Table of Contents

Revising a Course/ Creating a Redux Version/ Course Updates

Markette Pierce Updated by Markette Pierce

Overview of Course Updates

The Product team assesses courses in our existing catalog on an established cadence; it might be every two years for a standard soft skills certificate, or more frequently for a content area that’s rapidly evolving, like tech. They look at multiple factors including NPS scores, student and facilitator feedback, and changes in the marketplace necessitating course changes when they decide which courses should get attention. Product will identify the courses/certs that are slated for full updates, and they will commission that work through LSG and engage the faculty author to work with us. Course Updates work gets allocated just like any other new projects. These are the projects that get the “redux” status, as opposed to course maintenance tickets, which are one-off course corrections.

When this full Course Updates work begins, a redux version of the course is created. You will know if this is the case because the project will come in as a Course Updates project, and the first task in Wrike is to create this new version. Here are some guidelines to follow when working to revise an existing course.

Accessibility

Accessibility should be kept in mind when revising a course; it may be the case that items in the original course need to be updated in order to meet our current accessibility standards. Pay close attention to tables — which should only be used for data — and images, especially complex ones that may benefit from alt text and long descriptions. This is a chance to improve upon past practices.

General Process Overview

As of March 2024, there is a tab in the DEV to QA Handoff related to working with redux, updated, or revised courses. Please be sure to use that tab instead of the standard short course tab when preparing a redux/ revised course for QA.
DEV Course

In order to start revising the most recent content, start by making a copy of the current -M course: this will be the DEV course for the redux effort. In naming this copied course, append the course code (ABC123) with DEV and then the calendar year, so CALS221DEV2024, for example.

At this time, please also rename the original DEV course to DEVARCHYYYY, so CALS122DEV becomes CALS122DEVARCH2024. This will also serve to differentiate the DEV holding revisions from the original DEV course, and from any prior or subsequent revision efforts. 

Facilitator Notification: As noted in the Inform Facilitators of Updates & Timing (PFM) Wrike task, be sure to include a note at the top of the AA Facilitator Notes page in the new DEV that says, “This course was revised and launched in MMYYYY.” 
QA Course

Just as you would do when advancing a new course from development to QA, you will rename the DEVYYYY course to QA and then copy the QA course to create a DEVYYYY version (for archive purposes). When you create the QA course from the DEVYYYY course, there is no need to include the year. Remember that the prior QA course turned into the existing -M course, so there will never be two QA courses in Canvas.

Master Course

Once QA on the redux course is complete, a very specific process must be followed during deployment — and in a very precise order — to replace the existing -M with the redux course and set it as a Blueprint without creating errors within Canvas. This process is outlined in this article and is handled by QA. 

Training and Demo Courses

Beginning in January 2024, Training (-T) and Demo Courses are kept in sync with the -M by using the Blueprint functionality in Canvas. See this article for details on that process. Manual updates to the -T and Demo courses are no longer required.

Overview of Short Course Versions

The table below shows what each version of a short course is used for and how they are created.

DEVARCHYYYY

DEV course. Course in which development occurred, but which has since been archived.

It was created by copying the master course template, 8675309.

DEVYYYY

Update/ Redux course. Course in which updates have been implemented.

Is initially created by copying the currently live -M course and, after updates are complete, it is renamed to become the QA version of course. Once the QA course is created from DEVYYYY, QA course is copied to create DEVYYYY course (for backup purposes).

QA

QA course. Is used by QA team uses to check copy and functionality of course.

It is created by renaming the DEV or DEVYYYY course to QA. It is then copied and named DEV or DEVYYYY to create a backup version of the course.

M

Master course. Is used to create live sections one week before they run with students.

It is created by renaming the QA course to -M in the deploy phase.

Is a blueprint, driving content in -T and DEMO versions via association and sync.

T

Training course. Is used by course facilitators to learn content before teaching students.

Is associated with the blueprint master course and synced when the master is updated.

DEMO

Demo course. Is used by sales to provide demonstrations to potential clients.

