Course Conversion and Faculty Empowerment
By facilitating the conversion from on-site courses to online, I became a trusted trailblazer with major positive impact for faculty and students alike.
Client:
The Chicago School
Role:
Lead Instructional Designer
Date:
2020
Project Specs
Audience: Department Chairs, Faculty
Tools: Canvas LMS, Camtasia, HTML, Canva, Word
Skills: Influence, Project Management
Brief
Oversee the design and project management of on-ground to blended conversion. Create and apply course templates, provide standards to ensure quality, and manage the full development cycle from concept to delivery. Support faculty with learning management systems and staying current with emerging trends and technology in online education.
Project Synopsis
Context
During the COVID-19 pandemic, there was an immediate need to transition from traditional classroom formats to blended and online formats across five campuses. Faculty needed to pivot quickly, yet they lacked the necessary technical skills. Department chairs were overwhelmed by basic inquiries on top of an already pressing agenda.
My Role
On my first day, I was tasked with convincing department chairs to have their faculty partner with me to upgrade their courses. I was scheduled to give a presentation two days later. Having never recruited for my own projects before, I first assessed several existing courses and faculty profiles to tailor my approach. I drafted a concise presentation and a "quick-sheet" of takeaways, highlighting the potential benefits for the chairs, faculty, and students.
I met with department chairs to understand their primary gaps and adoption challenges. From there, I designed a transformation plan that included standardized LMS course templates, on-demand technical resources, and training on remote instruction techniques.
I presented in several department meetings to recruit faculty. By focusing on efficiency gains and offering flexible levels of instructional design support, I secured a significant list of interested participants and filled my design schedule for months.
I built empathy and trust by meeting faculty at their skill level, connecting with their passion for their subjects, and understanding their goals as educators. We worked in partnership, transforming courses with custom templates that integrated sound pedagogical design and minimized the impact of transactional distance.
To address upskilling, I created an on-demand library of video tutorials and documentation for critical skills. These assets included course-readiness checklists, a repository of walkthrough videos for varying levels of expertise (beginner, intermediate, advanced), and best practices for asynchronous teaching.
The Results
Once the first wave of faculty launched their courses and reported the positive impact, interest grew. Some of the most resistant faculty members became champions of the conversion, leading change initiatives and recruiting their peers. There was an increased demand for redevelopment in the following term.
Department chairs commended the scalability of the design and the consistency achieved across campuses, noting a significant reduction in LMS-related complaints.
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