opd – Virtual Campus

Welcome to MIC Online Program Development Help. E-learning has become one of the most favored means of learning in the current world. This document provides a generic procedure to be followed when developing a new program. There maybe additional and specific requirements based on the nature of the program to be developed. You are required to contact the Principal Dean for specific guidelines You may download the pdf version of the Program Development Guide from the left navigation pane. Here we present a summarized version

Planning

The need for a new program may arise for many reasons.

A faculty may want to enrich the academic and skills basket of the faculty.
Student Support may wish to introduce a new program to cater for student requests.
The management may want to increase the MICs contribution to national goals development.

When the need for a new program is identified, the interested members shall approach the Principal Dean and the Registrar. Also the interested personnel shall approach the academic technology members of the Academic Technology Department, and the MIC Curriculum Development Department for support.

An approval for the program development is required form the Executive Committee. The following issues must be addressed in the Proposal for the New Program Development.

How does offering this particular program online fit with the goals of department, or the college?
What does the department hope to accomplish?
Is this an existing program, a new program, or a modification of an existing program?
Who will be the target group(s) for prospective students?

Application for New Online Program Development

You may fill the application form and submit to the Rector.

RFP for New Online program Development
Guidelines for New Online Program Development

i. Visualize the students:

who will most likely enroll and the issues they may present, e.g., transfer credit, ability to get some coursework online or by other means from other
ii. Plan the complete sequence of the curriculum semester by semester
Determine the correct or best sequence of courses. Depending on decisions about delivery method, you may decide to make either minor or major modifications to an existing curriculum. A department may also develop a new program specifically for online delivery

Decide whether to offer one track only or to offer options such as electives.

Think about enrollment

Maximums and minimums for admission to the program and for enrollment in courses.

Whether you might start one cohort, finish the program for them, and then start a new cohort OR whether you might develop a rolling curriculum and admit new students each fall or at any point. You may want to start small and build, based on enrollments.
iii. Plan, at a broad level, the delivery methods for the curriculum and for individual programs

Instructors without broad experience in online education often underestimate what can be taught well or even better online than on ground. Personnel in Academic Technology Services can help identify what student learning outcomes can and cannot be achieved through online instruction, alternative methods and activities, and alternative approaches to assessment.

For many programs, we are finding that we are using hybrid delivery systems, that is, from module to module and within individual modules:

Online

Various types of multimedia (Mediated presentations, Video streaming, Voice)

Basic communication (Email, Synchronous and asynchronous voice, Discussion forums, Chats

Wide variety of current and emerging technology applications

Synchronous instruction for remote groups with a stable site such as workplace or Campus

On ground periodic sessions for hands-on instruction at convenient, non-traditional times, e.g., evening, weekend, etc.

Example: Students in the Bachelor of Multimedia come to MIC for one weekend to learn a hands-on skill that must be carefully taught, supervised, and assessed for skill competency.
iv. Identify who will develop and teach each course

Developers/Instructors may be regular faculty or adjunct faculty. To the extent possible, the program should be planned around a table group of instructors who will take ownership and provide continuity for the program.

Graduate assistants and others may help faculty members develop and teach online courses. However, instructors cannot and should not avoid learning the essential skills for developing, managing, and delivering their online courses.

Our experience indicates that it is best for the person who develops an online course to be the person who teaches it, at least for the first time it is offered.

Academic Technology will assess faculty members’ skills in technology, provide basic training, and provide one-on-one support during online course design and development.

v. Plan for continuing administration and management of the program

Information Technology Services, the Curriculum Development Team, and Accounting and Finance Department will provide some services and will advise the department in setting up and funding administrative support systems that must be provided by the department.

Online programs require more administrative and managerial attention than on ground programs. There will need to be stable staffing for

Responding promptly to inquiries from prospective students, sending them information, and/or referring them to appropriate individuals at MIC, and following-up.

Advising and troubleshooting.

Helping prospective students at a distance go through MIC’s processes for application, admission, registration, fee payment, etc.

Once students are admitted and an online program starts, the department must fulfill its obligation to the students to offer the full curriculum
Instructional Development Training, Training Opportunities, and Services
1. Academic Technology Hub is mandated to provide all the necessary guidelines, resources and assistance in program development. Please email to the Head of Virtual Campus requesting assistance.
info@micollege.edu.mv
E-learning Management
1. The Academic technology Hub is to provide support and training for conducting all types of activities relating to e-learning.
2. Development and training is offered through several programs
  1. Workshops are presented each semester
  2. Training and Workshops are available for the complete package on Program development, module development, proctoring and Academic technology.
  3. Cohort workshops are available for departments.
  4. One on one training and help for developing online courses is available on an as needed basis.
  5. You may register to the Training and Workshop through our link.
3. Faculty participants receive development and training in a variety of software products used to support online course development.
4. Development and training are available for a variety of multimedia applications that may be used to create interactive online course materials.
5. Development and training are available for standard software and hardware used at MI College to facilitate faculty’s ability to utilize available technology in the development of course materials.
6. Hosting services are available to enable faculty to stream audio and video to students enrolled in online courses.
7. Equipment including audio and video recorders are available for faculty use. Academic Technology Hub staff will provide support for equipment use.
8. The MIC multimedia Lab is available to enable faculty to create high-quality audio and video recordings.