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IMPORTANT NOTE: In order to focus resources in support of Local POCR at colleges, the CVC is sunsetting its Course Design Academy as of August 31, 2022. We encourage faculty to submit their online course to their college's Local POCR team for review and alignment with the Online Course Design Rubric. If your college does not have a Local POCR process, please contact us at support@cvc.edu.

What is the Course Design Academy?

The CVC-OEI Course Design Academy is a free, online professional development program for full and part-time California Community College (CCC) faculty. Course Design Academy combines Peer Online Course Review (POCR) with the benefits of one-on-one support from an instructional designer and hands-on assistance from an Accessibility Specialist. As a participant in the Course Design Academy, you receive

  • Confidential feedback and course design recommendations from fellow online faculty through Peer Online Course Review (POCR).
  • Support from an Instructional Designer to assist you in applying your feedback and getting the most from the tools and features in Canvas.
  • Hands-on assistance, as needed, from Accessibility Specialists to make your course fully 508 compliant!
  • A Quality Reviewed “badge” for your course will help it rise to the top of the student search at CVC.edu.
  • The satisfaction of teaching a course that has met the CVC-OEI’s highest level of design standards of quality and accessibility to support online student success!

Why Course Design Academy?

Since 2014, over 300 instructors from 56 CCCs have redesigned their online courses through Course Design Academy. Here's what some of your other fellow instructors have to say about their online peer review experiences:

The CVC-OEI Course Review process allowed me to create a dynamic, easy to navigate course that students have really appreciated.

I received a lot of feedback but it did not stop there. I received a lot of resources to get help—walking me through it step by step.

The review process was very positive. We often don’t get sufficient feedback from students, and students are not properly trained to review. I just made some recommended changes and my course is now a lot better. It works!

Reviews that are at my local campus are usually by someone in one’s discipline. It is good to be reviewed by someone I did not know and who is from a different discipline—getting a different perspective.

The CVC-OEI course review was the best professional development for online teaching that I have received.

Questions?

Register for an upcoming online information meeting or contact your college's Peer Online Course Review Lead.

Check out our How to Participate page for more details on joining Course Design Academy!

Faculty Reflections

View these brief Faculty Reflection Videos to learn more from your colleagues about the experience and the benefits of participating.

6 Comments

    • Hello John,
      The 12-week Online Teaching and Design Course which leads to a certificate will not be offered again until spring (dates TBD). However, many folks earn their Online Teaching & Design Certificate through the 4×4 option, i.e., four 4-week classes followed by the capstone. You can find more information here.

  1. Hi, Ingrid (and others),

    To find the dates for upcoming POCR sessions, check in with your campus’ Local POCR Lead. She/he will be able to share the current details with you.

  2. Hello- is the At One Equity & Culturally Responsive Online Teaching Course required for the POCR process, and therefore meet the the requirement? I was not clear on this. Thanks. I am the PD Coordinator at San Diego College of Continuing Education.

    • Hi, Laurie,

      While we think it’s a great idea for faculty to learn more about equity—and it will certainly help with quality course design—no specific @ONE courses are required of instructors going through the course review process to earn the Quality Reviewed badge.

      Warmly,
      Helen

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