Call for Courses

Call for Transformative General Education Course Proposals


Due September 30: A link to the application will be available here after September 1

 

  • Name of Proposed Course:
  • Person(s) Submitting Proposal:
  • Associated Microcredential (proposed course must be aligned to a current microcredential):
  • Course Elevator Pitch (250 words max):
  • Course Learning Outcomes (Writing Learning Outcomes guidance):
  • How does the proposed course add value to the microcredential? Be sure to speak to how your course might work with current course(s) listed in the microcredential. (max 200 words).
  • How does the proposed course support student learning related to the University Wide Learning Outcomes (max 200 words)?
  • Concurrently, applicants must complete Cyberlearning’s “Application to Develop an Online Course” for Cyberlearning and OAA approval.

October 30: GE committee, in consultation with ITL and Cyberlearning, will approve up to 51 (five) courses (rubric and other criteria to be developed by GE and ITL)2


November 1: Applicants notified of status of proposed courses.

If approved:

  • Before January 2025: Applicants are required to meet with ITL staff and with Cyberlearning staff at least once for consultation before January 2025. 
  • Before Spring 2025 Gen Ed Course Approval Deadline: Applicants required to submit request to GE committee for final approval of course. 
  • May 2025: Applicants awarded $2,000/course for course development per Article 30 of YSU-OEA CBA, pending GE committee and Department of Cyberlearning/OAA final approval (if multiple applicants, course development stipend is split). 

Fall 2025/Spring 2026: New courses taught. 

 

Additional notes on Cyberlearning approval process: 

Due to the new YSU-OEA Agreement language, courses will not be compensated if they have been taught within the last 3 years as web-based (online asynchronous). Therefore, the application to develop an online course must be approved by the Provost or Provost's Designee prior to the start of the first term in which it will be taught as web-based.  See the YSU-OEA Agreement for details.

 

  1. The developer completes the Application to Develop an Online Course. Include expected enrollment and reason for putting the course online as well as if it is part of an online program. The department Chair and Dean should sign, then forward to the Director of Cyberlearning. Send by email to jrchill@ysu.edu.
  2. The Director of Cyberlearning will sign and forward the application to the provost for approval.
  3. Once the Provost makes the final decision, the Director of Cyberlearning will reach out to the developer to discuss the approval status and whether it is okay to begin development. If approved, a Blackboard course shell will be issued, and an instructional designer will contact the developer to offer assistance with the development process. Development approval is good for six months from Provost (or Provost’s designee) signature date. A new application must be submitted and approved to proceed with development beyond this point.
  4. The developer registers for the required training for developing and teaching an online course if they have not completed it already. The internal training course is titled “Preparing to Teach online at YSU” and registration can be completed through YSU's Training & Development page. This can be done earlier in the process, but must be completed before development begins.
  5. When the course is completed, the developer should let the Department of Cyberlearning know so that they can start the rubric review process. An email can be sent to jrchill@ysu.edu directly to the instructional designer they have been working with. The review process includes two reviews of the course, one from an instructional designer in the Department of Cyberlearning and one from a colleague of the developer’s choice. Each review will evaluate several criteria based on our internal review rubric to determine whether the course is ready to be put online.
  6. Once the rubric review is passed, the Department of Cyberlearning will complete the payment form and the compensation will be issued on the posted pay period dates through Payroll. The compensation amount is based on the current YSU-OEA contract.

Reference:

  1. Number TBD based on microcredential needs

  2. Scoring rubric and other criteria will be developed by GE committee with guidance from ITL if needed. Rubric will be made available to applicants before submission.