Course Development Process FAQs

You should have an idea of who the audience is, what skills you're trying to help them build, whether or not they've taken the course before, how many people might need it, and a time of year that meets seasonal peaks and valleys for peoples' work volume and breaks/vacations.

Dates are first come, first served and will not be held until HR-OD receives your completed Course Planning Form. 

This is something we hear often and would recommend you reach out to OrganizationalDevelopment@cityofmadison.com to schedule a time to chat with us about.  

We are here for you! Email HR-OD at OrganizationalDevelopment@cityofmadison.com or request a consultation so we can best help you get started.

Email HR-OD at OrganizationalDevelopment@cityofmadison.com ASAP once you know you need to reschedule. We take care of all the notifying and back-end steps, you just need to let us know when you want to reschedule for. Be sure to refer to the 2027 Calendar Availability before requesting a new date.

Here are a couple of past courses that offer great examples of what should be included in a course page: 

• Handling Confidential Information
• Next Level Leadership for Emerging and Current People Leaders
• Values-Based Leadership

Learners can start registering for a course after you proof your course and once you receive a "Your Course is Live" email from HR-OD. Note that you'll see more folks registering once your course is included in HR-OD's weekly e-Blasts, which starts 6 weeks before your course session date.

In April 2027, federal requirements for accessible materials on our webpages are going into effect. If your materials are not accessibly built, HR-OD will send them back and request you make appropriate changes.

This note will be included as default on all course pages until materials are obtained: If you need access to course materials prior to a session, please reach out to facilitator, NAME at EMAIL@cityofmadison.com to obtain the latest copy of this deck and supporting materials.

To learn more about how to make your materials accessible, visit the Accessibility & ADA Compliance topic webpage, visit the IT Service Center Knowledge Base Articles or reach out to HR-OD, as Emily can review best-practices that can help you in your work.

Yes! We recommend still sending in your materials to OrganizationalDevelopment@cityofmadison.com so our team can review organizational alignment, and a second glance is always helpful! 

HR-OD cannot support courses hosted through Teams, as this creates operational branches or segments that our team is not equipped or does not have the capacity to support.

Yes!! In 2027, Learning Partners will have expanded access in Eventbrite and will be expected to take attendance directly in the platform. 

What this means for you:

• View registration lists from the get-go and answer participant questions directly, reducing back-and-forth with HR-OD.
• Record attendance promptly after each course to support post-course survey reminder emails, which will now be sent through Eventbrite. 
• Optionally schedule additional or customized participant emails. HR-OD will continue entering pre-scheduled regularly planned communications (1-week, 2-days, 2-hours, 10-minutes prior-to-course reminders, and a post-course thank you + eval link email), but any custom messages will be your responsibility to craft and send. 

Review the Eventbrite Guide webpage for details. 

When building your course, HR-OD will invite you to be a Learning Partner in Eventbrite. Refer to the Eventbrite Guide webpages for a deeper dive into how to navigate and maintain everything. 

If you find it difficult to take attendance and welcome folks at the same time, consider asking a colleague to hop into the Zoom link for the first 15 minutes of your course and support taking attendance.

We take and log attendance for classes and trainings to ensure (in some cases) legal and regulatory compliance, manage organizational resources effectively and maintain clear records. 

Virtual: We recommend 15 minutes to check your tech, ensure proper set ups, and be able to welcome learners into the space. 

In-Person: We recommend 30 minutes to set up your space, ensure proper set-ups (tech, sign-in sheet, etc) and to create a settled space to welcome your learners into. 

In 2027, HR-OD course moderation is no longer available due to limited capacity. We encourage you to partner with another member of your team for co-facilitation support. 

HR-OD is however available to teach you how to use Zoom, conduct abbreviated practice-runs of your course, or find other ways to equip you with tools and skills to successfully run your course!

• Knowledge - Information acquired through education or experience about a subject. (Think: "what you know").
• Skill - The power to perform a specific task effectively that is demonstrated through actions and developed through practice and/or experience. (Think: "what you can do").
• Ability - The natural or learned capacity for doing something. Note, not everyone is going to have the same level of natural ability to do something. Someone's natural ability can make it harder or easier to develop skills. (Think, "what you're naturally capable of or have developed over time"). 

Learn more about the Learning Partner Program including roles, who LPs are, and the levels of support HR-OD offers to folks looking to facilitate organization-wide trainings.