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WA Course Design Checklist (V4.1) + the �Hybrid and Online Quality Course Design Institute

WACCy Wednesday Webinar | Alissa Sells & Brandon Fryman | May 13, 2026

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Topics Included

WA Course Design Checklist V4.1
WA Checklist Guides
Shoreline’s Hybrid and Online Quality Course Design Institute
WA Checklist Badges
Questions

NOTE: Brandon and Alissa both did live demos during the webinar. These slides show approximately the same information.

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What is the WA Course Design Checklist?

An openly licensed course design tool developed with feedback from WA CTC students, faculty, instructional designers, and eLearning staff.
It is infused with good practices to help course designers take tangible steps toward creating more equitable, inclusive, engaging, and accessible courses.
“The WA Checklist” for short.

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SBCTC Vision Statement

https://www.sbctc.edu/about/agency/mission-values/

The WA Checklist was shaped with the SBCTC Vision Statement in mind, and I intentionally aligned it with other important work our colleges are doing in the areas of equity and inclusion, accessibility, open resources, Guided Pathways, and much more. We’ll talk more about this in a few minutes.
Equity-minded and inclusive practices are woven throughout the WA Checklist along with established practices for increasing academic confidence, sense of belonging, and student agency.
I wrote each Standard with the goal of demystifying the unwritten rules of success for learners in order to make the invisible visible and to help make learning and teaching more transparent.
It is not intended to be …

An equity rubric, an inclusion rubric, or an antiracist curriculum rubric.

Using the WA Checklist will not solve every course design issue or engage every student, but it does provide tangible first steps in re-imaging course design plus recommended next steps for continued growth.
The WA Checklist includes benchmarks for course design practices, not instructor behaviors – but you do need quality for both, because a well-designed course can still be unwelcoming, demotivating, and unengaging for students if instructor presence and interaction is poor.

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Why and how did it come about?

Began in 2017 as a conversation with a group of Quality Matters Coordinators (QMCs).
Created as a WA-centric alternative to the Quality Matters (QM) rubric.
Amy Rovner and Ann Garnsey-Harter from Shoreline College helped me draft and finalize the first version (V1), so the WA Checklist has been a collaboration with Shoreline College since the very beginning.
Well-received by colleges and replaced the QM rubric on many campuses when SBCTC discontinued our statewide QM subscription.

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How is the WA Checklist organized?

The WA Course Design Checklist lives in a Google doc organized into five topic-based sections.
Each section contains a table with a set of numbered Standards, and each Standard breaks down into a list of alphabetically labeled Indicators organized into two categories, Essentials and Next Steps.
For example, Section 1 - Sense of Belonging & Student Engagement contains three Standards (1.1, 1.2, and 1.3). Standard 1.1 has ten Indicators total — six Essential (1.1.a through 1.1.f) and four Next Steps (1.1.g through 1.1.j).

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Sections

Section 1 – �Sense of Belonging & Student Engagement
Section 2 – �Outcomes & Objectives
Section 3 – �Assessment & Feedback
Section 4 – �Materials & Tools
Section 5 – �Course Orientation & Structure

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Standards

Each section contains a set of numerically labeled Standards.
Section 1 contains three Standards: 1.1, 1.2, and 1.3.

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Indicators

Each Standard is divided into a set of alphanumerically labeled Indicators.
Standard 1.1 contains ten Indicators: �1.1.a - 1.1.j

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Essential & �Next Steps

Each Indicator is further categorized as being one of two types of course design practices:

Essential
Next Steps

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WA Checklist Resources Site

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What’s in the WA Checklist Resources site?

Development updates.
Introductory how-to modules.
WA Checklist Guides.

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How do I find the introductory modules?

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How do I find the WA Checklist V4.1?

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What are the WA Checklist Guides?

A companion resource to the WA Checklist.
5 modules that provide context and explain each WA Checklist Standard and Indicator.
They are still a work in progress!

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How do I find the Guides modules?

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What do the Guides modules contain?

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How are the Guides pages organized?

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What’s in the Introduction accordion?

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What’s in the Indicators accordion?

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What’s in the Essentials & Next Steps accordions?

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What’s in the Canvas Tools accordion?

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What’s in the Try It! accordion?

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What’s in the References accordion?

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What’s in the Examples accordion?

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What is the Hybrid and Online Quality Course Design Institute?

Shoreline College’s state-recognized training designed to empower faculty, strengthen student success, and ensure high-quality, inclusive online learning experiences.
Runs as a four-week, asynchronous professional development experience that supports faculty in aligning their online or hybrid courses with the Washington Course Design Checklist.
“The Institute” for short.

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How does the Institute work?

Faculty work through the WA Checklist Standards by self-assessing their course and receive individualized support from instructional designers throughout the process.
Includes real-time feedback, customizable templates, and optional opportunities to exchange courses with peers for feedback and inspiration.
Pursuing full course certification is optional.

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How do faculty participate in the Institute?

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What’s in the Institute’s training course?

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What is in the Orientation module?

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What in the Institute’s modules?

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What do we do in the Institute meetings?

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How do faculty track their reflections?

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Faculty use an individual self-reflection form housed in Shoreline’s SharePoint site.�
The form has three columns.

The first column basically lists the Indicators separated by Essential and Next Steps
The middle column is for feedback and comments and is where we ask faculty to ask questions or share a link(s) to where in their course the indicator is present. It’s also where we go in and leave notes and provide resources, encouragement, and guidance.
The last column is checkbox for indicating when the Indicators has been met.

