The following summarizes the essential considerations, requirements and recommendations for developing high-quality, student-centered online programs at NIU. It is designed as a practical guide for faculty, program directors, and academic units planning or revising online programs.
Considerations
When developing an online program, departments must consider:
Audience and Demand
- Who is the target audience (adult learners, transfers, working professionals)?
- Does market demand exist for the program? Who are the competitors?
- What workforce needs, employer partnerships, or industry trends does the program address?
- What professional benefits does this program offer for students? For example, does it meet any accreditation or pre-licensure requirements? Does it qualify as professional continuing education? Does it make students eligible for career/pay increases?
- Will students with an unrelated prior degree need to complete deficiency or pre-requisite courses? How will those courses be offered? (i.e., online through NIU, only available at community colleges, on-demand learning modules). Do these have to be completed prior to starting the program?
- What makes NIU’s program unique compared to similar offerings (e.g., affordability, flexibility, faculty expertise, licensure pathways, alumni outcomes)?
- Does the program intentionally serve diverse and underserved populations (first-generation, veterans, rural learners, working parents)?
- Are there clear pipelines (transfer agreements, community college pathways, undergraduate-to-graduate profession)?
- Is credit for prior learning a possibility for students? If so, is it awarded at the beginning of the program?
- Is there potential international interest? Individuals seeking a visa to enroll at NIU are not eligible to enroll in a fully online program.
- How will the program demonstrate affordability and ROI for students (cost savings, career advancement, professional recognition)?
Program Structure
- Will the program be fully online or hybrid? Refer to the online course and program policy for online course and program definitions.
- What scheduling options will be offered (8-week, 15-week, multiple entry points)?
- Will students be able to enroll full-time or part-time?
- Full-Time: three in fall, three in spring, two in summer (grad).
- Part-Time: two in fall, two in spring, one in summer (grad) OR one in fall, one in spring, one in summer.
- Will students progress in cohorts (lockstep) or in flexible/self-paced formats?
- Are courses designed for continuous enrollment (on-demand) or term-based schedules?
- Can the program be broken into stackable credentials (certificates, badges) that build toward a degree?
- Are courses designed for reusability across multiple programs?
- Will the program require students to complete courses from other departments to graduate?
- Are there residency, lab, clinical, practicum, or internship requirements? How will these be delivered for online students?
- Is the course rotation structured to support both full-time and part-time students without delays? Have potential bottleneck courses been identified?
- Will the program primarily use asynchronous, synchronous, or hybrid delivery, and is that consistent across courses?
- Are course designs aligned with NIU-supported technologies?
- For programs targeting out-of-state or global students, are synchronous sessions scheduled with different time zones in mind?
- Does the program include a capstone or integrative experience? How will this be designed for online students?
Accreditation and Compliance
- Does the program meet any professional accreditation or licensure requirements?
- Is licensure valid beyond Illinois?
- Do professional licensing boards impose additional requirements for online delivery (e.g., clinical placements, field experiences, exam eligibility)?
- Are state-by-state variations in licensure clearly communicated to prospective students?
- Is the program authorized in all states where students may enroll?
- Are federal requirements for regular and substantive interaction (RSI) met to ensure Title IV financial aid eligibility?
- Is there a plan for annual compliance review to keep pace with changing federal, state, and accreditor requirements?
Faculty
- Have faculty teaching in the program taught online before? Will additional professional development be needed?
Student Support
- What advising, career services, and student success supports will be available?
- Will prior learning credit or bridge/pre-requisite pathways be offered?
- Will advising be proactive and integrate with our early alert system (Navigate)?
- Are department academic advisors trained in online student needs (flexibility, re-entry, career pathways)?
- Will students be expected to complete the NIU online student orientation?
- Is proactive outreach planned for students at higher risk of attrition?
Scalability and Resources
- Can the program grow to meet demand?
- Do faculty, instructional design, and advising resources exist to support growth?
- Will class sizes remain conductive to quality interaction and feedback as enrollment grows?
