Guide for Department Chairs / School Directors and Program Directors
Introduction
Bringing an academic program online at NIU involves a structured process to ensure alignment with institutional policies, academic quality standards, student support services, and compliance with administrative systems.
This guide introduces:
The checklist below walks step-by-step through the process of officially launching an online program at NIU.
Step-by-Step Checklist
1. Initial Planning and Consultation
- Set up an initial meeting with the Office of Online Learning (OL) / CITL.
- Discuss program goals, target audiences, and delivery parameters.
- Explore available online program development and prospective student support through CITL.
- Review NIU’s online program policy to confirm requirements for online designation and catalog approval.
- Consult key considerations, requirements and recommendations for online programs to assess readiness and ensure strong program design, support, and sustainability.
2. Online Program Development Support Application and Approval
- Particularly when developing a new online program, complete and submit the application for online program development support (available through CITL).
- This is where you receive departmental, college, and provost approval to proceed.
- This ensures your program is prioritized for centralized resources and assistance with instructional design, marketing, enrollment management, and program planning.
- Early submission of this application helps align program development with institutional strategy and available support services.
3. Curriculum and Catalog Approval
- Submit program changes through the curriculum approval process to receive formal online designation.
- Ensure the NIU Catalog entry clearly states the program is online, and note any additional modalities offered.
- Timeline: approvals should align with the next catalog year.
4. Administrative Setup
- Registration and Records
- Once the program has received all appropriate approvals through the curriculum process process, ensure an online specific campus code has been created and is tied to the appropriate campus code (ONLN1 or ONLN2). This step must be completed before the program can be added to the application system and before tuition is verified.
- Undergraduate Admissions / Graduate School
- Once the subplan and campus code are finalized, Admissions will add the program to the online application system.
- Office of the Bursar
- Verify tuition and any differential rates.
- Ensure the program is added to the online tuition grids and the cost estimator.
5. Web and Market Readiness
- Complete the Online Program Template and submit to Office of Online Learning.
- Office of Online Learning collaborates with the NIU Web Team to develop the program webpage.
- Review draft mockup and provide approval.
- Meet with the Online Student Success Specialist that will be working with the program to ensure they understand program FAQs and have the information needed to meet with prospective students.
- CRM (Slate) Setup
- After the program page is live, Office of Online Learning submits a CRM request for the program to be added to Request for Information (RFI) forms across NIU’s website.
- The program will also be added to “online only” RFI forms.
- Automated Slate communications will be assigned to inquiry submissions.
6. Instructional Design and Faculty Support
- Confirm what kind of instructional design support will be leveraged through CITL for course development. Online course development is a time intensive process and requires 4-6 months to produce a quality course that meets quality essential design standards. On average, an online course requires approximately 200 hours of instructional design support. Each program can request up to 5 course developments per development phase.
- Ensure faculty are aware of resources for online course design, training, and ongoing development.
Summary Milestones
- Initial consultation with CITL/Office of Online Learning.
- Application for online program development support approved by the college and Office of the Provost.
- Curriculum approval to designate the program online.
- Administrative setup (subplan creation, catalog entry, tuition verification).
- Web and CRM setup (program webpage, RFI forms, communication flows).
- Instructional design and faculty preparation for online delivery.