Integrate > For Team Members > Info for Materials Developers > Your Module/Course Development Timeline

Your Module/Course Development Timeline

Jump down to: Phase 1: Materials In Development | Phase 2: Classroom Pilot | Phase 3: Post-Pilot Materials Revision


The show/hide links in each section outline the complete steps involved in passing the different phases of the materials development process and are separated by project roles. We encourage you to familiarize yourself with your own responsibilities as well as those of others.

Materials Team Application Accepted and Contract Initiated

The first step in developing a module or course, is to confirm the title of your materials, provide a short, publishable description of the materials you are developing, describe your teams strategy for meeting the projects overarching goals, provide contact information for the members of your team and indicate the course in which each will test the materials. This initial information may be completed using this form or in some cases may be completed at the initial team meeting. This information will be used to establish the contracts needed for each team member to ensure payment of the stipend. The short description will be used to describe the course or module on the public project website. Team members should communicate to develop a responses that reflects a consensus of the team members. Each team member should understand the terms and conditions of the contract prior to completing in the form.

Once this form is complete, the webteam liasion will build your team's webspace and email list, your contract will be drafted, and you will be assigned an assessment consultant. While you are waiting for this to take place, you can read the Information for New Authors and supporting pages to familiarize yourself with the authoring process.

Materials team responsibilities:

Team Leader Responsibilities: Welcome and orient your team(s) to the details of materials authoring.

Assessment team responsibilities: Once assigned to a materials development team, review the materials description & timeline and make initial contact with materials team using the team's email list.

Webteam responsibilities: Set up initial webspace, provide a tutorial to the CMS if requested by materials team.

Phase 1: Materials In Development

As you develop materials you will reach various checkpoints where feedback will be given from your overall team leader (e.g. David McConnell, Anne Egger, David Gosselin), your assessment team consultant, and your webteam consultant. The purpose of the checkpoints is to ensure that the work you are describing is poised to pass the InTeGrate Curriculum Development and Refinement Rubric at Checkpoint 4, the materials review. By checking your work against the rubric several times throughout development, there is a much smaller chance of having to make major revisions once the module is complete.

Checkpoint 1: Goals, Objectives and Materials Outline

The first step in writing your module or course is to describe the goals, objectives and overall outline of the materials together as a materials development team. This work will help the materials team, team leader, assessment team member, and webteam liaison all have a better understanding of the scope of your work.

The materials development team should communicate with one another to write materials on the workspace and will then communicate to the project leader and assessment team member via the team's email list that the team is ready to have work reviewed.

Timing for this checkpoint:

  • This checkpoint should be completed after the Module/Course Description and Timeline form has been filled out and your contract is in place.
  • It will take your assessment team member and team leader approximately 1-2 weeks to review your work.

Materials team responsibilities: At Checkpoint 1, your webspace will be created and should include a top page (index page) and a overview page. On the index page, you will describe overarching goals and learning objectives for the module/course (on the team CMS webspace). To help you do this, review the Learning Objectives vs. Outcomes from the assessment primer from UCONN. On the overview page, create a draft of the overall structure of your module or course. By working together with your team to describe goals, objectives, and an outline of your materials, you can be more certain that all team members agree with the overall ideas behind the materials.

This is a good time to start investigating the Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval process for your institution.

When your team feels you have reached checkpoint 1 you will need to:

  • Contact your assessment consultant. They'll review the top page and overview page of your webspace. At this point, we are checking that the scope and organization of the project is poised to pass the InTeGrate Curriculum Development and Refinement Rubric prior to testing.
  • Contact your webteam support person and have a conversation about the structure of your course/module. That will allow them to create the necessary 'empty spaces' to hold your planned activity sheets and student materials. This will likely include space for Activity Sheets (used for instructions to the faculty) and separate areas in which you can develop student materials. At this stage you'll want to be familiar with exploring your space through the back-door entrance: the SERC admin interface. This view of your space provides more complete control over your content and allows you to reach pages that aren't yet hooked into the main navigation of your webspace. Your webteam support person will then document your team's plan on the reporting page, make the spaces, and let you know when they are ready.

Team leader and assessment team responsibilities: The assessment consultant needs to review the goals and objectives and provide constructive feedback to ensure it's in alignment with the InTeGrate Materials Development and Design Rubric.

