Step 1. Consultation
Meet with the ATC staff to discuss the project idea. Bring content and examples of similar projects, if available.

Step 2. Planning
Depending on the project and amount of planning already accomplished, any of the following activities may be indicated before going further:

1. Further define or refine basic project idea.
2. Explore what others with similar educational objectives are doing.

Step 3. Prepare Proposal (electronicaly)
Proposals should be 3-5 pages (12 point font).  A sample is available.  Please include:

• Summary of project, including purpose and goals, audience, & projected results,
• Statement of educational and institutional need for the project,
• List of educational goals and objectives, (When applicable, include the rationale for the technical approach proposed to achieve them.)
• Brief description of the project plan or specific activities, i.e. what will be done using what methods?
• Potential for collaboration or dissemination to others,
• Target date for completion,
• List of resources available, including: expertise and time commitments of essential personnel, equipment, software, funding and other relevant support (e.g., administrative approvals for course elements).
• List of services and resources requested of the ATC.

Step 4. Proposal Review
Proposals should be submitted to the ATC via e-mail. They will be evaluated based on the following criteria: 

• Educational/technological significance and potential for dissemination
• Degree of innovation
• Soundness of methods
• Feasibility of plan
• Adequacy of resources (including expertise
• Project relevance to institutional needs
• Potential for resource sharing and collaborations
• ATC scheduling and workload

Step 5. Project Approval
Applicants whose proposals are approved will receive a letter of understanding which will include: needed changes, the project's priority and relevancy ranking, resources the applicant will provide, and ATC resources that will be devoted to the project. Rejected proposals may be revised and re-submitted.

Step 6. Pre-production
Based on the ranking assigned, projects will be queued for production services. Before production begins, everything required to make the production phase efficient and economical will be put in place. This includes:

• All instructional content completed and reviewed by ATC staff and educational technology consultants,
• Resolution of copyright, confidentiality, and other legal issues,
• A plan for regular meetings between content and technical experts,
• Agreed upon timeline and approval process for specific production stages,
• Funding available for any contract services beyond the scope of the ATC (e.g. high capability equipment, professional photography or lighting, videographer, narrator, etc.)
• Agreement on computer resources and user rights during project development,
• An identified party responsible for post-production implementation and maintenance, and an identified computer where the end-product will reside.

Step 7. Production
Once the pre-production steps are complete and a project has reached the top of the queue, production will begin. The whole production team (project faculty/staff, ATC staff, and technical specialists) will be assembled for scheduled periods of concentrated, uninterrupted work. The length and frequency of the periods depend on the size and complexity of the project. The project timeline will be based in-part on the ability to schedule production team sessions. As much development as possible, will occur on the server where the project will reside permanently.

Step 8. Post-Production
After initial testing, completed projects will be signed over to those responsible for their implementation and maintenance. Needed training may be provided by ATC staff, as feasible. If necessary, time for final testing or other changes will be scheduled.

Project Revisions
Projects that require major modifications to maintain their usefulness, will require preparation of a new proposal and review. These recycled projects will be ranked into the project queue along with new projects.

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