Proposal Phase Criteria

Once proposed projects have been identified by the dean's office or delegate (via the Scheduled Projects Request form), the Centre for Extended Learning (CEL) will set up a collaborative OneDrive folder for each project proposal and provide access to individuals identified in the form. Each OneDrive project folder will contain a collaborative proposal document with two sections. Please review the criteria below for your project type and section.

Section 1 (submitted by dean or delegate)

The dean or a delegate (director or department chair) will be asked to submit the following information in Section 1 of the proposal. 

Fully online course development or redevelopment

  • Is this a credit course?
  • Has the course been approved by Senate with confirmation in the Senate minutes? 
  • Has the course been taught previously? 
  • What is the anticipated number of students? 
  • What is the anticipated enrollment cap per section? 
  • What is the anticipated number of teaching assisstants (TAs) the course instructor can expect? 
  • Does anyone outside Waterloo require access to this course on a regular basis (e.g., students or instructors from other institutions)?
  • What is the preferred first offer date? 
  • Are there other hard deadlines we should be aware of (e.g., program launch)? 
  • How frequently is it anticipated that the course will be offered?  
  • Do any program design consistencies apply to this project?
  • What is the author(s) availability/plan for working on the course? Does this include dedicated release time and if so, when?
  • Has the CEL Course Authoring/Development Agreement (CDA) been agreed to and signed-off for the course?  
  • Are there plans to commercialize the course content? 
  • Are there plans for any open (public) access of content?
  • Are there plans to openly license the content or parts thereof (e.g., Creative Commons license)?
  • Does the author(s) plan to use tools that are not centrally supported? (NB: tools need to be approved by the director or chair as they may have implications for future instructors who are unfamiliar with the tool or uncomfortable using something not supported/licensed by Waterloo.)
  • Will the author(s) instruct the first offer?
  • What are the future teaching arrangements (i.e., plans for sessional instructors, multiple instructors, multiple sections, and determine documentation requirements).
  • Is it the intention for CEL to provide on-going management of the course reoffer process (e.g., termly prep and/or updates)?
  • Who should have course revision authority (i.e., who has permission to alter intellectual property (IP))?

Remote teaching conversion to fully online

  • Is this a credit course? 
  • Has the course been approved by Senate with confirmation in the Senate minutes? 
  • Has the course been taught previously? 
  • What is the anticipated number of students? 
  • What is the anticipated enrollment cap per section? 
  • What is the anticipated number of T.A.s the course instructor can expect? 
  • Does anyone outside of Waterloo require access to this course on a regular basis (e.g., students or instructors from other institutions)?
  • What is the preferred first offer date? 
  • Are there other hard deadlines we should be aware of (e.g., program launch)? 
  • How frequently is it anticipated that the course will be offered?  
  • Do any program design consistencies apply to this project?
  • What is the author(s) availability/plan for working on the course? Does this include dedicated release time and if so, when?
  • Has the CEL Course Authoring/Development Agreement (CDA) been agreed to and signed-off for the course?  
  • Are there plans to commercialize the course content? 
  • Are there plans for any open (public) access of content?
  • Are there plans to openly license the content or parts thereof (e.g., Creative Commons license)?
  • Does the author(s) plan to tools that are not centrally supported? (NB: tools need to be approved by the director or chair as they may have implications for future instructors who are unfamiliar with the tool or uncomfortable with using something not supported/licensed by Waterloo.)
  • Will the author(s) instruct the first offer? 
  • What are the future teaching arrangements (i.e., plans for sessional instructors, multiple instructors, multiple sections, and determine documentation requirements). 

  • Is it the intention for CEL to provide on-going management of the course reoffer process (e.g., termly prep and/or updates)?  
  • Who should have course revision authority (i.e., who has permission to alter IP)?

Significant online course revisions

  • Is this a credit course? 
  • What is the anticipated number of students? 
  • What is the anticipated enrollment cap per section? 
  • What is the anticipated number of T.A.s the course instructor can expect? 
  • What is the preferred first offer date? 
  • Are there other hard deadlines we should be aware of (e.g., program launch)? 
  • How frequently is it anticipated that the course will be offered?  
  • Do any program design consistencies apply to this project?
  • If the author(s) of the proposed revisions is someone other than the original author(s), have both the original author(s) and department chair provided permission to make these changes?

  • What is the author(s) availability/plan for working on the course? Does this include dedicated release time and if so, when?
  • For projects which don't have a Course Development Agreement (CDA), please upload a signed copy of Waterloo’s Course Authoring/Development Agreement. CEL can help clarify if this is required for your project.
  • Are there plans to commercialize the course content? 
  • Are there plans for any open (public) access of content?
  • Are there plans to openly license the content or parts thereof (e.g., Creative Commons license)?
  • Does the author(s) plan to use tools that are not centrally supported? (NB: tools need to be approved by the director or chair as they may have implications for future instructors who are unfamiliar with the tool or uncomfortable with using something not supported/licensed by Waterloo.)
  • Will the author(s) of the revisions instruct the first offer after the revisions are complete?
  • What are the future teaching arrangements (i.e., plans for sessional instructors, multiple instructors, multiple sections, and determine documentation requirements). 
  • Is it the intention for CEL to provide on-going management of the course reoffer process (e.g., termly prep and/or updates)?  
  • Who should have course revision authority (i.e., who has permission to alter IP)?

