Ultimate Medical Academy (UMA)

Challenge 

Transforming team design 

Ultimate Medical Academy (UMA) is a nonprofit healthcare institution based in Tampa, Florida, and has operated for more than 30 years. With over 18,000 students, UMA offers allied healthcare education online and in a blended learning environment. The institution is committed to helping its students excel in their healthcare careers, whether they are just starting out or returning to upskill or retrain. 

Surveys are conducted annually to measure the overall success of the organization and how each of its departments are performing across multiple categories.  When it came to engagement, respondents did not score the curriculum department with very high scores.  “When I joined UMA three years ago, I reviewed the current processes for course development,” says Zoaib Mirza, associate vice present for curriculum at UMA. “We learned that the curriculum team was not seen as a shared service, and vital roles were missing from the team design. We needed roles like a project manager and editor. It also took over 1,000 hours to develop a course, and as you can imagine, it was costly to create.”  

To improve engagement, Mirza’s team made extensive changes to how they tackle course creation. They reorganized their team structure and implemented various new processes. They also expanded their team, adding multi-media specialists, copy editors, quality assurance professionals and project managers. What they found was a resounding increase in both curriculum engagement and student performance. This transformation was recognized by the Online Learning Consortium and earned them the John R. Bourne Award for Excellence in Online Programs and Programming. 

Solution 

Redesign of course creation and processes 

UMA started by examining its current practices, including its strengths and where the biggest impact could be made through the course design process. By taking the time to understand each team member’s individual style, the institution maintained a culture of positivity and were better able to determine how to effectively usher the curriculum team through the Kubler-Ross Change Curve.  

“There were two models I referenced when implementing change that supported culture on the team. The first was the mood elevator; this model ensures that changes are made when team members are curious and see the potential in a shift in process or procedure. The second is the accountability ladder to encourage the team to feel more powerful than powerless in each change made,” shares Mirza.  

The roles and responsibilities of the team were refined to ensure that industry standard practices were followed. This included updating the roles of instructional designers and adding new project managers as well as quality assurance and copy editor roles.  

“We revised our course design and instructional model and made the subject matter experts (SMEs) the center of the design process, ensuring that SMEs are connected as a central part of the process. This was a significant change and integral to the success of the redesign,” says Mirza. “Brightspace overall has been instrumental as a tool for us to build courses, but especially the learner experience that improved navigation in the course.”  

Result 

Award-winning change 

These changes provided the necessary transparency the department needed to streamline processes and to measure team engagement. They implemented two new processes: A course design process and a project management process for three credit courses, resulting in a reduction of 59% in course development time. Creating a course used to take upwards of 1,100 hours but now it takes 453 hours—less than half the time. 

“The cost of creating a course was reduced by more than 50%. This was an outstanding improvement based on the market analysis completed,” says Mirza.  

The annual engagement survey conducted by UMA reflected their outstanding achievements, with the curriculum team rising from one of the lowest scores to the fourth highest in the organization. The success did not end there.  In the fall of 2023, they won the Excellence in Online Programs and Programming award, from the Online Learning Consortium. “This is the first award of this kind that my team has received for online programs and programming, and I am very proud of that” shares Mirza. “I look forward to continuing to build on this foundation of excellence for our students.” 

UMA’s goal for 2030 is to lead the nation in meeting the needs of our learners and employers through career-ready training The evolution of the curriculum team is a shining example of what can be achieved.  Mirza goes on to say, “The plan is to continue to create a high-performing team, specialized in skills specific to curriculum design and development in healthcare. We’re going to be innovative and scalable in learning solutions that can help learners meet their career goals.”