SUNY Online has developed eight distinct, OSCQR-aligned course templates, optimized for mobile devices and accessibility, that are freely licensed for anyone to use. These versatile templates support diverse instructional modalities and are available for the Brightspace LMS, as well as common cartridges for use by anyone in any LMS platform.

The State University of New York (SUNY) Online has pioneered the development of a suite of course templates tailored for various instructional modalities and use cases. These templates are OSCQR-aligned, optimized for mobile devices and accessibility, and are freely available and licensed for anyone to adapt and use as a quick-start to high quality digital course design. They accommodate flexibility for adaptation by faculty and instructional designers, while maintaining the necessary consistency to support success in the learner experience. The term "template" is used to refer to evidence-based digital course wrappers that have been lovingly designed by a dedicated team of over 50 SUNY experts in instructional design, technology, training, learner support, library services, and faculty from across the SUNY System into which instructors can freely design their online course content, activities, and assessments. They were developed to assist SUNY campuses and instructional designers quick-start faculty into effective research-based course designs and practices that have been optimized to maximize the technical features and options, and minimize the limitations of the digital learning environment (of whatever Learning Management System (LMS) is being used). And, in the spirit of openness have been made available under an open license for anyone to use regardless of their affiliation with SUNY, or LMS platform. In addition, these templates have undergone three rounds of review and improvements based on input from SUNY focus groups, and feedback from the D2L learning design team and SUNY campus stakeholders, including administrators, faculty, and students from across the system, spanning the period from January 2022-April 2024. The Importance of Course Templates In general, course templates are known to serve as a critical instrument in the digital education toolkit. The use of templates, that integrate evidence-based effective practices and quality standards, is known to positively impact:* • Student Retention and Success: Providing a structured, consistent, and supportive learning environment where course navigation and important course information and content are easily findable, contributes to improved student outcomes. • Faculty Satisfaction: Streamlining the course design process with an evidence- and standards-based template supports and enhances instructor effectiveness, efficiency, satisfaction and the overall teaching experience. • Institutional Efficiency: Reaching more students and optimizing resource utilization contributes to institutional resilience in the face of dynamic and changing educational landscapes. The SUNY Course Templates are designed to address a diverse range of academic and non-academic instructional modalities, including: • Academic: Online Asynchronous, Synchronous, Hybrid, Hyflex, Simple Structure, and support for Face-to-Face instruction. • Non-Academic: Non-Credit content repository and Interactive versions. Open Access and Adaptability: SUNY Online has published these templates under a CC-By open license as Brightspace course export files, as well as in a common cartridge file format. This makes them broadly available to anyone regardless of their SUNY affiliation, or Learning Management System (LMS), to freely use, adopt, or adapt the templates to their specific needs. Supporting documentation, including videos and screenshots and recommendations have also been produced to aid in use and adaptation of the templates. Research-Informed Design Aligned with OSCQR Standards: The templates are not only informed by research, but also align with SUNY/OLC OSCQR Online Course Quality Review (OSCQR) standards. This alignment ensures evidence-based design elements in a task-based, linear, and modular pedagogical approach, optimized for both accessibility and mobile device usage. Flexibility and Academic Freedom: While the templates provide a consistent framework for course navigation and information architecture, they are designed with the flexibility to honor academic freedom, and permit adaptation to fit a variety of disciplines, needs, contexts, and use cases. Central to the ethos behind the use of course templates is that instructors retain academic control of the content, activities, and assessments within their courses, ensuring each course’s uniqueness. Consistency in Course Design: The consistent structure across courses, departments, programs, and institutions implementing the templates aids learners in successfully navigating the digital platform, and finding course information and materials efficiently, which is crucial for learning, satisfaction, and success in digital learning environments.** Supporting Research and Documentation: The templates align with research-based best practices in digital course design and OSCQR course quality standards. An OSCQR alignment document has been developed and is freely available to demonstrate how each element of the template maps to specific OSCQR standards. Additionally, a comprehensive Rationale for Template Design Decisions document details each template element, its corresponding OSCQR standard, and the rationale behind its inclusion. An OSCQR-informed course syllabus template has also been developed to use as a model, or template in conjunction with the Course Templates. Session Objectives: 1. Understand the SUNY Online Course Templates: Gain a comprehensive understanding of the suite of course templates developed by SUNY Online, their purpose, and the benefits they offer to the digital education ecosystem. 