Online course component

  • Is this for a credit course? 
  • Are there hard deadlines, time constraints, or other potential roadblocks we should be aware of (e.g., program launch, desired offer date, known limitations/issues)?
  • Do any program design consistencies apply to this project?
  • Who is authoring the content? If there is more than one author, describe the role of each.

  • What is the author(s) availability/plan for working on the course? Does this include dedicated release time and if so, when?
  • Please upload a signed copy of Waterloo’s Development Agreement. (NB: if there will be multiple contributors CEL can provide additional agreements for all parties to sign, depending on the nature of their involvement).
  • Are there plans to commercialize the content? 
  • Are there plans for any open (public) access of content?
  • Are there plans to openly license the content or parts thereof (e.g., Creative Commons license)?
  • Does the author(s) plan to use tools that are not centrally supported? (NB: tools need to be approved by the director or chair as they may have implications for future instructors who are unfamiliar with the tool or uncomfortable with using something not supported / licensed by Waterloo.)
  • Who should have course revision authority (i.e., who has permission to alter IP)?

Section 2 (submitted by the author)

The author will be asked to submit the following information in Section 2 of the proposal. 

Fully online course development or redevelopment

  • Have you previously worked with CEL to produce an online course? 
  • Do you understand the project timeline, acknowledge the requirements of each milestone, and the implications of missed milestones?
  • Do you understand that additional work will be required from you beyond preparing and sharing learning materials in advance of the milestones listed on the project timeline?
  • Does anyone else own the IP for materials you will be sharing with CEL as part of this project (e.g., you wrote a textbook on the topic and the publisher owns the IP; you plan to interview a guest speaker and use the recording in this course, etc.)? 
  • Do you understand and agree to providing content which aligns with Waterloo’s Copyright Guidelines?
  • Where time and resources allow, CEL will produce accessible course content. However, if subject matter expertise is required (e.g., image descriptions for complicated diagrams), CEL will not be able to create those without your input. CEL will also not create accessible versions for original course content that you upload directly into the course yourself. 
  • Do you intend to reuse any existing materials in this fully online course (e.g., materials from a remote or an on-campus offering)? 
  • Do you plan to reuse the course content developed for this project in another course or platform (e.g., a face-to-face offer of the course, a workshop, an open education resource (OER), etc.)? 

  • What style will the course be using? (E.g., APA, MLA, Chicago, etc.) 
  • Have you reviewed the Course Authoring Demo Site and/or the Math Authoring resources (the Program Intake Manager can provide access)?
  • If known, what is the preferred platform the course will use for content (LEARN, CMS, or Mobius; CEL may provide recommendations)? 

Assessment Plan and Course Outline

  • Please provide an initial assessment plan via the Initial Assessment Plan Questionnaire.
  • If your course will use Mobius assessments, please complete the Mobius Assessment Plan Questionnaire.
  • Please provide the following course outline items via the course outline template: 
    • draft course-level outcomes,
    • a course description,
    • required/recommended textbooks and/or open educational resources(OERs),
    • and a draft course schedule, including list of topics this course will cover.

Sample Learning Materials 

  • Please provide a draft version of your module landing page via the Module Landing Page template.

  • Please provide a representative week of draft content that you have compiled for this new online course. 

Remote teaching course conversion to fully online

  • Have you previously worked with CEL to produce an online course? 
  • Do you understand the project timeline, acknowledge the requirements of each milestone, and the implications of missed milestones?
  • Do you understand that additional work will be required from you beyond preparing and sharing learning materials in advance of the milestones listed on the project timeline?
  • Which LEARN term shell will be used as the basis for this remote teaching to fully online conversion?

  • Do you give permission, as author of the materials in the LEARN shell, for CEL staff working on this development to have access on an as-needed basis? If you are not the author, who should we reach out to for permission?

  • Describe, at a high level, what you are planning to keep from your remote teaching course and what you are planning to revise or redevelop.
  • Do you intend on reusing any other existing materials in this fully online course (e.g., materials from an on-campus offering)?
  • Do you plan to reuse the course content developed for this project in another course or platform (e.g., a face-to-face offer of the course, a workshop, an open education resource (OER), etc.)? 

