Supporting a Client Through an Accreditation-Related Crisis

Magellan Learning Solutions supported a client institution through an accreditation-related crisis. The institution had been through a great deal of change since the pandemic, and during that time, personnel changes and other challenges meant that its assessment and strategic planning efforts had suffered. Magellan worked with a team on the campus to build a new assessment and planning structure, and the institution received high marks from its accreditor for its work.

Getting the Job Done: 30 Courses in 60 Days

This project was a real testament to the efficiency of our course development process, and to the quality of our project management (PM), instructional designer (ID), and subject matter expert (SME) teams. Working with a pair of clients–an educational services provider and a university–Magellan was asked to quickly develop 30 three-credit undergraduate and graduate courses in just under two months. Our process for developing courses typically runs over a four- or five-month period, but the Magellan team was able to strategize for this project with great success.

The team for this project consisted of 42 individuals: one project manager, 25 SMEs, three IDs, eight assistant IDs, four course editors, and one video editor. The PM team spent approximately one week refining the process and tweaking the necessary forms and training materials to fit within a 54-day development cycle, which needed to include time for training, review and editing, and client approvals. The process was run like a finely tuned machine, with constant communication between all members of the team working in unison through each stage of the process. With training taking about two days, and the final edits and approvals consuming another four days of the condensed timeline, the general development took place over the remaining 48 days. In the end, not only were all 30 courses delivered and approved by the deadline, but an additional course was added into the mix and completed with all necessary approvals within the same deadline.

This project speaks to the quality of the people and processes at Magellan. Beyond that, this project speaks highly of our dedication to deliver on our commitment to our clients.

A Year of Development—Building Three Programs (90 Courses)

For this project, we were asked to imagine a full-spectrum curriculum built around the life-teachings of a prominent teacher that would be purchased and offered by a university with a strong online presence. The Magellan team developed a grid of 90 interwoven courses that included 24 non-academic personal development courses, an undergraduate major with four concentrations, and a master’s degree with four different specializations. By the time a university expressed interest, there were 90 courses outlined in the plan.

Once the center was anchored to a specific university, we were given a 12-month timeline to fully develop all 90 courses. We spent the first month developing program-level outcomes for each degree, concentration, and specialization. During that same time, we were building and onboarding the massive 56-person team that would develop the curriculum. The team was made up of two project managers, 40 subject matter experts, 10 instructional designers, and four content editors.

This was a long and involved development process that included several unforeseen challenges–changes in personnel, standards, and expectations–but the Magellan team’s professionalism and resolve saw us through to the successful completion of the project. All three programs were added to the university’s catalog, increasing their online course offerings by nearly 50%.