Colleges, universities, and K-12 providers are seeing an increased need for curriculum development, especially for online course content. A majority of schools have been pushed into digital content to meet the needs of pandemic-related constraints. While these are positive transformations, they need to deliver content more quickly. Thus, schools face overworking current curriculum designers or hiring new employees. However, a more efficient solution is collaborating with experienced third-party content creators to design courses.
To do so successfully requires three key components:
- Knowing what to look for in third-party vendors
- Understanding how to best manage vendors
- Partnering with an experienced, value-driven third-party
Leaders Select and Hire the Right Third-Party for Curriculum Development
To begin with, higher ed and K-12 providers need a streamlined process for choosing the right match for an institution’s needs. Include these components for best results:
- Clearly define the goals and desired course content through in-house discussions with academic teams.
- Use the institution’s established method of procuring third-party vendors if it already exists.
- Create a qualified academic team to review potential vendors using an agreed-upon rubric for assessing each potential contractor.
- Develop a contract that clearly defines the roles of the vendor and the institution, working with the school’s legal team throughout the process.
Manage Third-Party Experts for Curriculum Development
Equally important is knowing how best to manage third-party content creators once contracted. This benefit includes being sensitive to the needs and perspectives of current in-house course designers to avoid animosity or fear of replacement. To accomplish this step, educational directors will proactively and openly communicate the scope of the third-party’s work. They will ensure the agreements outlined in the contract are maintained as well. Additionally, an employee or leader in the institution should be assigned to manage the vendor. For the third-party experts, college leaders should direct their teams to create useful style guides and content templates. This step ensures the vendor follows the guidelines for the content development.
Leverage the Expertise of Professionals for Curriculum Development
Most importantly, providers must partner with a third-party vendor that has the experience and expertise to provide quality content. Thus, A Pass has worked with colleges, universities, K-12 providers, and publishers for over a decade to deliver customized course content. For example, A Pass Educational Group has developed course content for professional networking organizations. Companies such as LinkedIn often need curriculum development, so their members can upskill for their professions. Additionally, with the flourishing market for online learning, from K-12 to higher-ed, A Pass designs and develops STEM and other courses like high school computer science to college business courses. A Pass employs over 2,000 contractors specializing in instructional design to assessment. Thus, leaders in the education industry like Pearson Education, Scholastic, and McGraw Hill trust A Pass for expertise.
In sum, K-12 and higher education providers are experiencing an increased need to quickly produce new courses. An optimal solution is to partner with a high-quality third-party vendor for course creation. For success, providers must know what to look for, how to manage vendors, and choose a vendor with experience and expertise.