Requirements
All online programs must meet the following requirements:
Program-Level Requirements
- Begin conversations with the Office of Online Learning early to think through program demand, expectations, outcomes, resources, considerations, and next steps.
- Align with NIU strategic priorities, accreditation, and licensure standards.
- Be formally designated as online in the curriculum process and be designated with either the ONLN1 or ONLN2 campus code in MyNIU.
- Be included in online program rates posted by the Office of the Bursar.
- Work with the Office of Online Learning to develop a program page for NIU Online and add the program to the appropriate request for information forms.
- Provide a schedule of courses to be developed, approximately 8 months before the first courses are taught.
- Plan for online course development time into the program launch timeline. Courses developed in collaboration with CITL will be developed over a 6-month period, with no more than 4 courses per development cycle. Faculty should be identified and ready to work before development starts. It will likely take several development cycles before all program courses are ready.
- Offer courses consistently in fall, spring, and summer semesters.
- Do not require admission tests (e.e. GRE, GMAT, etc.) during the application process.
- Provide admission decisions within one week of department receipt of completed application.
- Make application deadlines appropriate for online learners (i.e. deadlines closer to the start of the semester).
Course-Level Requirements
- Ensure rigor is equivalent to in-person course.
- Utilize the institutionally supported learning management system (Blackboard) and other educational technology which meets privacy and security requirements for all course related tasks.
- Design courses with the online learner in mind and meet quality essentials design standards for online courses. Simply recording live lectures and then posting them in Blackboard is not sufficient.
- Ensure regular and substantive interaction (RSI) between faculty and students.
- Provide timely instructor feedback (respond to student questions within 24 hourse and within 5-7 days for major assignments).
- Include clear expectations regarding use of generative AI.
- Ensure all materials meet accessibility standards (captioning, transcripts, university design for learning).
Faculty and Development Requirements
- Faculty must complete required online teaching professional development.
- All new courses must undergo CITL instructional design review.
- Courses must be refreshed every 3 years.
Advising and Student Support Requirements
- Academic program director must work closely with the Office of Online Learning to collaboratively establish the outreach and lead nurturing activities for the program’s prospective online students.
- Each program must designate an individual who can offer academic advising and student support in collaboration with the Office of Online Learning.
- Department chair and/or academic program director must participate in virtual open house sessions and other online recruitment activities.
- Sample course plans (full-time and part-time) must be provided.
- Flexible curriculum design must allow students to pause enrollment without losing progress.
Recommendations
To enhance quality, flexibility, and student success, online programs are encouraged to:
Program-Level Recommendations
- Embed stackable credentials (certificates → degrees).
- Offer rolling admissions and multiple entry points.
- Offer credit for prior learning wherever possible and award at the beginning of the program, per the credit for prior learning policy.
- Conduct market scans and employer engagement for relevance.
Course-Level Recommendations
- Use authentic, varied, and applied assessments (projects, case studies).
- Encourage students to share concerns or challenges early.
- Provide proactive outreach based on student analytics and early alerts.
- Offer choice in assignments and multiple content formats.
- Incorporate career connections into learning activities.
- Utilize low-cost or free open educational resources whenever possible.
Faculty and Development Recommendations
- Establish a course development framework (program faculty in collaboration with CITL) that will then be followed to develop online courses that offer consistency of student experience across courses in the program.
- Engage in peer review and faculty mentoring for continuous improvement.
- Promote familiarity with online teaching principles for effective course delivery.
- Participate in ongoing professional development (workshops, conferences).
- Recognize and incentivize faculty excellence in online teaching.
Student Support Recommendations
- Integrate advising and coaching with early alert systems.
- Provide virtual office hours, including evening options.
Continuous Improvement Recommendations
- Annually report enrollment, retention, and student success outcomes.
- Monitor equity gaps through disaggregated data.
- Partner with CITL and the Office of Online Learning for regular online program review.
By following these considerations, requirements and recommendations, online programs can deliver high-quality, accessible, and student-centered learning experiences that meet institutional, accreditation, and workforce expectations. Learn more about the Office of Online Learning support and instructional design support available through CITL.