About Us
Center for Instructional Design (CID) is a department of Extended University that offers online course development and assistance to all UTEP faculty. The CID team is focused on providing research-based best practices in instructional design and development as well as instructional technology solutions that can help faculty members and instructors maximize their students’ learning experiences. CID instructional designers are available to consult with faculty and staff and ensure that
- Course design meets SACSCOC and UTEP standards for quality
- Course materials meet both standards of copyright and ADA compliance as required by SACSCOC and federal law
CID works with faculty who are developing new online courses as well as those who are teaching courses that have been previously taught. Please see the UTEP Faculty Handbook for Online Teaching and Learning for more information.
What is Instructional Design?
A wide range of online courses are offered as a part of UTEP Connect at the undergraduate and graduate levels. These online courses are web-based with no face-to-face contact between students and faculty. Instructional Design (ID) is the process of analyzing and developing a successful educational experience that maximizes how students, faculty, and content interact with each other in an online course.
Our Services
Our CID team is focused on providing research-based best practices in instructional design and development as well as instructional technology solutions that can help faculty members and instructors maximize their students’ learning experience. We generally use a 16 to 20-week timeline to work on new courses.
Our instructional designers are available to consult with faculty and staff and ensure that
• Course design meets SACSCOC and UTEP standards for quality
• Course materials meet both standards of copyright and ADA compliance as required by SACSCOC and federal law
Areas of Focus
(a) Course Development and Updates
New Online Courses:
These are courses that have been approved by the Dean of Extended University and scheduled to be offered online for the first time. New courses must be approved before they are scheduled for development. New courses undergo a 16 to 20-week collaborative development process which allows sufficient time for design, development/building, and evaluation of the course.
Returning Online Courses:
Courses that are offered online a second time (or more than once) are considered returning courses. These courses may need updates that can range from basic changes, such as syllabus and schedule updates, or compressing/expanding a course, to more major changes such as a redesign. While faculty should be able to handle many updates without support, some may request assistance from their assigned Instructional Designer (ID). In this case, the ID will need eight weeks for smaller changes, and a full 16 weeks for major changes.
(b) Research and Innovation
In addition to working with faculty on developing online and hybrid courses, our CID team researches new instructional design strategies and technologies and learns how they can be implemented for teaching and learning. The CID team also trains faculty on emerging technologies and instructional resources used to effectively manage or enhance all types of teaching.
(c) Technology Training and Support
Our team collaborates with several other groups within UTEP and the UT System and works to stay current on the various technology tools that can promote student engagement and achievement. Currently, we work closely with UTEP Connect, Academic Technologies, and Technology Support to fully support the needs of online faculty at UTEP.
