Insight Program

The Insight Program is an intensive online course development program that utilizes a rubric created by MSU Instructional Designers to promote excellence in online course design and development. Adapted from SUNYʼs OSCQR, Insight offers Mississippi State faculty the opportunity to receive recognition for their online courses with standards that are tailored specifically to our institution and thoughtful feedback provided by in-house online experts.

Process

The Insight Program opens a limited number of spaces each fall and spring semester based on the workload of our designers. Cohort members are expected to complete the program within the semester they are admitted. It is important to note that the Insight Seal is applied to the 

The application period for Insight is called the "intake period"; application review begins once the intake period closes. Our team will reach out to you to let you know whether you've been accepted once all applications have been reviewed.

From there, your assigned instructional designer will develop a plan and timeline with you, including a hard deadline for all completed components to be submitted to receive your Insight Seal.

Eligibility

To be eligible for the Insight Seal, you need to have taught your course fully online multiple times. This process is intensive and requires participants to reflect not just on their course design but on their online teaching practices as well.

Courses are not eligible if they are currently in development or have never been taught online. If your course falls into one of these categories, you can still receive support! CITE staff are happy to offer dedicated, one-on-one consultations and advice to assist you with design and development before teaching. Contact our team at help@cite.msstate.edu to schedule a consultation with one of our expert staff. 

Important Note: Because the Insight Seal recognizes the combination of an outstanding instructor and an outstanding course, it doesn't transfer automatically. A new instructor teaching the course, or the original instructor teaching a different course, would need a fresh review to earn the seal.

Steps to Apply

Fall 2026 Application Dates: August 17 through September 1

The Insight application is a Microsoft Form containing required form fields as well as two required document uploads. Please read the steps below in their entirety before applying and reach out with questions or concerns about the application process.

Step 1: Course Intake Form

Download the course intake form and fill out all fields. You will be expected to upload the intake from in the application.

Course Intake Form (Microsoft Excel file)

Step 2: Syllabus

Locate the most recent version of the syllabus for the course you are applying with. You will be expected to upload an updated syllabus in the application.

Step 3: Complete the Application

Once you've prepared the required documentation, fill out the Insight Program Application before the close of the intake period.

Insight Application (Microsoft Form)

Insight Rubric

Take a look at the Insight Rubric, used by our instructional designers to review online courses and provide specific suggestions for improvement. 

Benefits

The Insight Program supplies a multitude of benefits for faculty teaching online courses, including but not limited to:

• Collaborative space to explore growth opportunities
• Increase online course quality 
• Explore new ideas
• Develop better outcomes, assessments, and media
• Assistance meeting the needs of online student populations at MSU

Awards

Faculty who successfully complete the Insight Program will receive a certificate and an Insight "seal" to place in their online course to denote it is considered an excellent online course.