Building the Infrastructure for Innovative Collaborative Course Design and Development

This session describes how the leadership team within Excelsior College's Center for Online Education, Learning and Academic Services has used using Lean principles as a framework for developing and leading cross-functional teams and processes that can keep pace with rapid changes of the 21st century. Participants will gain practical examples for changing processes to promote and support innovation specific to course design and development.

Derived from a manufacturing model for improving efficiency, the Lean philosophy provides a research-based framework for reviewing current processes to identify and eliminate sources of waste, minimize errors, reduce costs, enhance quality, and engage in continuous improvement (Balzer, 2010). Lean takes a systems approach, examining both people and processes, to create a culture that promotes and manages change as a continuous improvement effort. It is the systems approach that serves as the foundation upon which a culture of innovation can be built.

During the session, attendees will gain knowledge of:
ïLean principles and systems thinking as applied to online higher education;
ïWays to use Lean principles to rethink teams and redesign processes to allow for innovative course design and development;
ïWays to capitalize on existing challenges and initiatives to introduce process changes and continuous improvement efforts that allow for innovation and experimentation.

Using personal examples, the presenters will share how Excelsior College is developing a more flexible and collaborative course design process to allow for integration of innovative instructional practices such as CBE, games, and simulations; creating work flows and teams to support design/development of 120+ online courses annually; and promoting a culture with an openness to change and flexibility while preserving the institutional commitment to quality online course design and development.

References:
Balzer, W. K. (2010). Lean higher education: Increasing value and performance of university processes. New York, NY: CRC Press.