Instructional design support for online courses at Indiana University is provided through a partnership between the Office of Online Education and UITS. Within UITS Learning Technologies, the eLearning Design & Services (eDS) team has experienced instructional designers who have helped hundreds of faculty and staff develop online courses that meet quality guidelines and support strategic needs. The eDS team works with you to provide high-quality learning experiences for credit and non-credit projects.
Get professional course support
Check out completed eDS design work!
Enroll in these free courses to see examples of classes, trainings & orientations we have developed.
Working with the instructional design team
During a project, eLearning Design & Services provides a principal instructional designer (ID) or manager for strategic planning and relationship building, as well as a dedicated ID for guidance in creating highly engaging online courses that meet IU Online standards and are within school and/or program requirements. This includes instructional design expertise and project management.
The instructional design team is well-versed in pedagogy, best practices and IU-supported technologies. You will be assigned one or more IDs who will collaborate with you to develop course content. Together, you’ll engage in a process called backwards design, co-creating learning outcomes and assessments. As you share your goals and expertise, the ID will recommend pedagogical approaches and Canvas structures to match.
Your instructional designer is your point of contact for all project needs, connecting you with accessibility expertise, graphic designers, video support, and even help just building your site in Canvas. You can expect to meet weekly with your ID for about a semester.
Securing instructional design support
If a course is part of a collaborative online degree program, it will be assigned support on a planned schedule. Prioritization of course design resources is set each semester by IU’s Office of Collaborative Academic Programs in consultation with academic program committees (faculty representatives). To request priority support for your course, communicate through the appropriate academic leadership channels.
If you come from a regional IU campus or center and your project is not part of a collaborative degree, please fill out the Course Design Support Form. It is helpful to secure a note of support from a Dean or other academic leader before submitting the form. Priority is given to credit-bearing courses with the greatest impact. When capacity is available, eDS will accept not-for-credit projects through a fee-for-service model.
In 2020, IU Bloomington and IUPUI greatly reduced collection of the distance education fee, which directly supports the work of OOE and eDS. Regional campuses and collaborative degrees still assess this fee, funding instructional design and other work. As such, all BL and IN projects that are not part of a collaborative program can secure eDS support through a fee-for-service agreement. To receive a quote, send an email to eDesign@iu.edu.
Fee-for-service instructional design support
When capacity is available, eDS will accept projects through a fee-for-service model. Below are the “menus” describing standard services offered (these files require IU login with your iu.edu email).