Collaboration is powerful. At Synergis Education, we believe most endeavors are best realized through collaboration, and we know it makes us and our partners stronger—we stake our business on it. Here in Academic Services, we approach each curriculum design project as a collaborative partnership. What is this partnership like? Three aspects stand out.
We partner with instructors
Collaboration starts with shared passion and common goals: like our partners, we’re excited about improving opportunities through higher education. Our goal is to create amazing courses for 21st-Century Learners, ones that reflect each partner’s values, are easy to navigate, and enjoyable to teach. To create them, our design team partners with stand-out faculty to design all course elements. Each instructor brings crucial subject-area expertise, teaching experience, and institutional knowledge to the partnership. Our design team brings complementary expertise in instructional design, online education, and technology. We build a relationship of mutual respect and influence, and we always seek to understand and enhance the instructor’s vision. Together, we create robust courses that gain character and rigor from this unique partnership.
“Each instructor brings crucial subject-area expertise, teaching experience, and institutional knowledge”
We collaborate by design
Our teams and processes empower collaboration. Project teams include various specialists, allowing partnering faculty to focus 100% on course content.
- Instructional Designers serve as project guides and work closely with instructors to refine each element of the course.
- Multimedia Designers enhance courses with custom-built presentations and interactions.
- Copy Editors review all content for consistency, style, and mechanics.
- An Instructional Technologist builds the course in the learning management system (LMS) and advises on instructional technology integrations.
Beyond the project team, we often collaborate with partner institutions’ support staff. Whether it’s integrating a third-party product into the LMS or designing faculty training, we’re happy to work with and learn from our partners.
A practical and focused course design process encourages teamwork and takes courses from concept to delivery. Each stage includes opportunities to conceptualize, draft, review, and refine course elements. Web conferencing throughout the process enables crucial, real-time conversations. Projects conclude with an online show-and-tell, the team’s opportunity to highlight key instructional elements and incorporate final partner feedback. It’s an intense, efficient, and collaborative process that utilizes the unique strengths of each team member.
We solve problems collaboratively
Designing curricula for 21st-Century learning isn’t always easy, especially if it’s your first foray into non-traditional formats. Typical challenges include:
- Translation of traditional, face-to-face courses to an online, accelerated format
- Designing an excellent user experience within the LMS
- Envisioning innovative ways to deliver content
- Regulatory compliance
- Consistency across courses and programs
- Availability & time
Through collaboration, we overcome challenges that might otherwise derail the successful launch of an online program. Combining our instructional design know-how with the instructor’s subject-area expertise and knowledge of their student population allows us to foresee and avoid many challenges. When they do arise, we draw from expertise across multiple fields and many years of experience designing solutions for our partners. We bring a can-do mentality to every project and enjoy the challenge. Let’s create awesome courses together!