Is associated with the blueprint master course and synced when the master is updated.

ARCH (or ARCHYYYY)

Archived master course. Once a new Master course is deployed, the old master is archived. May also appear as ARCHYYYY, if course has been updated more than once.

Working With Files

Files in a DEVYYYY course

When working in the DEVYYYY course, just as in an initial launch, all revised files will first be linked to their Google Drive location. Once the course is through QA, those file links will need to be replaced with S3 links.

S3 Storage of Files

File storage on S3 has to be handled carefully during course revision. Remember that in redux situations, the original course is currently live: you must be sure not to overwrite or delete any existing files as you develop the redux course. Therefore, a new location for updated files has to be created in S3. All files, including a revised course graphic, for instance, will be stored and served to students from this new location. 

In the root folder of the course on S3, ID/As will create a new folder called “Files” and note in the Final Creative Review and Export Wrike task that this course is a redux, and that all files should be uploaded to that location. As file links are student-facing, please only name it “Files” — do not include a year or the word “revised” or any other information. Add a file named "read-me" that says "These files were part of the MMDDYYYY redux effort." Even if only one file delivered in the revised course is updated, please be sure to upload all needed course files to this location, as if the launch is a fresh one. This will greatly reduce confusion and provide a clear process for making a revision of this redux course in the future (see below for more details). 

In the case that the course being revised is undergoing a second or subsequent round of revisions, as will surely happen in our near future, the updated course files will be stored to the root folder, overwriting the original files, or to the “Files” folder, whichever preserves the links that are currently being delivered to students at the time of the revision. This process can continue, moving back and forth between uploading to the root folder or to the Files folder on S3, each time the course is revised. You may need to check the read-me file to determine which files are oldest and can therefore be overwritten.
Files in Google Drive

Files in Google Drive can be handled differently, as files are not delivered to students from this location. It is recommended that only the most up-to-date version of files remain in the Google Drive location; you can work from the existing INDD, DOC, PPT, and XLS files to make updates, and no new versions need to be created. Once the redux course launches, only the newest version of the course files will be live on S3, and we will only need to edit that most recent version of files from the Creative folder on Google Drive. 

Items Requiring Special Attention During QA

Depending on when the original course was released, there are items unrelated to the content updates in the course that may also need to be made current. In addition to the items included on the QA tracker — syllabus completion, order of last few pages, number of announcements, etc. — the following areas need to be double checked to be sure they are consistent with our current eC course release standards:

Discussions

Be sure that discussions: 

  • Include the latest language from 8675309 (including the “Please note…” section and information about needing to post before seeing peers’ responses), 
  • Use headings for “Instructions” and other sections (instead of manual bold and size treatments),
  • Use the correct settings from 8675309 (including activating “Users must post before seeing replies”),
  • And that the discussion rubric has been removed.
Course Project Assignment Pages

Be sure that course project pages: 

  • Use the “eCornell Project Rubric” that lives in the eCornell account or 8675309 course. It has two categories — analysis and effort — and each is worth 10 points.
  • Use the “Start Assignment …” language from 8675309 on the final course project page.
  • Use headings for “Instructions” and other sections (instead of manual bold and size treatments).
Videos

Be sure that the watch pages use the current class from 8675309 for videos, so that they appear the correct size:

<div id="kaltura1" class="kaltura_video resp2" style="margin: auto; width: 640px; height: 390px; margin-bottom: 1em; background: #ccc;"><span class="entryId" style="display: none;">KALTURACODE</span></div>

Course Glossary Page

Be sure that the course glossary page mimics the glossary build in 8675309 (a page titled "Glossary" with the S3 link embedded) rather than appearing as a link to the glossary location that was added to the modules view. Glossaries built the correct way will appear editable from within the page, and will have the cascading squares indicating they are part of the blueprint from modules view.

Creation of a New Master Course

As mentioned above, when QA is complete, be sure to follow these steps to archive the old master and create a new one. 

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