Institutional and Course Readiness Criteria

The level of interest and enthusiasm in higher education for infusing information technology into the teaching and learning process is notable. It is clear, however, that certain institutions more than others have progressed farther along the learning curve about what is required to do so successfully. Because of their prior investments and experiences, these institutions are, in essence, more "ready" to engage in large-scale redesign efforts to improve learning and reduce costs.

Just as some institutions are more ready than others to engage in large-scale redesign, some courses more than others are more ready to be the focus of that redesign effort. Because of prior experiences with technology-mediated teaching and learning, and because of numerous attitudinal factors, some faculty members are more ready to engage in large-scale redesign efforts to achieve the program's goals. They have, in essence, a head start on the process.

Please select "example" to see sample responses to the criteria drawn from the Program in Course Redesign. Note: Criteria 4 and 8 are new and have no examples.

Institutional Readiness Criteria

  1. Does the institution want to control or reduce costs and increase academic productivity? (Example)
  2. Is there a demonstrated commitment on the part of institutional leaders to use technology to achieve strategic academic goals, a commitment that moves beyond using technology to provide general support for all faculty and for all courses? (Example)
  3. Is computing firmly integrated into the campus culture? (Example)
  4. Has the institution substituted capital for labor—i.e., used technology for functions previously performed by institutional personnel? In administrative functions? In academic functions?
  5. Does the institution have a mature information technology (IT) organization(s) to support faculty integration of technology into courses? Or does it contract with external providers to provide such support? (Example)
  6. Does the institution have a demonstrated commitment to learner-centered education? (Example)
  7. Has the institution made a commitment to learner readiness to engage in IT-based courses? (Example)
  8. Is the institution committed to providing needed support for the redesign project?

Course Readiness Criteria

  1. Will changes in the course have a high impact on the curriculum? (Example)
  2. Are decisions about curriculum in the department, program, or school made collectively--in other words, beyond the individual faculty member level? (Example)
  3. Are the faculty able and willing to incorporate existing curricular materials in order to focus work on redesign issues rather than materials creation? (Example)
  4. Do the faculty members have an understanding of and some experience with integrating elements of computer-based instruction into existing courses? (Example)
  5. Have the course’s expected learning outcomes and a system for measuring their achievement been identified? (Example)
  6. Do the project participants have the requisite skills to conduct a large-scale project? (Example)
  7. Do the faculty members involved have an understanding of learning theory? (Example)
  8. Is the campus committed to a partnership among faculty, IT staff and administrators in both planning and execution of the redesign? (Example)