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As an administrator or program director, you may be tempted to launch a new program as soon as need, idea, and opportunity converge. After all, the sooner a program opens its doors, the sooner students become proud alumni. However, the more planning that is done at the outset of program implementation, the more holistic and coherent the program will be, and thus, the more successful.

If you’re developing a course with synchronous and asynchronous elements, you have a host of options for engaging students and delivering content. Research suggests that incorporating multiple modalities increases accessibility, engagement, and learning (Mick and Middlebrook, 2015; Margolis et al., 2017). With that said, it is important to be intentional about multimodal course design. Both synchronous and asynchronous methods of delivery are effective, but activities can be better suited to one or the other modality and synchronous time is often limited. Delivering selected content asynchronously can support students’ understanding of how information is organized and leave more time for interactivity in synchronous sessions.

Your class was never intended to be online. It was delivered face-to- face to a live audience. Perhaps it followed that same structure for years. Now, with little warning, it’s an online class. Where do you start? What do you prioritize? And what is essential to create a meaningfully engaging learning experience online? Rapidly transitioning a course to online doesn’t require recreating every element of the face-to-face version.

For higher ed decision makers, any program initiative can benefit from faculty buy-in, from a minor grading policy update to a full curriculum redesign. In fact, the smallest changes may even prove the most contentious. Being able to generate buy-in from your team of faculty, staff, and administrators becomes a critical skill to have at your disposal.