In the dynamic landscape of online education, the University of Florida’s College of Journalism and Communications online graduate programs (UF CJC Online) stands at the forefront of innovation and quality. With a commitment to ensuring educational excellence and student success, in 2020, UF CJC Online developed a comprehensive course design strategy to elevate its online courses, a mission mandated by the State University System of Florida’s 2025 Strategic Plan for Online Education.
The state mandate established the goal of quality but allowed institutions to develop their own strategies. This article outlines how UF CJC Online developed a common Canvas course template based on best practices that meet or exceed the state’s directive. Offering a master’s degree in mass communications with six concentrations (digital strategy, global strategic communications, public interest communications, public relations, social media, and web design) and four graduate certificates (audience analytics, global strategic communications, social media, and web design), UF CJC Online has been in operation since 2012 and caters to a diverse cohort of 800 graduate students.
Quality matters: A benchmark for excellence
To meet the ambitious quality standards set by the State of Florida, UF CJC Online subscribed to Quality Matters (QM), an organization specializing in quality assurance for online education. QM’s robust framework, encapsulated in the QM Rubric, evaluates various facets of online course design through eight categories, including learning objectives, alignment, assessment strategies, instructional materials, learner interaction, course technology, learner support, accessibility, and usability. By developing the course template to meet QM standards, UF CJC Online aims to create a more engaging and effective learning environment so students have clear learning objectives, appropriate assessments and learning activities, and high-quality instructional materials.
Development and implementation of the course template
Initially challenged with meeting the state’s mandate and QM standards, a UF CJC Online review team discovered that the existing course offerings did not meet expectations. In response, UF CJC Online built an Instructional Design (ID) team and developed a standardized yet adaptable framework for all online courses. Their efforts fostered an environment conducive to innovation and engagement, driven by curriculum development and tailored to meet the dynamic needs of students. Embracing a student-centric philosophy, the program prioritized accessibility, interactivity, and flexibility to empower learners to pursue their academic goals.
These efforts culminated a meticulously designed course template that is the backbone of the program’s online offerings. The template features an intuitive layout and essential components such as a syllabus, clear assignment guidelines, feedback and grading policies, detailed discussion forums, and links to student support services. It includes institutional and college policies, plus support service resources to ensure that students and instructors have easy access to vital information, fostering both a sense of community and compliance. The template, housed in Canvas, is easy to update to reflect resource and content information changes. In addition, the comprehensive template equips instructors with essential tools, eliminates the need for them to create courses from scratch, and allows them to dedicate their time and expertise to delivering engaging and impactful courses.
Enhancing student experience and learning outcomes
At UF CJC Online, implementing a course template has been transformative as it significantly enhances student success by delivering a consistent learning experience. Further, a cohesive, intuitive, and strategic online learning environment allows students to be actively drawn into the course content, fosters deeper engagement in the online classroom, and facilitates the journey toward achieving the learning objectives.
The transparent communication of course goals, assessments aligned with objectives, and access to top-tier instructional materials and support resources ensures a holistic and enriching learning experience. Notably, since the implementation of the course template, UF CJC Online has observed a remarkable 25% increase in course completion rates, underscoring the tangible impact of its commitment to quality education.
Quality matters course review process
Each course within the UF CJC Online program undergoes a meticulous review process facilitated by a peer-review team established through QM. The course review team assesses each course against the QM Rubric in a collegial, collaborative process and generates a detailed report that provides valuable feedback in each of the eight areas for course improvement. The course template is a key factor in the QM course review process as it ensures consistency in course design.
The process of integrating feedback from QM course reviews into the course templates is systematic and reflective:
a. Analyzing the course review results: The ID team conducts a thorough analysis of the feedback to discern the strengths and weaknesses of the current course design.
b. Prioritizing areas for improvement: They identify key areas where modifications to the course template can significantly enhance student learning and engagement.
c. Redesigning course components: They make any necessary changes to the course template to address the gaps highlighted in the QM Course Reviews.
Continuous improvement and customization
Incorporating QM’s feedback into a course template is not a static process but a dynamic, ongoing improvement cycle. This iterative approach ensures that the program remains in sync with the latest best practices in online education and is responsive to the changing needs of students and instructors. While much of the template is standardized, certain aspects of the QM Course Review feedback necessitate customization for each course. Some examples of feedback implemented from official QM Course Reviews include:
- Creating an instructional navigation video for Canvas to facilitate students’ understanding of the platform’s features and functionalities.
- Clearly delineating the structure and significance of each course to ensure students comprehend its relevance to their degree or certificate program.
- Establishing transparent feedback policies and timelines for assignment evaluations to inform students when to expect instructor feedback.
- Implementing comprehensive privacy and accessibility policies for all course tools to ensure equitable access to course materials for all students.
- Identify and communicate the technical skills necessary for successful course participation to prepare students.
- Specifying the technical requirements, including equipment and software needs, essential for the course to help students prepare accordingly.
- Incorporating an alignment map that connects Course Learning Objectives (CLOs), Module Learning Objectives (MLOs) and learning activities to illustrate their interconnectedness and relevance to student learning.
- Providing direct links to student support services encompassing mental health resources and technical assistance that offer learners readily accessible assistance.
- Maintaining consistent graphics throughout the template to enhance navigation and enable students to locate various course elements efficiently.
- Allowing the ID team to take a tailored approach to ensure that each course, while adhering to a standardized template, also addresses the unique requirements and characteristics that define it.
Challenges and future directions
While implementing the QM-informed course template has been largely successful, it has not been without challenges. One of the main hurdles has been ensuring the templates remain flexible enough to accommodate the diverse needs and andragogical approaches of different courses and instructors. Additionally, the continuous process of gathering and integrating feedback requires a significant investment of time and resources throughout the year.
Looking forward, UF CJC Online is committed to further refining its course template based on ongoing QM reviews and feedback from students and instructors. The goal is to create a living document that evolves with the changing landscape of online education and adopts the highest quality standards.
Continuing improvement
Over the last five years, the University of Florida’s College of Journalism and Communications has demonstrated a commitment to enhancing the quality and effectiveness of its online graduate program by integrating Quality Matters standards and feedback into a course template. This process has been instrumental in ensuring a consistent, high-quality learning experience. Through continuous improvement and adherence to QM standards, UF CJC Online positions itself as a leader in online education and ensures that all courses will meet the State of Florida’s mandate by achieving QM certification by the end of 2025.
Cheryl Oberlin is the assistant director for UF CJC Online. She earned her MEd, MBA in project management and MA in English composition and rhetoric from Wright State University in Dayton, OH. She has taught personal branding and digital reputation management, in addition to mass communication teaching at the University of Florida since 2021. Before that, she taught entrepreneurship at Wright State University, composition and business writing at Sinclair Community College, and composition and speech at Edison State Community College. She has been associated with Quality Matters, Inc., since 2007. Oberlin’s passion for helping students succeed in higher education is evidenced by her accomplishments in designing quality, learner-centered online courses.