On-Demand Online Curriculum 

Standards and Review 

PROCESS GUIDE

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Contents

Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

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Background 1

Training guiding principles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

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Definitions 2

Development and Launch Preparation of New Online Courses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

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I. Course Development 

Step 1. Course discussion 

Step 2. Create a course design document 

Step 3. Develop storyboards 

Step 4. Develop electronic course 1

Step 5. Pilot the course 1

Step 6. COPS Office launch 1

Step 7. Final course, developmental launch, and public launch 1

Step 8. Marketing 1

II. Public Course Launch 1

III. Evaluation and Deliverable Reporting 1

IV. Biennial Review 2

V. Multiple Sponsorship . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  

VI. Post–COPS Office–Funded Training 2
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Development and Delivery of Pre-Existing Courses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

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I. Course Review and Marketing 2

Step 1. Course discussion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

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Step 2. Course review 2

Step 3. Revisions 2

Step 4. Pilot the revised course 2

Step 5. Final course 2

Step 6. Marketing 2

II. Public Course Launch 2

III. Evaluation and Deliverable Reporting 3

IV. Biennial Review 3

V. Multiple Sponsorship 3

VI. Post–COPS Office–Funded Training 3
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Introduction

Background

The Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS Office) is the component of the U.S. Department of Justice that advances the practice of community policing in U.S. state, local, and tribal 

enforcement agencies. The COPS Office does its work principally by sharing information and making

awards to and for law enforcement agencies around the United States. The knowledge resources available

from the COPS Office provide essential information in the form of training, technical assistance, promising 

practices for law enforcement, and publications composed by subject matter experts within the federal 

government, academia, and law enforcement

The COPS Office Online Curriculum Standards, Review, and Approval Guide was established to provide 

guidance to COPS Office training providers and program managers on instructional design, course delivery, and the process by which curriculum will be reviewed and approved by the COPS Office. To learn

more about COPS Office training, visit the training tab on the COPS Office website: https://cops.usdo

gov/training

The goals of the Online Curriculum Standards and Review Process Guide are as follows:

• Establish a common process for the development of COPS Office online training initiatives

• Manage quality control through a series of review and approval checkpoints before movement 

to the next development phase

• Establish a process for vetting COPS Office online training content, style, format, and quality in 

a manner comparable to other COPS Office products and services

• Establish clear outcome expectations of online training initiatives between program managers 

and awardees

• Maintain COPS Office online training products and services by keeping them current, relevant, 

and applicable to the law enforcement field

Training guiding principles

Any training or training materials developed or delivered with award funding provided by the Office of 

Community Oriented Policing Services is to adhere to the following guiding principles:

1. Trainings must comply with applicable l

In developing and conducting training under the award, recipients (and any subrecipients) shall not 

violate the Constitution or any federal law, including any law prohibiting discrimination

2. The content of trainings and training materials must be accurate, appropriately tailored, and focus

The content of training programs must be accurate, useful to those being trained, and well matched 

to the program’s stated objectives. Training materials used or distributed at trainings must be accurate,

relevant, and consistent with these guiding principles
ON-DEMAND ONLINE CURRICULUM STANDARDS AND REVIEW

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3. Trainers must be well‐qualified in the subject area and skilled in presenting 

Trainers must possess the subject matter knowledge and the subject‐specific training experience 

necessary to meet the objectives of the training. In selecting or retaining a trainer, recipients (or sub

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recipients) should consider such factors as the trainer’s resume and written materials, interviews with 

the trainer, observation of other trainings conducted by the trainer, feedback from other entities with 

which the trainer has worked, training participant feedback and evaluations, and the general reputation 

of the trainer

4. Trainers must demonstrate the highest standards of professionali

Trainers must comport themselves with professionalism. While trainings will necessarily entail varying

teaching styles, techniques, and degrees of formality, as appropriate to the particular training goal, pro

fessionalism demands that trainers instruct in the manner that best communicates the subject matter 

while conveying respect for all

Definitions

Training

Training refers to the teaching and learning activities undertaken to help members of an organization 

acquire and apply the knowledge, skills, abilities, and attitudes needed by a particular job or organiza

tion. Training is driven by specific goals and objectives, but it is an ongoing process, requiring continuing

self-reflection and evaluation

• Learning outcomes and objectives. Objectives describe what learners should be able to know and do

after training. Learning outcomes establish the criteria by which the training will be judged a succes

