Three-Year Review for Online and Hybrid Courses

Step 0: Department Notification

Each August, the department liaison receives a list of courses scheduled for review during the upcoming academic year. This annual notification provides departments with early notice and predictable timelines for planning faculty workload and course scheduling. The liaison is responsible for coordinating within the department and sending the required information for each course (responsible faculty member and course section) back to SEA. Courses are organized into three review groups based on prior approval or review dates:

• Group 1 (September–December): Information due by September 1
• Group 2 (January–April): Information due by February 1
• Group 3 (May–August): Information due by February 1

Planning Ahead: Department liaisons can view past and upcoming review dates for all online and hybrid courses in the Online Course/Program Approval System (OCPAS), enabling multi-year planning beyond the current academic year.

Important: If the liaison does not communicate the required information by the applicable deadline, the impacted courses will not be eligible to be scheduled for the following semester.

Step 1: Reflection – Guided Course Assessment (Recommended)

The instructional design consultant invites the faculty member to complete a Guided Course Assessment. While not required, faculty are strongly encouraged to use this reflection to identify what is working well, where support would be helpful, any planned updates to third-party materials (including textbooks), and potential media enhancements.

Faculty may also request targeted media enhancements from SEA’s Creative Production Unit (for example, updated graphics, audio, or short videos). SEA will consider requests and pursue those that align with institutional priorities and available capacity.

When provided, the Guided Course Assessment helps SEA tailor the review to faculty objectives and planned revisions, focusing attention on priority areas and helping to avoid unnecessary or misaligned updates. If no assessment is submitted, the review proceeds based on the existing course materials and standard review criteria.

What to Expect from the Guided Course Assessment

The Guided Course Assessment is a brief, structured reflection designed to help focus the Three-Year Review on your course priorities and planned updates. Most faculty can thoughtfully complete the assessment in approximately 15–20 minutes.

The assessment includes short questions about:

• Your experience teaching the course
• Course design and structure
• Student engagement and learning experiences
• Accessibility and third-party materials
• Potential media enhancements

Your responses help SEA tailor the review to your objectives and prioritize appropriate design, accessibility, and media support. Completing the assessment early helps streamline the review process by clarifying priorities from the outset.

The Guided Course Assessment is not evaluative. It is used solely to inform and guide the review process, helping to avoid unnecessary or misaligned revisions and ensuring that support efforts are directed where they will have the greatest impact.

Step 2: Review

The instructional design consultant conducts a preliminary review of the course, drawing on the Guided Course Assessment (if submitted). Based on this review, SEA recommends one of two pathways:

1. Continue with the Three-Year Review: The course proceeds to a full design, accessibility, and copyright review (described below).
2. Full Redevelopment (OCDev): The course is referred to the Online Course Development process and exits the Three-Year Review. Full redevelopment is relatively rare and is recommended when
   1. Cumulative changes or extensive updates have altered the course well beyond its original design or
   2. Proposed changes articulated in the Guided Course Assessment extend beyond the scope of targeted improvements and require more comprehensive redesign.
   The final decision to pursue full redevelopment or continue within the Three-Year Review rests with the academic department.

If the course continues within the Three-Year Review, the instructional design consultant completes the full review in collaboration with the accessibility and copyright specialists. The combined report is informed by the Guided Course Assessment (if submitted) and includes:

1. Required accessibility and copyright updates.
2. Recommended design improvements. Design recommendations are advisory and intended to strengthen course organization, clarity, and engagement.

The report may also outline available media enhancements from SEA’s Creative Production Unit, if the faculty member requested such enhancements.

Step 3: Targeted Improvement

Faculty have six months, beginning on the date they receive the report, to complete required updates and, where applicable, to implement approved media enhancements in collaboration with the Creative Production Unit. During this revision period, the instructional design consultant and accessibility and copyright specialists are available for consultation to support implementation.

Upon completion of required updates, the instructional design consultant and accessibility and copyright specialists verify the revisions.

Important: Courses that do not complete required updates within the six-month window will not be eligible for scheduling until all updates are verified.

Completing revisions within this six-month window helps ensure that students benefit from targeted design improvements—including, where applicable, new media—and reduces the likelihood of scheduling disruptions.