Webteam responsibilities: The webteam liaison continues to provide support for using the CMS and will provide feedback on the design of webspace and help with the creation of activity sheet pages that will be used to describe the activities within the module/course.

Checkpoint 2: Half of Materials Complete

The materials team continues works together to begin creating materials. Materials may include activity descriptions, pedagogic approaches, student documents, etc.

Once approximately half of the materials for the module or course are complete, the team should communicate with the team leader, assessment consultant, and webteam liaison via the team's email list to initiate another review of the materials.

Timing for this checkpoint:

  • This checkpoint should be completed a minimum of 3-4 weeks prior to checkpoint 3, 5-6 weeks prior to materials review, and 10-15 weeks prior to testing.
  • It will take your assessment team member and team leader approximately 1-2 weeks to review your work.

Materials team responsibilities: When approximately 50% of your module/course is complete, you should have a significant description of goals, objectives, and pedagogical approaches being used in your module. Descriptions of your module/course activities should be available for review on the team's webspace.

When you've reached checkpoint 2, please initiate the Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval process (opens in a new window).

Team leader and assessment team responsibilities: The assessment consultant reviews the completed half of the module and provides constructive feedback with respect to the Materials Development and Design Rubric. If you have content questions, please contact your team lead (e.g. David McConnell, Anne Egger, David Gosselin).

Webteam responsibilities: Provide support for the CMS as needed.

Checkpoint 3: Materials Nearly Complete (75-90%)

The materials development team continues working as a team to create materials. Materials may include activity descriptions, pedagogic approaches, student documents, etc. At this point, some portions of the materials may be complete and others may be mostly complete.

Once materials are nearly complete, the team communicates with the team leader, assessment team member, and webteam liaison via the team's email list to initiate another review of materials and to set the date when Checkpoint 4: Materials Review will occur.

Timing for this checkpoint:

  • Completed 1 to 2 weeks prior to materials review (Checkpoint 4) deadline, and a minimum of 7-8 weeks prior to piloting materials in the classroom.
  • It will take your assessment team member and team leader approximately 1-2 weeks to review your work.

Materials team responsibilities:
  • Confirm the final review date when materials will be measured against the rubric.
  • Determine and clearly link the summative assessments (opens in a new window) on the assessment page in your module.
  • If your materials are being reviewed close to the time of your classroom pilot (e.g. within 6 weeks), remember to address the data collection steps required to Collect Data in your Classroom (opens in a new window).

Team leader responsibilities: The team leader (e.g. Anne Egger, David McConnell, David Gosselin) reviews all content and provides feedback on content (in addition to any comments and discussions that have already occurred) as well as module length (in terms of realistic teaching time).

Assessment team responsibilities: The assessment consultant reviews the completed materials and verifies the final review date.

Webteam responsibilities:

  • Continue to provide support for the CMS as needed.
  • Verify that all summative assessments are clearly labeled/linked on the assessment page of the module.
  • Prior to reaching Checkpoint 4, the webteam liaison also reads through the module and provides formatting and technical assistance as needed (checking links, adding pages to the navigation menu, editing page titles, removing stock text, ensuring that uploaded documents open, etc.)

Checkpoint 4: Materials Review and Revisions

The materials development team completes work on the materials for the module or course. Student worksheets are uploaded as needed, activity descriptions are complete, and the overview of the materials on the module overview page are sufficient for another instructor to understand how the parts of the module or course build upon one another to create a cohesive module or course. Once complete, the materials are reviewed by the team's assessment consultant and two other assessment ream members using the InTeGrate Curriculum Development and Refinement Rubric.

Timing for this checkpoint:

  • Completed 6 weeks minimum prior to testing- which allows time for reviews and revisions.
  • It will take the assessment team and team leader approximately 2 weeks to review your work.

Materials team responsibilities:

  • Look at all pages within the module or course webspace to be sure that formatting is similar among pages. Ask your webteam liaison for assistance as needed.
  • Email your team leader via the team's email list to let them know your module/course is ready for review.
  • After review is complete, revise materials as needed. You may need to create a plan with your assessment and team leaders to complete revisions.
  • Complete the Materials Development Reflection Survey after materials have passed the review and before teaching.
  • Prior to the beginning of the term during which you plan to pilot your materials, follow the initial data collection steps. Note that you may need to wait to complete this step until just prior to the term in which you will pilot your materials.

Team leader responsibilities: Inform the assessment team that materials are ready for review.