Only the faculty member and the IDs can access their assessment doc.
The course review is a very personally and collaborative process.
Faculty are are paid for one hour each week for group meetings and one hour for completing their reflections for each module (8 hours total).
Pursuing course certification is optional. To earn full Course Certification, faculty must meet all 96 Essential Indicators and at least one Next Steps Indicator from each of the 23 sections (119 Indicators total).

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What resources are available to Institute participants?

In addition to the institute course in Canvas, faculty also have access to:

A separate Canvas site called the Hub where Shoreline stores recorded workshops, webinars, and examples related to the WA Checklist.
A TILTed starter module template mapped to the WA Checklist Indicators that faculty can download and customize.
A Simple Syllabus template mapped to the Checklist and state, federal, and school policies.

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Hub

The Institute course links directly to resources in the Hub.

Start Here Module + TILTed Templates

The starter module template includes TILTed templates for key course pages: Module Overviews, Lectures, Discussions, Assignments, Quizzes, and a Module Highlights & Next Steps.
The starter module includes hidden instructor-facing notes visible only in edit mode that explain what the element is, which Checklist Indicator it maps to, and examples of what it can look like.
The template is branded with Shoreline’s colors, is accessible, and has been run through accessibility checkers.
Shoreline’s Start Here Module + TILTed Templates: Your Course Design Toolkit is available for download from Canvas Commons. We used DesignPlus to format the templates. If you have DesignPlus, you'll see the full formatting when you download and import it. Without it, you’ll just see the basics, but the heading structure and alt text should be preserved.

Simple Syllabus

The Simple Syllabus template is also fully mapped to the Checklist and includes state, federal, and school policy requirements, so faculty have everything in one place.

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Quotes from Faculty #1

The Institute gave me practical, immediate usable strategies to improve my course design. The feedback and support throughout this process made the work feel manageable rather than overwhelming.

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Quotes from Faculty #2

I was nervous about the time commitment at first, but the course was structured in a way that allowed me to work at my own pace while still feeling supported. The self-assessments helped me reflect on my course in a much deeper way. If you’re on the fence, I would say this course is worth it. It takes time and effort, but the structure breaks the work into manageable pieces, and the end result is a stronger course that better supports students and aligns with quality standards.

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What is the Institute’s impact on students?

Certified courses are averaging a 96.6% retention rate, indicating that this model supports students in staying enrolled and completing their coursework.
These findings demonstrate that quality course design—rooted in equity, clarity, and inclusive practices—makes a measurable difference in student success.

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The Institute Webpage

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WA Checklist Badging Pilot

A collaboration between SBCTC and Shoreline College to recognize faculty for completing Shoreline’s Hybrid and Online Quality Course Design Institute.
The state-level digital badges ensure consistency and represent a commitment and dedication to excellence in course design.
Contact Alissa if you’d like to see if your course design training program is a candidate for WA Checklist badging pilot.

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WA Checklist V4: �Self-Reflection Pathway (Earn 5 of 5)

Section 1 – Sense of Belonging & Student Engagement
Section 2 – Outcomes & Objectives
Section 3 – Assessment & Feedback
Section 4 – Materials & Tools
Section 5 – Course Orientation & Structure

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WA Checklist V4: Course Recognition Pathway (Earn 2 of 3)

Self-Reflection
Campus Collaboration
Course Exchange

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What additional thoughts, wonderings, or questions do you have?

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Goal Setting

Having specific and measurable long-term and short-term goals can help you achieve your desired outcome.
Breaking goals down into smaller achievable units will keep you make progress working toward your goal.
If you don’t know where to start, ask your students or your faculty!

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Complete course map for entire course and review course for alignment.
Identify areas needing revision.
Make needed revisions.

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BIG Goal

Quarter 1: Map, review, and identify redundancies & gaps in Modules 1 – 3.
Quarter 2: Map, review, and identify redundancies & gaps in Modules 4 – 6.
Quarter 3: Map, review, and identify redundancies & gaps in Modules 7 – 10.
Quarter 4: Make needed revisions.

Quarterly

Week 1: Add Module 1 assessments to map.
Week 2: Add corresponding Course Outcomes and Module 1 objectives to map.
Week 3: Add related content, materials, and technologies to map.
Week 4: Set goals for making any needed revisions in Module 1.

Weekly

Month 1: Fill out course map sections for Module 1 and review alignment.
Month 2: Fill out course map sections for Module 2 and review alignment.
Month 3: Fill out course map sections for Module 3 and review alignment.

Monthly

Tuesdays: Add new module info to mapping document. (1 hr.)
Fridays: Review alignment of newly added info and take notes. (1 hr.)

Daily

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Contact me!

Alissa Sells

Policy Associate

Educational Resources & Innovation

WA State Board for Community & Technical Colleges

asells@sbctc.edu

425.239.0456

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Contact me!

Brandon Fryman

Instructional Designer, eLearning, and

Anthropology, Business, Criminology, Ethnic Studies, and Sociology Instructor

Shoreline College

bfryman@shoreline.edu

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WA Checklist Resource Links

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Shoreline’s Institute Resource Links

Shoreline’s Hybrid and Online Quality Course Design Institute webpage
Shoreline’s Start Here Module + TILTed Templates: Your Course Design Toolkit

You must be logged into Canvas to view this Canvas Commons resource.

TILT Higher Ed

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Thank you!

Unless otherwise specified, the content in this presentation is licensed under a Creative Commons CC BY 4.0 license.

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What kind of advice can you give to those wanting to get started using the WA Checklist or developing their own Institute?

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