Training objectives and learning outcomes should be aligned with an employee’s position and with the 

organization’s goals and mission

• Self-reflection and evaluation. Self-reflection should be a conscious process of learners critically

analyzing the training material and testing their own understanding and retention; it is an internal 

check on the progress and outcomes of the training. Evaluation is the external check; it should consist

of setting goals, in accordance with the learning outcomes and objectives, and conducting pre- and 

post-testing and a final course evaluation to ensure those goals are met

On-Demand Online Training

On-demand online training refers to training conducted via an interactive internet browser–based learn

ing system. On-demand online training is anywhere, anytime instruction. For the purpose of this guide

on-demand online training is considered to be self-directed and self-paced; for guidance on instructor-fa

cilitated online training, consult your program manager

Training Materials

Guidebooks, webinars, articles, conference presentations, podcasts, videos, blogs, and newsfeeds (to 

provide a few examples) can serve as support material in trainings or as stand-alone material to increase 

knowledge, but on their own they cannot be defined as training
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Content and Functionality

Content refers to the subject matter of the training and includes all modules, activities, resources, and 

all other substantive material of the training. Functionality refers to the operations of the training on an

online platform

• Content and functionality development. This type of development occurs when the awardee devel

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ops both the content and functionality of an online course for their own website/training portal or for 

the COPS Office Training Portal

• Content development. This type of development occurs when the awardee has the subject matter

expertise to develop the content of the course, and the functionality of the course is developed by 

the COPS Office Training Portal team for the COPS Office Training Portal

New and Pre-existing Training

• New development. Awards for new development are intended to fund the creation of new online

course content; they may also cover the development of new functionality

• Pre-existing training. Awards for pre-existing training cover reviewing and potentially revising online

training courses that already exist and bringing them into the COPS Office training initiative

COPS Office Training Portal and Website

The COPS Office Training Portal provides a convenient way for law enforcement professionals and com

munity partners to access interactive online training in emerging public safety topics and serves as a gate

way to a variety of multimedia community policing resources at no cost. The Training Portal is the online

training gateway for all COPS Office–sponsored training and is in two parts: (1) landing page website and 

(2) learning management system. COPS Office–sponsored online courses will be hosted on the Portal

unless otherwise agreed upon by the COPS Office and the awardee

Awardee Training Portal and Website

Awardee websites are training portals are designed and owned by awardees. COPS Office–sponsored

courses may be hosted here with agreement from the COPS Office but will also be hosted on the Training 

Portal simultaneously. At the end of the award period, all COPS Office–sponsored training

materials must be transferred to the COPS Office for inclusion on the training portal, following the 

specifications outlined by the COPS Office. More information on post-award training can be found in

“Post–COPS Office–Funded Training” on page 21 of this guide
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Development and Launch Preparation 

of New Online Courses

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I . Course Development

The process of course development, from the course design document to the first course delivery, 

generally takes between 12 and 18 months. Each course is unique, however, so the actual development

time may be longer or shorter than the estimate. One of your first steps in the course development pr

cess should be to work with your COPS Office program manager and develop a robust course develop

ment timeline

To ensure all requirements are met, arrange a time to talk with your COPS Office program manager on a 

monthly basis (or more often as needed). Remember, your COPS Office program manager is here to help:

Do not hesitate to reach out via email or phone

All COPS Office training providers are required to submit, at a minimum, the following course materials, in 

sequential order, to their COPS Office program manager. (If the training provider is only developing storyboards for the course, then item four will not apply.

1. Course design docume

2. Draft storyboards and any accompanying documen

3. Final storyboards and any accompanying documen

4. Final, interactive, online course and any accompanying documen

Your COPS Office program manager will ensure the materials follow the COPS Office review and approval 

process. If changes to the materials are required, your program manager will discuss them with you. Pleas

review this information to make sure your materials include the appropriate information

Overarching requirements

The COPS Office has a series of requirements that apply to all courses in all stages of development, 

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delivery, and online launch:

1. Ensure that all proposed deliverables and publications follow and are in accordance with th

COPS Office Editorial and Graphics Style Manual (https://portal.cops.usdoj.gov/resource

ter?item=cops-w0434)

2. All products and deliverables (written, visual, or sound; curricula, reports, or websites) must contai

the following statement:

This project was supported by cooperative agreement number 15JCOPS-2#-GG-XXXXX-XXXX 

awarded by the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services, U.S. Department of Justi

