Online Course Proposals (OCPs)

Online Course Proposal forms are available here.

UNM Online is accepting online course proposals for Summer 2024, with a best consideration date of November 17th, 2023.

UNM Online is also accepting online course proposals for Fall 2024, with a best consideration date of January 26th, 2024.

OCPs received after the Spring 2024 best consideration date will be placed on a waitlist for Spring.

Proposals for new, fully online, courses are accepted several months before they are to be developed. All new online courses accepted for development are provided instructional design support from the Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL). Courses receiving development stipends must be developed and reviewed by CTL by the end of the semester they are first scheduled and taught.

Download and complete the OCP form at this link. Email questions to unmonlineproposals@unm.edu. The OCP form is used to evaluate fully online (Online Max) courses.

The OCP proposal is not used to evaluate new Accelerated Online Program (AOP) courses. For AOP proposals, contact aop@unm.edu. 

Reasons to Develop an Online Course

Online courses are intended to provide wider access to higher education for working students, students with families, and students outside the Albuquerque area.

• UNM Online courses are built to high standards compliant to meet pedagogical best practices and the legalities of federal and state rules affecting distance education.
• The online delivery option allows students the flexibility to accommodate other responsibilities in their lives.
• The online format allows students from Branch campuses to take upper-division courses
• Due to the demands of work and caretaking, transportation limitations, and health reasons, access to higher education is not possible for some, unless it is delivered online.

If you are considering teaching online, there is support available. The Center for Teaching & Learning (CTL) offers course build assistance,  Evidence-Based Practices for Teaching Online (EBPTO) training, as well as workshops and open labs. CTL also reviews new online courses according to best practices for online instructional design.

Online Course Proposal Process

Step by Step:

1. The Academic Unit submits one OCP per online course to their college dean.
2. College dean conducts Tier 1 review and signs OCP forms.
3. The Academic Unit or the college dean submits approved OCPs to UNM Online by email at unmonlineproposals@unm.edu
4. UNM Online conducts a Tier 2 review to determine the courses approved for course build and/or a development stipend. UNM Online sends a decision memo to the college dean and Academic Unit.
5. OCPs that receive both Tier 1 and Tier 2 approvals are ready for course build and scheduling. Instructors are encouraged to visit UNM Online Faculty Support and the Center for Teaching & Learning for guidance.
6. Online courses approved for development are scheduled by the Academic Unit; see the UNM Online Scheduling page for details.

Contact unmonlineproposals@unm.edu with questions about the OCP form and the OCP process.

Contact aop@unm.edu about Accelerated Online Programs courses.                           

Review Process for New and Redesigned Online Courses

The Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL) performs multiple types of quality reviews for new or redesigned online courses. After an online course has been fully designed, CTL's instructional designers review the course according to the UNM Online Course Standards Rubric and provide feedback to the instructor who built the course.

Online courses that are eligible for stipends go through a stipend review. Stipend reviews must be completed within the semester the course is first offered in order for the stipend to be disbursed. Online courses without stipends can also go through an optional baseline review by request of the instructor who built the course.

For a 3 credit hour online course, the stipend is $1,000. Payment is approved the first semester the course is taught, pending a successful course review. Disbursal is made to the academic unit at the end of the semester, and the academic unit pays the stipend to the instructor.

Contact unmonlineproposals@unm.edu if you are not sure whether your course is eligible for a stipend.

Characteristics of an Online Course

A fully online, or 'Online Max', course is delivered to students in a virtual format. Most — if not all — course activity takes place in the learning management system (LMS).

An online course may offer:

• Optional web-conferencing meetings. Because they are optional, such meetings must not adversely impact a student not participating. Offering students a variety of days/times for optional web conferencing is recommended.
• Required web-conferencing meetings. Such meetings can take the form of class-wide sessions, small group sessions, or individual sessions. Offering many required web-conferencing meetings is discouraged. Online students are often depending on a flexible course schedule. Having many scheduled events can be difficult for online students to attend. Required web-conferencing meetings must be displayed in LoboWeb, the student registration system. This means that required meetings are to be clearly indicated on a course’s scheduling form.
• Required or optional in-person meetings. To qualify as fully online, the number of in-person meetings allowed is very restricted. Online courses are limited to three in-person meetings per 16-week term, and these meetings are often used for orientation and exams. In-person meetings are strongly discouraged. Instead, a virtual alternative to meeting in person is recommended. Required in-person meetings must appear in LoboWeb, the student registration system. This means that required meetings are to be clearly indicated on a course’s scheduling form.
• Exam proctoring. Virtual and in-person proctoring services are available. Most are offered to students for a fee. Virtual proctoring is recommended over in-person services. Exams that take place on a single date/time must be indicated on the form used to schedule the course.

All mandatory meetings, either virtual or in-person, must be scheduled in Banner.

Meetings that occur in an online course must comply with distance education regulations. Instructors use the Online with Meetings form to ensure compliance. Speak to your department scheduler about scheduling required in-person and web conference meetings.

How to know if your course requires an OCP

All 'Online Max' courses must have an OCP to be developed online. If your course is not clearly an 'Online Max' course type, see the decision tree below to help you determine whether your course needs an OCP:

Accelerated Online Courses

Accelerated Online Program (AOP) courses go through a review process different from Online Max courses. The tuition and fee structures are also different.

• AOP course characteristics include:
  • 8-week instructional format.
  • Flat tuition rate, regardless of residency. Differential tuition may apply.
  • No online delivery fee. There is a student technology fee. Other departmental fees may apply.
  • Enrollment is restricted to students accepted to The University into an Accelerated Online Program.
• The OCP form is not used to evaluate AOP courses 

Contact aop@unm.edu about proposing a new AOP

Required Trainings for Online Instructors

Starting Summer 2021, to teach an online or hybrid course, instructors must complete one of the following trainings:

• Evidence-Based Practices for Teaching Online (EBPTO)
  • EBPTO is a six-week course for instructors offered multiple times per year. The training is fully revamped. Those who completed a similar training before Fall 2019 are strongly encouraged to take EBPTO.
• Regular and Substantive Interaction (RASI) training in Learning Central
  
  • RASI training takes approximately 30 minutes to complete. This course provides insight into online education, touching on regulations related to regular and substantive interaction; student privacy and security; and guidance on effective student support. Instructors teaching classes that are not fully online but with online components are also expected to complete the training. Click here for tips to search for RASI in Learning Central.