Roles and Responsibilities for the Design & Development Process Illustration of Interaction of Roles If creating a hybrid or online course were comparable to building a house, the interaction of the below-described roles would be as follows: The Subject Matter Expert (SME) is the homeowner. The homeowner decides that they’d like to build a house. They have an idea of how they’d like the house to look, how many stories it should have, how many bedrooms they want, sometimes even what color they’d like the dining room to be painted in. The architect for a course would be the Instructional Designer. In collaboration with the SME, the Instructional Designer drafts the design document, or the blueprint of the course. The Builder from the construction company then uses the design document to build the house, in collaboration with the Homeowner. In the case of a course, the Course Builder is the same as the Builder. The Course Builder and the SME can be two separate roles or they can be the same person. It is the same as if the homeowner decided to build their own house using architectural blueprints. The Multimedia Developer assists the Course Builder with the development (or creation) of learning objects that require a higher-level of technological expertise. For example, a Multimedia Developer could create videos for a course, create screen captures (ex. Captivate, which would be useful for tutorials,) images, banners, flash interactions (useful for virtual dissections or moving models,) and other more technologically advanced learning objects. The Multimedia Developer in the house-building metaphor would be the electrician – doing the intricate, specialized work of wiring the house.

Subject Matter Experts This role would be typically filled by the faculty member or instructor. The SME is the individual who has a wide base of content-area knowledge. With their expertise, the SME guides the design of the online course and/or online component, with the focus on how the student will interact with the course content to achieve the objectives as determined by the Official Course Outline. The SME will also work with the Course Builder to build out the actual course. In some cases, the SME can be the Course Builder.

Instructional Designer The role of the Instructional Designer (ID) is to support faculty in the creation of the design documents using the Indicators of Quality for online/hybrid courses with direction and content matter expertise from faculty (and other sources where appropriate.) In other words, it is the course ‘blueprint’. The Instructional Designer manages the design process for training modules, courses, and assessment with input from and/or collaboration with the subject matter experts (faculty). The output is design documents used by faculty, the course production specialist, trainers, and/or multi-media developers, etc. to develop courses, modules, and learning activities. The ID obtains training objectives and content; drafts, storyboards and mock-ups. Page 1 of 4 Roles & Responsibilities – Design & Development Process eLearning & Innovation

The primary responsibility of the Instructional Designer is to support faculty, programs, schools, and campuses in a consultative manner throughout the design and conversion of courses and programs to innovative online and other technology-assisted educational venues utilizing creative design and course delivery options. The process is collaborative; with the faculty member at the center of the design process working to achieve a studentfocused learning design. Instructional Designers also provide consultation and assistance in the pedagogical understanding of course design for online/hybrid learning.

Course Builder (aka Course Developer or Course Production Specialist) The Course Builder is the role of the individual who takes the faculty-approved design document and builds the course in the Learning Management System. In many cases, the faculty member is the Course Builder. Tri-C currently uses Blackboard 8 as the Learning Management System. This includes the development of all course content using appropriate technology-based delivery formats as tools. Tools can be things like PowerPoint presentations, audio files, video files, interactive activities, assessments, screen capture technologies, etc. These will have been determined in the course design process and included in the approved design document. The Course Builder works from the design document and using the Indicators of Quality:   

Creates buttons in the Learning Management System (Blackboard) for navigation (EX: “Start Here” button, “Course Content” button, “Course Resources” button.) Creates the module structure within the Learning Management System per the design document (EX. Blackboard Learning Units, Blackboard folders, etc.) Creates online resources and activities within the Learning Management System. The Course Builder actually uploads files, activities, links etc.

Examples: 1.) Lecture – the Course Builder – who in many cases is the SME (faculty) - would script the lecture (or use a previously scripted lecture if determined in the design document,) record the lecture, and upload the lecture into the Learning Management System, (Blackboard.) 2.) Interactive Online Lessons – the Course Builder could take content, create a lesson (which would have “slides,” similar in nature to PowerPoint Presentations,) and include online activities like flashcards, matching, definitions, or built-in learning games. Although the faculty is often the Course Builder, eLi is happy to provide customized support when implementing technology-based delivery formats as needed based on the design document.

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The Multimedia Developer assists the Course Builder with the creation of learning objects, specifically multimedia learning objects such as video & audio files, screen capture presentations, flash interactions, images, and banners. The Multimedia Developer would create these Learning Objects under the direction of the Course Builder and Instructional Designer, according to the needs of the design document.

Common eLearning Terms

Design Document: The design document is constructed by the Instructional Designer, who works with the SME. The design document is created for the purpose of assisting the Course Builder (aka Course Developer, Course Production Specialist,) to actually build or develop the course. The Course Builder uses the design document in the building process. The design document delineates the structure of the course, the choice of learning objects, and addresses course alignment to the Indicators of Quality. NOTE: The design document is an internal document – the student never sees this document, and it is never included in the actual online course.

Storyboard: A storyboard is the visual representation of the design document and includes the navigational construct. The storyboard serves to communicate to the Instructional Designer, the SME, and the Course Builder (aka the Course Developer, Course Production Specialist,) and the Multimedia Specialist what each course/lesson/learning object should actually look like online in a screen-shot format. NOTE: The design document is an internal document – the student never sees this document, and it is never included in the actual online course.

Learning Objects: Learning objects are individual “chunks” of content. They are not the same as a module. Many learning objects can be included in a single module or lesson. An example of an individual learning object could be:      

A Softchalk lesson A PowerPoint presentation An online game An online quiz An article A video file

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 

An audio file Website links or WebQuest-based activities

Module or Lesson: A module is also known as a “learning unit.” Oftentimes, this could be a chapter, a folder, or a segment. The module or lesson is essential in the design of the course. A module can contain learning objects that are organized based on sequence (moving through the course from A to B to C etc.), based on topic, based on a project – like the creation of a portfolio of work - or based on objectives. The SME and the Instructional Designer work together to determine the best module organization for the course that will allow the student to: 1) meet the objectives, and 2) have the achievement of those objectives appropriately assessed. Please note that is a content type in Blackboard called a “Learning Unit,” which is distinct from and different than the Module or Lesson. The “Learning Unit” in the context of Blackboard, has specific abilities and has other limitations. A Module or Lesson is a unit of organization rather than a content type in Blackboard. A Module or Lesson is an element essential to the designing and building of the course. At this time, eLi recommends organizing in Modules or Lessons as “Folders” or “Items” (which are also content types) unless the SME is otherwise trained in the differences between these content types.

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