1. Prioritizing Online Course Preparedness Using PACE Matrix
Instructions for using the PACE Prioritization Matrix for your online course
Purpose: A PACE matrix helps you prioritize the tasks and preparations you will need to complete to be prepared to teach your online course.
Determine your track. If you do not know the answers to these questions ask your department or use Track 3.
Is your online course already developed?
Was your course designed to meet quality standards? If no, use Track 3. If yes, go to next question.
Was your course designed with the intention that different faculty would be teaching it? If yes, use Track 1.
Was your course designed with the intention that a specific faculty would teach it? If yes, use Track 2.
1. Create a Task List. Determine some common tasks that need to be completed to fully prepare your online course. Some of these tasks may have been completed previously by another instructor or a course designer. Therefore you will only need to evaluate or review them. Number all the ideas, however the number does not indicate priority. There are some suggested tasks pre-populated on following pages.
2. Determine what your definitions are for Difficult and Easy Implementation Effort and High and Low Anticipated Benefit.   
3. Use the PACE Prioritization Matrix and the Task List to add tasks to your matrix. Draw in the numbered circles into the Matrix where you think they should go on the Matrix according to Effort and Benefit.
4. Use the Matrix to guide your preparedness.
Priority – These tasks have the highest anticipated benefit and are the easiest to implement. These should be implemented first.
Action – These tasks have slightly lower benefit but are still relatively easy to implement. These should occur as a follow-up after the P tasks have been implemented.
Consider – After P and A tasks have been implemented review the tasks that were in the Consideration area. You can decide whether the difficulty encountered with implementation is worth the benefit.
Eliminate – These tasks should be eliminated because their low benefit is not worth the high cost in effort.
This PACE Prioritization Matrix was adapted from The Karen Martin Group, Inc. The matrix is a LEAN engineering tool developed to increase efficiency. LEAN principles were originally created by Toyota.
facdev.niu.edu/onlineteaching

2. Ease of Implementation
Prioritizing Online Course Preparedness Using PACE Matrix
Track 1: Multiple Faculty Delivery / ​ Best Practice Course Development​
Content
Structure 2 11
Easy 6 21
Priority 22 16 1 7 12 14 23 3
Action 13 8 24 28
Ease of Implementation 15 27
Instructional Approaches 4
Priority – These tasks have the highest anticipated benefit and are the easiest to implement. These should be implemented first.
Action – These tasks have slightly lower benefit but are still relatively easy to implement. These should occur as a follow-up after the P tasks have been implemented.
Consider – After P and A tasks have been implemented review the tasks that were in the Consideration area. You can decide whether the difficulty encountered with implementation is worth the benefit.
Eliminate – These tasks should be eliminated because their low benefit is not worth the high cost in effort.
Consider 25 18 5 17 26
Eliminate
Difficult
High
Anticipated Benefit
Low 9 10 19 20 29 30

3. Track 2:Single Faculty Delivery / ​ Best Practice Course Development​
Prioritizing Online Course Preparedness Using PACE Matrix
Track 2:Single Faculty Delivery / ​ Best Practice Course Development​
Content
Structure 2 11 1
Easy 6
Priority 12 14 13 15 7 16 21 3
Action 22 17 27 24 4 18 25
Ease of Implementation 8 23 5
Instructional Approaches
Priority – These tasks have the highest anticipated benefit and are the easiest to implement. These should be implemented first.
Action – These tasks have slightly lower benefit but are still relatively easy to implement. These should occur as a follow-up after the P tasks have been implemented.
Consider – After P and A tasks have been implemented review the tasks that were in the Consideration area. You can decide whether the difficulty encountered with implementation is worth the benefit.
Eliminate – These tasks should be eliminated because their low benefit is not worth the high cost in effort. 28
Consider 26
Eliminate
Difficult
High
Anticipated Benefit
Low 9 10 19 20 29 30

4. Track 3: Single Faculty Delivery / ​ Organic Course Development​
Prioritizing Online Course Preparedness Using PACE Matrix
Track 3: Single Faculty Delivery / ​ Organic Course Development​
Content
Structure
Easy 1 6 7 21
Priority 16 3 2 15 11
Action 23 13 28 12 24 4 14 8
Ease of Implementation 5 27 22
Instructional Approaches
Priority – These tasks have the highest anticipated benefit and are the easiest to implement. These should be implemented first.
Action – These tasks have slightly lower benefit but are still relatively easy to implement. These should occur as a follow-up after the P tasks have been implemented.
Consider – After P and A tasks have been implemented review the tasks that were in the Consideration area. You can decide whether the difficulty encountered with implementation is worth the benefit.
Eliminate – These tasks should be eliminated because their low benefit is not worth the high cost in effort. 17
Consider 25 18 26
Eliminate
Difficult
High
Anticipated Benefit
Low 9 10 19 20 29 30