Book Changes, Syllabi Updates, and Course Development/Maintenance/Revision

If a course is NOT on CTC’s course inventory, you must obtain CTC Curriculum Review Committee (CRC) approval before offering it in any delivery mode. Questions should be submitted to Institutional Accountability and Curriculum Support (IACS). Go to https://www.ctcfacstaff.ctcd.edu/iacs/institutional-account-curric-support.html for further information (this link is only available while on campus or via VPN).

Book changes and online and multimedia master course development, revision, or maintenance requests are initiated by submitting the dual-purpose Textbook Update and Course Development form at IACS--Instructional Program Support Services section in Etrieve. The form must be approved by the Department Chair. It goes both to IACS and to DEET. The textbook information must be complete before Master Course development/maintenance/revision can commence. Be sure to include the title, print ISBN, e-Book ISBN, edition, copyright date, and publisher for both publisher and OER materials.

An updated syllabus must be provided to IACS in their specified format. The syllabus should be routed using the Master Course Syllabus Checklist Etrieve form or such process as designated by IACS.

Definitions of Course Development/Maintenance/Revision

Course Development means that the course has never been developed as a master course for any form of delivery or has never been developed based on OER materials. A course reviewer (CR) is assigned by the Department Chair and is listed on the Textbook Update and Course Development Etrieve form. The CR should be an experienced faculty member who is qualified to teach the course. The CR is compensated upon completion of and Department Chair approval of the master course. Compensation is $2,000 and is usually paid as a part of the faculty member’s usual direct deposit. No compensation is paid for development, revisions, or changes made to individual faculty courses.

Course Revision is performed when a new textbook or new edition of a current textbook is adopted or if major changes or development for labs or test pools is required. A course reviewer (CR) is assigned by the Department Chair and is listed on the Textbook Update and Course Development Etrieve form. The CR should be an experienced faculty member who is qualified to teach the course. The CR is compensated upon completion of and Department Chair approval of the master course. Compensation is $1,000 and is usually paid as a part of the faculty member’s usual direct deposit. No compensation is paid for development, revisions, or changes made to individual faculty courses.

Course Maintenance is performed when minor changes or corrections are requested or required. Examples include changes to the course alpha numeric, course title, course description, or course outcomes. A course reviewer (CR) is assigned by the Department Chair and is listed on the Textbook Update and Course Development Etrieve form. The CR should be an experienced faculty member who is qualified to teach the course. The Content Reviewer is not compensated.

In case-by-case instances, compensation for other updates may be prorated, not to exceed $500.

Course Development/Maintenance/Revision Process

Requests must be

• submitted a minimum of six months prior to use in a scheduled class to ensure that the development, QA, approval, and copying processes can be completed to allow faculty at least a month to review their courses.
• accompanied by the Instructional Materials that will be used for the course, to include ancillaries, and an updated syllabus that reflects the Instructional Materials to be used. Instructional Materials will become the property of DEET as resources for future course maintenance.

A face-to-face or virtual meeting with the Content Reviewer and the DEET Instructional Development team is conducted to discuss the process, analyze needs, identify specific timelines, and sign paperwork.

The completed master course goes through a four-step QA process and is then sent to the Department Chair for approval. See Department Chair Master Course Approval Process for more information.

Department Chairs may request that a pilot test be conducted prior to unlimited distribution to faculty. The pilot test should

• Have an established start and end date.
• Include a variety of delivery modes.
• Involve more than one faculty member.

Upon completion of the pilot test, all involved parties will meet (may be virtual) to discuss any required changes to the master or to agree that the master is ready for unlimited distribution.

Contact DEET for further information.

Course development/revision/maintenance starts upon receipt by DEET of

• Approved request form, updated syllabus, and instructional materials and ancillaries, to include test pools. These items become the property of DEET.
• A meeting with the Content Reviewer and the DEET Instructional Development team is conducted to discuss the process, analyze needs, identify specific timelines, and sign paperwork.

Times are estimates and may vary by project and by workload. Every possible effort will be made to keep total time as short as possible.

MM courses are based on an online master course with a few minor adaptations.

• If you submit a request form for an online course, remember to check to see if it is also developed for multimedia delivery.  Go to our Online Course Catalog and look at the Delivery Method column of the table.  Also, remember to include any special requirements, such as software or hardware. 
• Conversion of an online master to MM format does not constitute development or revision. In most instances, this merely involves deleting some sections, such as the IP policy, or adjusting verbiage.  

Separate master courses are not created for blended, SVL, online, or other forms of delivery.

• Master courses are intended to be comprehensive and should provide sufficient material and activities to be adapted for a variety of delivery modes. This allows us to provide all instructors the corresponding master course content as a starting point and ensures consistency among the different types of delivery.
• The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board defines blended/hybrid courses as "A course in which a majority (more than 50 percent but less than 85 percent), of the planned instruction occurs when the students and instructor(s) are not in the same place." Faculty teaching these courses must ensure that these requirements are met.

Instructors are hired and assigned classes by the academic and/or career/technical departments or CTC sites. It is the responsibility of these departments or sites to ensure that the instructors are provided the appropriate course materials. We recommend that all faculty

• Sign up for and complete the online Blackboard faculty training. Registration is completed through the HR Training Office.
• Become familiar with the CTC and the DEET websites for policies, procedures, information, and Points of Contact.
• Advise their students to also become familiar with the CTC and DEET websites.