E-LEARNING INSTITUTE
COLLEGE OF ARTS AND ARCHITECTURE
D esign & Deve l o p m e n t
Proc e s s
PROCESS PHASES
PHASE 1
DESIGN SPECIFICATION
Creation of a course design
specification document outlining
course delivery expectations.
PHASE 2
INSTRUCTIONAL
DESIGN
Creation of an instructional
design document detailing the
course pedagogical structure.
PHASE 3
PROTOTYPE
DEVELOPMENT
Design and development of a fully
functional sample lesson.
PHASE 4
PRODUCTION
Creation of the course based on
the prototype and the
instructional design document.
PHASE 5
QUALITY ASSURANCE
REVIEW
Review of the course to ensure it
meets specific design,
development, and delivery quality
standards.
PAGE 1
About the Process
The driving purpose of our development of distance learning.
process is to ensure that every This proven process has been
online course offered by the customized to fit the unique
College of Arts and Architecture needs of the College of Arts and
is of the highest possible quality. Architecture and provides a
This includes courses created by reliable method for creating high
the e-Learning Institute, as well as quality e-learning courses.
those developed outside
the Institute but with our Percentage of Time Allocation by Phase
guidance. To this end, we
have developed a solid
instructional design and Phase 1
development process. Phase 5 5%
Phase 2
This process guides all 10%
15%
parties involved in
creating a sound, reliable
course ensuring student
and faculty satisfaction.
This process has been
informed by the Phase 3
expertise of the 20%
Phase 4
instructional design staff
50%
of the Institute,
representing more than
30 years of lessons
learned in the design and
Benefits
 Results in instruction that is effective, efficient, and consistently
repeatable.
 Establishes a framework which subsequent courses can follow,
contributing to sustained effectiveness and quality.
 Provides a greater return on investment for significant
development costs.
 Ensures that courses are developed and delivered in a timely
manner.
 Provides a mechanism of checks and balances.
 Ensures that any course developed may be offered more broadly
through delivery units such as the World Campus and The E-
Learning Cooperative.
elearning.psu.edu
 E-LEARNING INSTITUTE
COLLEGE OF ARTS AND ARCHITECTURE

EXAMPLE DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT SCHEDULE

THE BELOW TABLE PRESENTS THREE SCENARIOS FOR THE AMOUNT OF TIME, IN WEEKS, THAT
SHOULD BE SPENT PER PHASE OF THE INSTRUCTIONAL DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT PROCESS

Phase 1 Phase 2 Phase 3 Phase 4 Phase 5 Total

(5%) (15%) (20%) (50%) (10%) (100%)

12 Month 3 (weeks) 8 (weeks) 10 (weeks) 26 (weeks) 5 (weeks) 52 (weeks)

9 Month 2 (weeks) 6 (weeks) 7.5 (weeks) 20 (weeks) 3.5 (weeks) 39 (weeks)

6 Month 1.5 (weeks) 4 (weeks) 5 (weeks) 13 (weeks) 2.5 (weeks) 26 (weeks)

Phase 1: Design Specification Phase 3: Prototype Development

• Determine what students need to know
• Determine the hardware and software needs
for the course
• Develop measurable learning outcomes
• Decide how and when learning will be
assessed
• Determine how the course will be offered
with relationship to copyright
• Quantify the enrollment and offering
expectations
Deliverable = Specification Document
Phase 2: Instructional Design
• Use learning outcomes to create a
instructional outline for the whole course
• Chunk the content outline into logical units
in a sequence
• Create a consistent instructional sequence
for the course
• Determine a pacing scheme/strategy for the
course (weekly)
• Determine content creation needs
• Identify the learning activities for each of
units of instruction
• Determine what media (text, images, audio,
video, animations, etc.) are needed; which
media may be used as is, which adapted, and
which must be created from scratch
• Write all assessment items and major
assignments
Deliverable = Design Document
• Choose a representative lesson from the
course (one that will adequately reflect the
intended design and also produce every
required technology solution)
• Create an interface and navigation system for
students to work smoothly and easily
through the course
• Create the lesson as thoroughly as possible:
all lesson pages in place, lecture and images,
assignments, functional test/quizzes, etc.
• Evaluate the tools and process used to
create the prototype and adjust as necessary
before full production begins
• If possible, try out the unit of instruction on
“trial” students to validate and modify as
necessary
Deliverable = Unit Prototype
Phase 4: Production
• Create a project plan that maps out and
coordinates all tasks and responsible parties
• Document copyrighted materials
• Build each unit of instruction as per the
prototype
Deliverable = Fully Functional Course
Phase 5: Quality Assurance Review
• PSU Online Quality Design Standards Review
• Editorial Quality Assurance
• 508 Compliance Test
Deliverable = Acceptance Testing Document

PAGE 2 elearning.psu.edu