Curriculum Development

Topics including instructional design, accreditation, and program development.

Curriculum in Progress

Building LETE 1303: Starting with a Blank Canvas
Byraymond.scheel@gmail.com September 7, 2026September 1, 2026

Designing a course is one thing. Designing the first course in an entirely new degree program is something else entirely. When building LETE 1303 for the Bachelor of Arts in Learning Technology program, the challenge wasn’t simply creating content. It was establishing the architectural foundation upon which every subsequent course, certificate, and student experience would depend. This first entry in the Curriculum in Progress series explores the assumptions, lessons, and design choices that shaped the program from the beginning.

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Curriculum in Progress

Building a Degree Before Building a Course
Byraymond.scheel@gmail.com August 30, 2026September 1, 2026

Most curriculum development begins with a course. The development of the Bachelor of Arts in Learning Technology (LETE) program forced me to think differently. Before designing individual classes, I needed to understand what kind of graduates the program was intended to produce. That challenge became even more interesting because the course titles and descriptions had already been approved before I joined the project. Instead of starting with a blank slate, I inherited the rough framework of a degree and had to determine how to transform it into a coherent, industry-relevant pathway.

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Curriculum Development

When the Rules Changed: A Course’s Complete Lifecycle
Byraymond.scheel@gmail.com June 29, 2026August 27, 2026

Most conversations about instructional design assume a logical, linear process. Standards are defined, curriculum is developed, and courses are launched. In…

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Curriculum Development

Building the Framework Before the Experts Arrive
Byraymond.scheel@gmail.com January 4, 2026August 4, 2026

Traditional curriculum development assumes that subject-matter experts arrive first and course design follows. During the launch of Sam Houston State University’s Polytechnic College, we faced a different reality. Aggressive timelines required us to begin developing course architecture before all of the faculty had even been hired. By building curriculum frameworks first and content second, we were able to accelerate development without sacrificing academic quality.

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Curriculum Development

Building a Medical School: Architecture Before Execution
Byraymond.scheel@gmail.com April 29, 2024August 4, 2026

Launching a new medical school is not simply an academic exercise. Before the first student enrolls, an institution must demonstrate that it possesses the people, processes, systems, and infrastructure necessary to sustain the program for years to come. My role in the early development of the Sam Houston State University College of Osteopathic Medicine reinforced a lesson I’ve encountered repeatedly throughout my career: successful organizations build the architecture first and scale the operations second.

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