  • Does anyone else own the IP for materials you will be sharing with CEL as part of this project (e.g., you wrote a textbook on the topic and the publisher owns the IP; you plan to interview a guest speaker and use the recording in this course, etc.)? 
  • Do you understand and agree to providing content which aligns with Waterloo’s Copyright Guidelines?
  • Have you reviewed the Course Authoring Demo Site and/or the Math Authoring resources (the Program Intake Manager can provide access)?
  • If known, what is the preferred platform the course will use for content (LEARN, CMS, or Mobius; CEL may provide recommendations)?

  • What style will the course be using (e.g., APA, MLA, Chicago, etc.)?  
  • Where time and resources allow, CEL will produce accessible course content. However, if subject matter expertise is required (e.g., image descriptions for complicated diagrams), CEL will not be able to create those without your input.  CEL will also not create accessible versions for original course content that you upload directly into the course yourself.

Assessment Plan and Course Outline

  • Describe the changes you intend to make, if any, to the assessment plan. If the changes are significant, please complete the Initial Assessment Plan Questionnaire.
  • If your course will use Mobius assessments, please complete the Mobius Assessment Plan Questionnaire
  • Please indicate where the following course outline items can be found in your remote teaching course. If you intend to change any of these items, please complete the course outline template.
    • course-level outcomes,
    • a course description,
    • required/recommended textbooks and/or OERs,
    • and a draft Course Schedule, including list of topics this course will cover.

Sample Learning Materials 

  • Please provide a draft version of a module landing page for a representative week or module. Either indicate where to find the landing page in your remote course or complete the Module Landing Page template.

  • Please select a representative week of content from your remote teaching course and describe any changes you intend to make to it as part of this development. If you are adding additional content, please upload a draft of the new content for that week to your CEL OneDrive proposal folder. 

Significant online course revisions

  • Have you previously worked with CEL to produce an online course? 
  • Do you understand the project timeline, acknowledge the requirements of each milestone, and the implications of missed milestones?
  • Do you understand that additional work will be required from you beyond preparing and sharing learning materials in advance of the milestones listed on the project timeline?
  • Why is this course being revised?

  • Describe, at a high level, the extent of these significant revisions (e.g., 50% of course content (approximately 6 modules), reworking of course assessments and tools).

  • If known, what is the preferred platform the course will use for content (LEARN, CMS, or Mobius; CEL may provide recommendations)? 
  • Does anyone else own the IP for materials you will be sharing with CEL as part of this project (e.g., you wrote a textbook on the topic and the publisher owns the IP; you plan to interview a guest speaker and use the recording in this course, etc.)? 
  • Do you understand and agree to providing content which aligns with Waterloo’s Copyright Guidelines?
  • Where time and resources allow, CEL will produce accessible course content. However, if subject matter expertise is required (e.g., image descriptions for complicated diagrams), CEL will not be able to create those without your input.  CEL will also not be creating accessible versions for original course content that you upload directly into the course yourself. 

Assessment Plan and Course Outline

  • Please indicate changes you intend to make, if any, to the assessment plan.
  • Will the course be using a textbook or other desired external resource (e.g., OERs)? If the revisions are based upon an update to a new textbook or an updated edition of an existing textbook, it is necessary that we are advised ahead of time. 
  • Please indicate any changes you intend to make to the course schedule (e.g., removing, combining, or renaming modules; adding new modules or topics).  

Sample Learning Materials 

  • Please provide a representative sample of revised learning materials (e.g., a document detailing the changes to be made to a Module Landing page and a week’s worth of new/revised draft content). 

Online course component

  • Have you previously worked with CEL to produce online content? 
  • Do you understand the project timeline, acknowledge the requirements of each milestone, and the implications of missed milestones?
  • Do you understand that additional work will be required from you beyond preparing and sharing learning materials in advance of the milestones listed on the project timeline?
  • What is the goal(s) of the project and/or the problem the content plans to address? What would success look like if the problem were solved?
  • What is the vision for the final product? What types of custom media do you anticipate incorporating (e.g., 3-minute video, animation, interaction, graphics, presentations, live action, etc.)?

  • If known, what platform will the content be housed within (LEARN, CMS, Mobius, or other; CEL may provide recommendations)?
  • Do you plan to reuse the content developed for this project in another course or platform (e.g., a face-to-face or online course, a workshop, an open education resource (OER), etc.)?
  • Does anyone else own the IP for materials you will be sharing with CEL as part of this project (e.g., you wrote a textbook on the topic and the publisher owns the IP; you plan to interview a guest speaker and use the recording in this project, etc.)? 
  • Do you understand and agree to providing content which aligns with Waterloo’s Copyright Guidelines?
  • Where time and resources allow, CEL will produce accessible content. However, if subject matter expertise is required (e.g., image descriptions for complicated diagrams), CEL will not be able to create those without your input.  CEL will also not create accessible versions for original content that you upload directly into the project yourself.

Sample Learning Materials 

  • Please provide a representative sample of learning materials that you have compiled for this new online component (this can be uploaded to your CEL OneDrive proposal folder). The level of detail provided must be sufficient for CEL to scope the development resources required.