2026 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

We have pioneered a new program designed to provide students with a more flexible timeline for coursework than traditional Computer Science programs offer. From the ground up, CS Flex has incorporated collaborative program design and curriculum development in new and innovative ways. In this paper, we share details of the innovative collaboration model that has been, and continues to be used to develop the responsive CS Flex curriculum.

Collaboration begins with instructors and is a core component of CS Flex. In this modality, all course development is done in pairs. This is reminiscent of the pair programming paradigm, with a driver and a navigator of different modules of each course. It diverges from that paradigm in that development is often asynchronous, but both developers impact all aspects of each course through development or review. This structure applies to both initial course creation and ongoing refresh or overhaul as technologies evolve.

Collaboration goes beyond course content. At delivery time, the course instructor may or may not be one of the course designers. This provides a new set of eyes reviewing course content and flow. In the other direction, it can assist new faculty in understanding the norms of the program as a whole and the specifics of the course content for a class that may be new to them. The number of hands involved in course evolution grows over time as new instructors teach the course.

With a broader lens, we see that collaboration also happens at the program level. We have, as a team, developed a template for all courses. This involves common methods of navigating each course in the learning management system, as well as common policies, such as how often a student can shift the timeline of a course using acceleration or deceleration to complete the modules. As a team, we make decisions on key aspects, including the components required in each course and the thresholds for mastery-level performance. These decisions are data-driven and dynamic; we adapt policies as we assess their effects.

The team involved in this work extends beyond our department, as we collaborate across campus. The development team includes a dedicated advisor as well as an instructional designer. We value input from those across campus with a unique skillset for understanding our students’ needs and best practices in online course design. CS Flex is an innovative and non-traditional approach to course delivery. This requires support from across campus, such as the Registrar's office, Online and Continuing Education, and Academic Affairs. Collaborating broadly with offices and personnel responsible for the management and oversight of the university was fundamental to the successful implementation of this new approach.

The types of collaboration used by the CS Flex program are significant, and their combined use is unique to this program. In this paper, we present details on the process, success, and challenges we have faced in this multifaceted collaborative approach to program design.