U Nebraska Works with iDesign to Develop More Online Courses
In an effort to increase access to its bachelor's and graduate programs and improve time to degree, the University of Nebraska is partnering with iDesign to grow its online offerings. The company's instructional designers will work with Nebraska faculty and staff on course deisgn and the use of technology for student learning. "Rooted in a commitment to balancing the application of emerging technologies with priorities of both faculty and campus leadership, the partnership will result in online courses carefully crafted to improve both learner experience and outcomes," according to a news announcement.
The project will focus on courses that are not currently offered online, serve a high percentage of students and often have more students who wish to enroll than can be accommodated, the annoucement said. In addition, data collected in the courses will help the university assess what instructional elements most impact student outcomes.
"NU faculty and students will benefit from iDesign's expertise in learner experience design and their ability to leverage data to identify areas for improvement and enable ongoing success," said Mary Niemiec, the university's associate vice president for digital education and director of NU Online, in a statement. "Each course will inform our larger instructional efforts through the research study designed as part of the development process. It is really powerful work and has been universally well received."
The University of Nebraska's online programs, known as NU Online, are a collaborative effort among the four campuses of the NU system: University of Nebraska at Kearney, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, University of Nebraska at Omaha and the University of Nebraska Medical Center. NU Online currently offers more than 125 online programs serviing more than 7,600 students.
"The University of Nebraska has a strong commitment to increasing access to high-quality online education and to student success," said Whitney Kilgore, chief academic officer of iDesign, in a statement. "We are thrilled to partner with this institution on an initiative that will help make top-notch online programs even better."
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Rhea Kelly is editor in chief for Campus Technology, THE Journal, and Spaces4Learning. She can be reached at [email protected].