Unbound Learning Design
About Unbound Learning Design
The Unbound Learning Design team partners with faculty and academic programs to create high-quality, engaging and accessible online learning experiences. Bringing together expertise in learning design, digital pedagogy, educational technology, multimedia, accessibility, and online teaching, we help translate faculty expertise and program goals into intentional, student-centered learning experiences that support student engagement, learning, and success.
Connect with our team
Our Approach to Learning Design
Our approach begins with the learning we want students to experience. Grounded in backward design, we start by identifying what students should know and be able to do, how they will demonstrate their learning, and the experiences that will help them get there.
We organize learning into purposeful, connected modules, with each module designed as a complete learning experience rather than simply a collection of readings, videos, and assignments. Our instructional designers collaborate with faculty to create experiences that help students engage, practice, connect, apply, and reflect.
Our design practices are informed by Quality Matters (QM) principles and research-based practices for effective online learning. QM provides a foundation for establishing consistent expectations in areas such as learning objectives, assessment, instructional materials, learning activities and interaction, course technology, learner support, and accessibility and usability.
How We Support Faculty and Programs
Our Learning Design team supports faculty and programs through course design, program-level learning design, and ongoing faculty support to create meaningful online learning experiences in Montclair Unbound online programs.
Course Design & Development
Instructional designers work closely with faculty to help translate their expertise into an effective online learning experience through curriculum alignment, course mapping, learning activity and assessment design, use of learning technologies, Canvas development, multimedia planning, accessibility, and quality review.
The standard Unbound course development process takes place over approximately four months and includes milestones from initial planning and course mapping through prototype development, full course development, quality review, and launch readiness.
Program-Level Learning Design
Effective online learning requires more than designing strong individual courses. We collaborate with academic leadership to consider the learning experience across the entire program.
This work can include establishing program-specific course development guidelines, identifying opportunities for consistency across courses, aligning program and course learning outcomes, planning course development schedules, coordinating multimedia needs, and identifying opportunities to strengthen the overall student learning experience.
Faculty Solutions
Faculty Solutions provides ongoing support for faculty preparing to teach and facilitate courses within Montclair's online programs. The team helps faculty prepare their courses for launch, personalize approved course designs, strengthen their online teaching presence, and make effective use of Canvas and other instructional technologies.
Contact Our Team
The success of Montclair Online programs depends on strong collaboration among faculty, academic programs, and Montclair Unbound. We want our approach to be informed by the faculty and programs we support.
We welcome feedback about what is working well, where challenges exist, and how we can make course development and ongoing faculty support more effective.
Unbound Learning Design
The Unbound Learning Design team partners with faculty and academic programs to create high-quality, engaging, and accessible online learning experiences.
- unboundlearningdesign@montclair.edu
- University Hall, 5th floor