Online Course Planning Grid

T. Riedy

What is the Miami Online: Online Course Planning Grid?

The Miami Online: Online Course Planning Grid is a tool that is used by Miami Online Learning Designers and their Course Authors. The Grid serves multiple purposes and organizes important information in an easy-to-find and read format. 

  1. Ensures that the course has structural alignment. Via the grid, you can align Course Learning Outcomes, Module Learning Outcomes, learning materials, and assessments. This helps to ensure that CLOs and MLOs are being taught and that the content in the course connects to them. 
  2. Prevents content overload. While we want students to learn, overstuffing a course with content can have negative effects, leaving students feeling like they are trying to drink from a firehose. The Grid acts like a checklist where you can make sure that you are meeting the needs of the CLOs and MLOs of the course without overloading modules with unnecessary busy work and off-topic readings or videos. 
  3. Improves student navigation. The Grid gives LDs and CAs a quick and easy way to lay out modules. It allows them to create patterns in each module that add structure to the course. By doing this, students learn how to navigate the course within a few modules and manage their weekly time investment need for the course. 
  4. Simplest Quality Assurance Process. The Miami Online grid is based on the Quality Matters (QM) grid. The QM grid was created in part to make it easy to “check the boxes” for accreditation or internal peer reviews because the logic of the course is fully documented. 
  5. Streamline Collaboration. Each course’s Grid is housed in the Miami Online Google Drive. This enables the Grid to be shared between the LD and CA, grants each 24/7 access, and allows them to work remotely at the same time or separately.

Online Planning Guide Overview

Miami Online: Course Planning Grid – Course Code

Every online asynchronous course that is created by Miami Online includes its own custom Grid. LDs make a copy of the ONLA Grid template and update the Course Code for the course they are working on. 

Screenshot of the Miami Online Course Planning Grid title.

Course Information

This section of the Grid includes the basic information about the course. This information can be found via Miami University’s Course Inventory Management. 

  • Course Title: The full name of the course. 
  • Course Code: The unique alphanumeric identifier for the course.
  • Course Author: The name of the Subject Matter Expert of the course. 
  • Official Course Description: A paragraph-long bulletin description of the course. This is a general description of the course and what it will cover. 
  • Microcredential Course: This section confirms or denies whether the course is a microcredential course. Students who take microcredential courses earn badges for completing the course or a combination of courses. 
  • Course Collaborators: Anyone who collaborates on this course besides the Course Author and Learning Designer. The majority of the time if the course does have a course collaborator, it is an Embedded Librarian. 
Screenshot of the course information section of the Grid. There is a section for Course Title, Course Code, Course Author, Description, whether or not the course is a microcredentials course, and Course Collaborators.

Learning Outcomes

This section of the Grid lists the various Outcomes of the course. 

  • Department Student Learning Outcomes: Learning Outcomes that are specifically created for the Department of the course. This information is not available for all courses, but if a Department does have them, then those outcomes that are related to the course should be bolded. 
  • Program/Major/Track Outcomes: Learning Outcomes that are specifically created for the Program/Major/Track. This information is not available for all courses, but if they exist, it should be listed. All outcomes that are related to the course should be bolded.
  • Miami Plan 2023 Student Learning Outcomes: If the course is part of the Miami Plan, then LD’s will list the course’s unique 4 pillars of the Miami Plan here. Those pillars are: Civic-Mindedness and Social Engagement, Collaboration and Innovation, Critical and Integrative Thinking, and Communication & Expression. 
  • Course Learning Outcomes: These are Learning outcomes that have been specifically created for the course. They can be connected to the Department Student Learning Outcomes and Program/Major/Track Outcomes. 
Screenshot of the Learning Outcomes section of the Grid. There is a section for Department Student Learning Outcomes, Program/Major/Track Outcomes, Miami Plan Outcomes, and Course-Level Outcomes.

Course Resources

This section lists learning materials that a student will need for the course. These materials may need to be purchased by students or are available for free, and should be noted as such. 

  • Required Resources: This section lists textbooks or other resources that students will need to analyze for the course and are required to complete course assessments. 
  • Technology: This section lists any technology that students will need to complete assignments, discussions, case studies, etc., in the course. 
Screenshot of the Course Resources section of the Grid. There is a section for Required Resources and Technology.

Course Design/Module 0

The Course Design section of the Grid lists the individual modules and their content in the course. Module 0 is a unique module as it’s used to provide students with information about the course, how to set up technology for the course, and links to various resources that are available to the student. 

Screenshot of the Course Design section of the Grid. There is a section for Module 0, Module Author, CLOs, MLOs, Instructional Content, Learning Interactions, and Evaluation.

Module 1

Each module in the course has its own area where you detail and connect its Module Learning Outcomes, its instructional content, and how the content will be taught. 

  • Module 1: The number and name of the Module. 
  • Module Author: The Course Author and/or Course Collaborator (s) name(s). 
  • Course Learning Outcomes (CLOs) aligned to this Module: List the CLOs that relate to the MLOs in this module. 
  • Module Learning Outcomes (Specialized Bloom’s List): MLOs that have been created for the Module that align with the CLOs and module content. The Specialized Bloom’s List link gives the LD and CA access to Bloom’s verbs to use to create MLOs. 
  • Instructional Content: These are the learning materials for each module.
    • Read: Any readings for the module. This normally includes chapters from the course’s textbook, individual articles, and links to websites. 
    • Watch: Any videos for the module. These are usually Course Author-recorded lectures or YouTube videos that they have selected that are related to the other learning content in the module. 
    • Optional: This section covers all other types of learning material,s including slide decks, podcasts, and other learning materials. 
    • Assignments, Discussions, Quizzes, Exams, etc. are also listed in this column in the chronological order they appear in the course. 
  • Learning Interactions: This section lists how Assignments, Discussions, Quizzes, Exams, etc., learning interactions will take place in the course.
    • Student-Content: This is traditionally for assignments, quizzes, case studies, and exams that students will take on their own. 
    • Student-Student: This is an interaction between students in the course. This is traditionally used for Discussions and Group Projects. 
    • Student-Instructor: This is for interactions between the student and instructor. Normally, you will see instructor lectures and discussions under this label. 
  • Evaluation: This section highlights what type of evaluation each individual Assignment, Discussion, Quiz, Exam, etc., falls under.
    • Formative: This style of assessment is more of a “check-in.” It helps to monitor student progress and enables instructors to give feedback to students who are struggling. 
    • Summative: This style of assessment is used to evaluate students at the end of a defined instructional period. Typically, exams, final projects, and final presentations fall under this category. 
Screenshot of the Course Design section of the Grid. There is a section for Module 1, Module Author, CLOs, MLOs, Instructional Content, Learning Interactions, and Evaluation.

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