The opinions contained herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the 

official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice. References to specific agencie
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companies, products, or services should not be considered an endorsement by the author(s) 

or the U.S. Department of Justice. Rather, the references are illustrations to supplement disc

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sion of the issues. The Internet references cited in this publication were valid as of the date of

this publication. Given that URLs and websites are in constant flux, neither the author(s) nor

the COPS Office can vouch for their current validity

3. When appropriate, U.S. Department of Justice publications and other products and deliverables sho

contain the following copyright notice:

Copyright© [year work was published] [name of copyright owner]. The U.S. Department 

Justice reserves a royalty-free, nonexclusive, and irrevocable license to reproduce, publish, or 

otherwise use, and authorize others to use, this resource for Federal Government purposes

This resource may be freely distributed and used for noncommercial and educational pur

poses only

4. Ensure that the COPS Office online training portal formatting procedures are followed. The formatti

procedures are available on the COPS Office website: https://cops.usdoj.gov/pdf/training/Trainin

Portal_Formatting_Requirements.pd

5. All videos developed for online training curricula should follow the COPS Office video developmen

guidelines (https://cops.usdoj.gov/pdf/training/Video Development ProcessGuide_2023.p

6. If the online course includes supplemental materials such as a participant guide or resource packet

they should include a front, inside, and back cover developed with the COPS Office training templates

Templates are available on the COPS Office website: https://cops.usdoj.gov/traini

7. If materials or toolkits that accompany the training are developed and could be released as standalone resources, the full COPS Office publishing process should be follow

8. If the course will include previously created printed course materials and resources, the COPS Offic

will review those materials and resources and provide guidance on editorial requirements

9. All requirements and tasks outlined in each cooperative agreement must be followed in addition t

the COPS Office Curriculum Standards, Review, and Approval Guide (https://cops.usdoj.gov/trainin

10. All content must be free from discriminatory examples and terminology and negative stereotypi

11. Grantees may be required to submit full source files for any course to the COPS Office or to th

COPS Office Training Portal administrator

12. All courses will be hosted on the COPS Training Portal servers and may not be connected to an

other LMS without explicit written permission from the COPS Office. This requirement does not

restrict the ability of a developer to separately host the course on their own LMS if allowed by their 

cooperative agreement

13. All courses’ final product will contain professional, human narrati
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COPS Office logos

The COPS Office has two logos for training documents: the training logo and the main COPS Office logo. All

COPS Office–sponsored training materials should prominently display both logos. Contact your COPS Office

program manager for logos if you need them in an image format. Supplemental materials to the training

should also include the COPS Office logo, legal disclaimer, and, if necessary, the copyright notice. Awardees

should not use the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) seal in conjunction with the COPS Office log

When placing the COPS Office logo and training logo on a colored background, please be careful of the 

color you choose, as the contrast can affect readability. To avoid visibility issues, make sure (1) the COPS

logotype, (2) the red separator rule, and (3) the identifier and parent affiliate text are all clearly legible. Any

alteration of the logo is a violation of usage standards because it creates inconsistency and confusion for 

readers and diminishes the integrity of our agency’s identity

For further assistance with logo usage, consult the Graphic Standards and Identity System for the 

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COPS Office (https://cops.usdoj.gov/pdf/training/Logo_Standards_Manual.pdf) and Logo Fact She

(https://cops.usdoj.gov/pdf/training/Logo_Guideline_FactSheet.pdf) on the training section of t

COPS Office website

In addition to the aforementioned COPS Office logos, the Training Portal has a separate logo for its sole use

508 conformance

Ensure that all electronic and information technology deliverables (websites and web-based information, 

online training, and video and multimedia products) are developed and produced in a format that is 

accessible according to accessibility requirements as specified in section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 

1973. Specifically, video should contain closed-captioning and audio description options. Electronic p

lications should be created in HTML, fully tagged PDF, or accessible text file format, and all websites must 

be fully conformant with 508 accessibility standards. For more information on section 508 accessibility

requirements, consult http://www.section508.go

• It is important to note that under section 508, agencies must give disabled employees and members of 

the public access to information that is comparable to access available to others

• If deliverables are not 508-conformant, they may not be published in print or online

STEP 1. COURSE DISCUSSION

To start the course development process, you will participate in a course kickoff meeting with your COPS 

