At BYU Continuing Education (CE), the creation of an online course for Independent Study is a carefully composed, team-driven process. That process typically starts when a course is due for review, either during its regular four-year review cycle or when feedback from students or instructors recommends necessary changes. New course ideas can come from a variety of different places, including marketing research, direct requests from customers, or even emerging educational trends.
The ideas are brought to a course priority meeting where they are weighed against all the other course priorities. If approved, the course is added to the design schedule.
The next step is finding an author for the course, often a qualified high school teacher who has previously connected with CE, who works with the design team to create an outline, establish learning objectives, and develop an assessment plan that aligns with state standards. Because online courses are often audited by states, BYU CE ensures 100% alignment. Typically, meeting Utah and California standards ensures most other states’ requirements are covered, with small adjustments made as needed for specific states.
Then, at a kickoff meeting, the standards specialist, author, and designer come to see if expectations have been met. Once the framework has been set, the author then delivers content week by week. The design team takes those materials and builds Canvas lesson pages, activities, and assignments. The student Instructional Design Assistants (IDAs) help build out those pages and interactive elements. Each module is reviewed and refined before moving on to the next. “Three-week sprints” are implemented where editors, accessibility specialists, copyright reviewers, and others provide feedback as the course develops. The design team also makes sure that each course is consistent with formatting, clear instructions, and supplementary “Want More” sections that let curious students explore topics beyond the required standards.
After all the modules have been completed, the course undergoes a final review and a two-to-four-week packaging process to ensure that technical accuracy and understanding have been achieved. Each course is then embedded with surveys to collect feedback during the pilot phase, which allows for adjustments to be made before the course officially enters its four-year life cycle.
BYU CE offers both self-paced Independent Study courses and more structured Online High School courses. Independent Study students can complete their course in as little as two months or take up to a year if needed, whereas Online High School students progress in cohorts with regular online meetings, more reminiscent of a traditional classroom setting. Between both, we are able to give families whatever option they need.
From first idea to final implementation, this process strikes a perfect balance between academic standards and commitment to high-quality education, ensuring that each course meets the high expectations of BYU CE’s mission of “Inspiring Lifelong Learning to Benefit the World.”