Assessment team responsibilities: The consultant and 2 other assessment team members review the team's materials based on the rubric. Within 2 weeks of beginning review, the consultant will provide the team with the review feedback and results.

Materials Team Receives first payment upon completing Checkpoint 4

Phase 2: Classroom Pilot

Pilot testing steps occur for each individual author (not as a team). Please note that there are data collection steps that need to be addressed prior to the start of the semester in which you plan to pilot the module in your class (see the "Before your course begins" section below). Depending on timing, this may occur after Checkpoint 3 or 4. Your webteam liaison can help you determine when you should complete these steps. Read more about Collecting Data in your Classroom.

Data Check A: Before your course begins. Read more about Data Check A

  • Obtain IRB approval (if not already complete)
  • Decide how you will provide data to InTeGrate
  • Decide on a student ID
  • Decide on a per-student measure of assignment completion
  • Complete the Course Setup Form.

Data Check B: At the beginning of your course (first week of class) Read more about Data Check B

  • Collect student consent forms (if needed)
  • Submit initial roster of student ID's
  • Direct students to initial attitudinal survey
  • Administer the initial GLE multiple choice questions

Data Check C: While you are teaching InTeGrate curriculum Read more about Data Check C

  • Administer and collect summative assessments

Data Check D: At the end of your course Read more about Data Check D

  • Administer the final GLE content questions (multiple choice and essays)
  • Direct students to complete the final attitudinal survey
  • Provide a final course roster, measure of assignment completeness, and student assessment responses
  • Complete the post-pilot reflection survey on your individual reporting forms
  • All student assessment data is submitted as recorded in the author's course status page

Phase 3: Post-Pilot Materials Revision and Review

The materials team will be responsible for revising the materials once testing is completed by all authors.

Checkpoint 5: Revision Plan

After each of your team members has piloted your InTeGrate material in the classroom, you will coordinate a revision plan. This revision plan is based on all three classroom pilot tests, and is informed by your data, reflections, case studies, and an intimate knowledge of what worked with your module or course. Comparing and contrasting your team's challenges and successes will lead to a strong coordinated revision plan. Your team will need define changes as either:

  1. Global: changes to be applied to the module as a whole.
  2. Individual: changes that may help individual teaching scenarios.
Your global revisions should be recorded as your group revision plan on your team's reporting page (checkpoint 5). Individual changes should be recorded in the applicable case study page(s).
Authors receive feedback from the assessment team's review of classroom testing data and (in some cases) the observation team. They combine this with their own experiences in teaching the materials to develop a revision plan.

Checkpoint 6: Individual Case Studies and Coordinated Revisions Completed

Authors revise materials with the goal of adequately responding to assessment team feedback and ensuring the materials will pass the checklist. They obtain iterative feedback from their team lead as they work. The team leader oversee editing to ensure materials from different teams share a common voice and are fully completed.

  • All necessary student materials are available on-line and consistent with the InTeGrate student materials format.
  • All necessary instructor materials are available on-line and consistent with the InTeGrate teaching materials format.
  • Writing style and tone are appropriate for the material. Teaching materials should follow best practices for web writing and present an accessible and compelling case for their use. Materials directed at students should have a voice and presentation appropriate for use in a broad range of classroom.
  • Spelling and grammar are correct.
  • Navigation within the web pages follows InTeGrate conventions and is complete and consistent.
  • All links are functional.
  • Appropriate attribution is given and sources cited throughout.
  • All downloadable materials:
    • are provided formats appropriate for their intended use.
    • appropriately cite their sources.
  • Figures and images have captions including attribution and references as appropriate.
  • All included materials (including photos) both online and downloadable have accurate licensing information and can be legally redistributed by InTeGrate.
  • Individual case studies finished

When authors feel the materials are finished they provide a letter to their team leader, summarizing the changes they've made in response to the initial assessment team feedback. The letter should detail rationale for both changes made *and* areas where they didn't make the requested changes, similar to a letter in response to peer review of a scientific paper. Specifically the letter wil address:

Checkpoint 7: Final Assessment and Content Review and Final Revisions

Complete the finished revising reflection survey

The Team Leader notifies David Steer, who manages both final assessment and content review. If necessary, feedback is sent to the team leader, who works with the module team to ensure appropriate changes are made. David Steer apprises Cathy Manduca of final completion.

Materials published on InTeGrate site and become freely available for use

Second payment is made when materials are published.


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