.

Completed courses underwent an internal quality review by multiple instructional designers before instructors revised their courses and, when appropriate, submitted them for a Quality Matters External Review.

Project Management and Outcomes

Project progress was monitored through regular meetings between instructional designers, faculty, department leadership, and college administrators. Development milestones, support requests, and project status were tracked using institutional project management systems, allowing leadership to monitor progress and address challenges throughout the initiative.

The collaborative instructional design model helped faculty successfully transition existing courses to accelerated online formats, develop new degree offerings, and establish sustainable course design practices that continue to influence online course development at UWF.