2. Explore the Design and Structure: Delve into the evidence-based design and OSCQR alignment of the templates, and how they contribute to effective course development. 3. Recognize the Impact on Education Stakeholders: Learn about the positive effects of using standardized course templates on student retention, faculty satisfaction, and institutional efficiency. 4. Discover Open Access and Adaptability: Discover how the templates are freely available under an open license, allowing for broad adaptability across various use-cases/LMS platforms. 5. Appreciate Flexibility and Academic Freedom: Appreciate the balance between consistency in course design and the flexibility that honors academic freedom and individual course uniqueness. 6. Navigate Supporting Resources: Navigate through the extensive supporting resources, including guides, instructional videos, and documentation that aid in the use and adaptation of the templates. In this session you will: • Receive a guided tour of the SUNY Online Course Templates, showcasing the layout, features, and how they can be customized for different instructional modalities. • Gain access to a wealth of resources, including DLE templates, template guides, instructor-level instructions, and FAQs to support the implementation of the templates. • Get insight into the research-informed design decisions and OSCQR standards that underpin the templates, ensuring high-quality digital course delivery. • Have the opportunity to network with experts and peers in the session to foster continuing discussion, collaboration, and sharing of best practices in online education. SUNY Online is committed to quality and innovation in online education and to sharing tools, materials, and resources freely and openly. The SUNY Course Templates provide a quick start to OSCQR-aligned, pedagogically sound course designs that are adaptable to various disciplines and use cases, all while supporting the unique contributions of each instructor. This session will provide you with direct access to the SUNY Course Templates and associated materials, all of which are openly licensed and free to use or adapt. You will leave the session equipped with the tools and knowledge to access and adapt these templates for your own institutional and instructional contexts and platforms. SUNY Course Template Resources: (all associated materials listed in association with the templates are openly licensed and free to use/adapt). • 8 DLE templates - http://bit.ly/dletemplates • 6 DLE Template Guides are included for the academic course templates located in the respective folder. • Instructor-level “how to” instructions, recommendations, and suggestions are located within each template in a hidden instructor folder. • FAQ & Recommendations: https://bit.ly/dletemplatequestions • Syllabus Template - https://bit.ly/SOTSyllabusTemplate • DLE Campus Tours: Templates, Navbars, and Homepages - https://bit.ly/SUNYDLECourseTours • DLE Tours YouTube Video Playlist - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLgQKAIaYkVaI6k1lq58lyFMKncGYz-hw9 • Full playlist of Template Tour videos used in the Template Guides - https://monroecc.video.yuja.com/V/PlayList?node=43689164&a=1829264891 • Rationale for Template Design Decisions - https://bit.ly/DLEtemplatesDesignRationale OSCQR alignment document for the asynchronous course - https://bit.ly/OSCQRTemplateAlignment * References • Online Course Completion Rates and quality Matters Course Templates: a Causal-Comparative Study at a Midwestern Community College 2022 - https://etd.ohiolink.edu/acprod/odb_etd/ws/send_file/send?accession=frank1651585296183824&disposition=inline • Analysis of design elements in universal course shell templates of high-ranking universities 2022 - https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1364590.pdf • Consistency is key in online learning: Evaluating student and instructor perceptions of a collaborative online-course template. 2019 - https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0144739419852759?journalCode=tpaa • A collection of suggested electronic course templates for use in higher education 2014 - https://www.researchgate.net/publication/269830012_A_collection_of_suggested_electronic_course_templates_for_use_in_higher_education • Derivation of electronic course templates for use in higher education 2012 - https://journal.alt.ac.uk/index.php/rlt/article/view/1325/html • Templates for online teaching, 1998 - https://ascilite.org/conferences/wollongong98/asc98-pdf/hewsonhughes.pdf • Factors Influencing Faculty Satisfaction with Asynchronous Teaching and Learning in the SUNY Learning Network 2000 - https://olj.onlinelearningconsortium.org/index.php/olj/article/view/1897 • Measures of Learning Effectiveness in the SUNY Learning Network 2001 - https://www.researchgate.net/publication/48306426_Measures_of_Learning_Effectiveness_in_the_SUNY_Learning_Network • A collection of suggested electronic course templates for use in higher education 2014 - https://www.researchgate.net/publication/269830012_A_collection_of_suggested_electronic_course_templates_for_use_in_higher_education ** Simunich, B., Robins, D. B., & Kelly, V. (2015). The Impact of Findability on Student Motivation, Self-Efficacy, and Perceptions of Online Course Quality. American Journal of Distance Education, 29(3), 174-185. https://online.suny.edu/onlineteaching/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Toolkit-Final-report-Kent-State-QM-Grant.pdf