For-Credit Programs
Building For-Credit Online Learning Experiences
The Center for Academic Innovation works with schools and colleges across the university to develop for-credit online and hybrid programs. These typically offer students a more accessible and flexible path to a degree, reducing barriers to accessing high-quality education from the University of Michigan. For-credit offerings can include:
Certificates
Advanced or focused learning in a particular area of study provides students with a deeper, multi-course learning experience, allowing students to earn credentials and potentially explore a pathway toward degree programs.
Degrees
These programs offer rigorous coursework similar to what students encounter in residential programs, supported by entirely online or hybrid student engagement, allowing greater flexibility and access to world-class degree programs.
Proposing a Project
The Center for Academic Innovation frequently issues calls for proposals for online and hybrid programs. Strong proposals identify opportunities to combine fully online or hybrid degree or certificate programs with non-credit online content, offering students various pathways to access education from the University of Michigan.
Want to work with us, but not sure where to start? Connect with our team to discuss a project or develop your ideas.
Working with Us
We are committed to the success of your online or hybrid program. At the center, we provide comprehensive support, services, and resources at every step of the development process, and our collaborative approach ensures you can realize your unique vision.
Program Strategy
Degree and certificate program development is a significant investment for an academic unit. Our team collaborates with you to make informed decisions on new online or hybrid program concepts or to assess the feasibility of a concept.
Compliance Services
Compliance and policy specialists help ensure that your offerings comply with current distance education regulations and help your program staff navigate the complex and evolving compliance and regulatory landscape.
Program Management
Program managers support your team throughout the program’s lifecycle, from initially establishing timelines for program approval to optimizing the processes you engage while the program is operational.
Student Services
Our online student services specialist can work with your student services team to identify effective practices for engaging and supporting online students and making connections to student support resources throughout the U-M community.
Learning Design
Support for high-level curricular design and individual course design is available through our team of expert learning experience designers, design managers, copyright and accessibility specialists, and media designers.
Marketing
Our marketing and market strategy team helps you generate evidence-based insights to support program development, and aid in the creation and execution of marketing plans that draw non-credit and prospective learners into your programs.
Online and Hybrid Resources
Program Playbook
The Online and Hybrid Program Playbook is a comprehensive resource for academic units as they develop their programs.
It outlines the program approval process, highlights compliance requirements and common issues triggered by distanced learning activities. It connects stakeholders to different resources across campus that will support the success of their program.
Community of Practice
Our Online and Hybrid Program Community of Practice creates a space for our campus community to ask questions, feel supported, and find community as they work to develop, launch, and operate exemplary online and hybrid programs.
Connect with program leaders, administrative staff, and faculty across campus to share your ideas, partner on projects, and more.
Online Learning Resources
Interested in learning more about online learning and teaching? We’ve assembled a series of additional resources to support your pursuit of an online learning experience.
