Higher Education

Elevating Higher Education

 

We partner with colleges, universities, and higher education organizations to design learning experiences that balance academic rigor, student engagement, and institutional realities. From fully online programs to hybrid and on-campus courses, we help institutions evolve thoughtfully without sacrificing quality or control.

 
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Our Higher Education Services

We support institutions across the full course and program life cycle: designing, building, and sustaining learning experiences that align with institutional goals, faculty expectations, and accreditation requirements.

 

Course Development

Design comprehensive undergraduate and graduate courses with rigorous academic content.

We partner with colleges, universities, and higher education organizations to design and build courses that balance academic rigor, learner engagement, and institutional requirements. Our teams work across disciplines, credential levels, and delivery models supporting new course development as well as the refresh and modernization of existing offerings.

We collaborate closely with faculty and academic leaders to ensure courses reflect institutional voice, disciplinary standards, and learning outcomes while remaining scalable and sustainable over time.

What this looks like in practice:

  • Undergraduate and graduate course development

  • Course refresh and redesign for existing programs

  • Alignment to institutional learning outcomes and program goals

  • Support for fully online, hybrid, and on-campus delivery

  • Collaboration with faculty, SMEs, and academic leadership

Online Learning

Create engaging digital learning experiences for hybrid and fully online programs.

Online learning in higher education requires more than content migration; it requires intentional design. We create digital learning experiences that support engagement, accessibility, and instructional effectiveness across a range of platforms and institutional contexts.

Our approach balances learning science, usability, and faculty workflow considerations to ensure online and hybrid courses are practical to teach and meaningful for students.

What this looks like in practice:

  • Online and hybrid course design

  • LMS-ready course builds (Canvas, Blackboard, D2L, Moodle, and custom systems)

  • Interactive media and digital learning assets

  • Accessibility-informed digital design

  • Scalable templates and course structures

OER Development

Develop open educational resources that reduce costs and increase accessibility.

We support institutions pursuing OER initiatives by developing high-quality, openly licensed learning materials that maintain academic rigor while reducing student cost barriers. Our teams design OER content that integrates seamlessly into courses and programs, supporting adoption and long-term sustainability.

We work within institutional policies and funding frameworks to ensure OER materials are usable, adaptable, and aligned to learning outcomes.

What this looks like in practice:

  • OER course and content development

  • Adaptation and enhancement of existing open resources

  • Alignment to institutional and program outcomes

  • Accessibility-ready OER materials

  • Support for OER adoption and implementation

Faculty Support

Provide training and resources to help instructors maximize course effectiveness.

Faculty engagement is critical to successful course design and delivery. We partner with institutions to support instructors through collaborative development, training, and ongoing resources without disrupting academic autonomy.

Our faculty support work is designed to reduce burden, build confidence, and help instructors teach effectively across delivery models.

What this looks like in practice:

  • Faculty collaboration during course development

  • Training on course design, tools, and instructional strategies

  • Support for new delivery formats (online, hybrid, accelerated)

  • Documentation and teaching resources

  • Ongoing instructional design consultation

Learning Analytics

Implement data-driven insights to improve student outcomes and retention.

We help institutions use learning data intentionally to inform design decisions and support student success. Our analytics work focuses on actionable insights connecting learning behavior, assessment performance, and course design.

Rather than dashboards alone, we emphasize interpretation and application in instructional improvement.

What this looks like in practice:

  • Learning analytics integration and reporting

  • Assessment and engagement data analysis

  • Identification of instructional improvement opportunities

  • Support for retention and success initiatives

  • Alignment with institutional data practices

Accreditation Support

Ensure courses meet accreditation standards and documentation requirements.

Accreditation requirements shape course and program design in higher education. We support institutions by embedding accreditation considerations into course development and documentation reducing last-minute scrambles and review risk.

Our teams are experienced working within regional, programmatic, and institutional accreditation frameworks.

What this looks like in practice:

  • Alignment to accreditation standards and expectations

  • Course and program documentation support

  • Review and remediation of existing courses

  • Support during accreditation cycles and audits

  • Collaboration with academic and compliance teams

Higher Ed Success Stories

See how we have helped organizations transform their educational offerings.

View All Case Studies
Boston College
Higher Education MBA

Boston College

Converted seven MBA-level courses from face-to-face delivery to online formats while preserving academic rigor and…

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Landmark College
Accessible Online Learning

Landmark College

Partnered with Landmark College to design accessible, learner-centered online courses that support students who learn…

Read Case Study
Course Development for Tulane University
University Course Design

Course Development for Tulane University

SRM partnered with Tulane to deliver 26 online undergraduate courses in 14 months and continues…

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Our Higher Education Approach

Higher education presents unique challenges: shared governance, diverse learners, evolving delivery models, and increasing pressure to do more with fewer resources. Our approach is designed to work within those realities, not around them.

Research-Based Design

We apply learning science and instructional best practices to support engagement, retention, and transfer while respecting disciplinary norms.

Subject Matter Expertise

Our teams include PhDs, experienced instructional designers, and industry professionals who understand both academic rigor and applied learning.

Flexible Delivery Models

We design for on-campus, online, hybrid, accelerated, and competency-based environments without forcing one model onto another.

Outcome-Focused Assessment

We create assessments that measure learning, support accreditation, and prepare students for academic and professional success.

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Higher Education Insights

 

White Paper Accelerated Course Formats Course Design

Checklist: Accelerated Course Review

Accelerated courses require more than compression—they require intentional redesign. This checklist from Six Red Marbles and Whitworth University helps academic...

Apr 30, 2026
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Blog AI AI+HI

LXD Spotlight: James Peters on AI

Team Lead Learning Experience Designer James Peters talks favorite LLMs, building AI-powered tools for course design, navigating client conversations about...

Apr 30, 2026 Jocelyn Wright
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Higher Ed Success Stories

See how we have helped organizations transform their educational offerings.

View All Case Studies
West Academic
Law School Simulations

West Academic

Developed interactive courtroom simulations that allow law students to apply evidence rules through role-based, real-world…

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American Student Assistance
Financial Education & Student Success

American Student Assistance

Redesigned 12 SALT lessons to improve engagement and interaction for college students and recent graduates…

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Landmark College
Accessible Online Learning

Landmark College

Partnered with Landmark College to design accessible, learner-centered online courses that support students who learn…

Read Case Study

Our Partners

 

What Clients Say

Hear from clients who have partnered with Six Red Marbles.

It’s been wonderful working with Six Red Marbles. The collaboration was smooth, professional, and resulted in a strong final product.

West Academic

As we looked to scale our financial literacy programs and reach younger learners, we needed a partner who could bring our curriculum to life. Six Red Marbles helped us transform strong content into an engaging, game-based experience.

Executive Director

Fit Money

Ready to Transform Your Educational Content?

The best way to get to know Six Red Marbles is to work with us. Let’s talk about how we can support your goals and create learning experiences that make a lasting impact.

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