Office program manager. The purposes of this meeting are (1) to discuss the training cycle and (2) to

ensure everyone agrees on the goals, objectives, target audience, and length of the course. The training

cycle refers to the course’s purpose and assessment, planning and preparation, presentation and facilita

tion, and evaluation and performance

Your program manager will work with you to establish a date and time for this discussion. If subsequent

discussions are needed prior to the development of the course design document, your program manager 

will inform you not to proceed with the course design document until all parties agree on the overall 

purpose of the course

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STEP 2. CREATE A COURSE DESIGN DOCUMENT

The course design document (CDD) is a comprehensive outline of the content of a course which serves 

as the foundation of course development. The CDD lays out the scope, goals, objectives, exercises, and

overall strategy of the course. Laying these out clearly ensures that both the COPS Office and the course

developers have a clear plan for the course

The CDD should contain, at a minimum, the following items:

• Course title. State the title of the trainin

• Scope statement. State the subject matter of the course and how the course addresses the topi

• Course overview. Provide a summary of the cours

• Course purpose. State the intent of the cours

• Central course topics. State which topics are included in the cours

• Central course activities. Provide an overview of general course activities and the instructional strateg

• Terminal learning objectives. Provide an action verb statement that outlines what the student is

expected to learn or be capable of performing at the conclusion of the course

• Establishing learning objective(s). Provide the incremental learning objectives that support the

terminal learning objectives. These should be measurable performance statements describing how the

student will demonstrate achievement of the terminal learning objective

• Duration of the course. State the course lengt

• Target audience. State the intended participants in the cours

• Eligibility requirements. Specify who is eligible to participate in the cours

• Course design. Describe the instructional strategies and design consideration, e.g., activities that a

learners to do something with the new information or skills like solve a problem, make decisions in a 

scenario, or create something using the concepts

• Prerequisites. Describe whether a participant needs to have learned any fundamentals before taking

the course

• Adult learning strategies and principles. State the adult learning strategies and principles used and

practiced in the course

• Evaluation strategy. Describe the learning checks, Level I and Level II evaluations, and overarching

learning strategy for the course

• Course progression. Describe how the course is divided and the flow of the cours
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• Modules. Describe each module in outline form and include, at minimum, the following information

– Module title

– Module description

– Terminal learning objective for each module

– Establishing learning objectives for each module

– Outline of module contents to include exercises, videos, activities

– Resource list 

– References

In addition, general requirements for the CDD include the following:

• Outline format is consistent throughout the lesson plans

• Grammar, spelling, and punctuation are correct

• Training aids are scheduled at appropriate times

• Modules have a variety of training aids

• References are cited following the COPS Office Editorial and Graphics Style Manual 

(https://portal.cops.usdoj.gov/resourcecenter?item=cops-w04

• Modules include essential information that supports each of the learning objectives or outcomes

• Modules include teaching techniques that will stimulate and facilitate learning

• Introduction shows the relationship of this topical subject to the importance to the law enforcement field

• Modules explain the importance of this topic and how it will be applied to participants’ jobs

• Time is identified to allow participants to know how long the course and each module is projected 

to take

• The ADDIE (analysis, design, development, implementation, and evaluation) model of instruction 

should be used in the development of the online course

– For more on the ADDIE process, please see the COPS Office ADDIE factsheet

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 (https://cops.usdoj.gov/pdf/training/ADDIE_Fact_Sheet.p

The CDD should be submitted to your COPS Office program manager for review and approval within the 

agreed-upon time frame for CDD completion. The review and approval process will include, at a min

mum, an internal COPS Office review, which takes approximately two weeks. If the review and approval

process indicates revisions to the course are necessary, those revisions should be made and resubmitted 

to your program manager within the agreed-upon time frame. Once the CDD has been approved, your

program manager will give permission to develop the storyboards. You should not start the storyboard

development phases until your COPS Office program manager indicates that the CDD is approved

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For an easy-to-use reminder of the required information in the CDD, the COPS Office has a CDD Fact Sheet 

(https://cops.usdoj.gov/pdf/training/FactSheet_CourseDesignDocumentTemplate.p

STEP 3. DEVELOP STORYBOARDS

Once the CDD is approved, the course storyboards should be developed in their entirety. The storyboards

should include all course content and a written description of the functionality requirements. Course con

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tent includes all images, videos, podcasts, voiceovers, assessments and evaluations, and all text, including 

questions and instructions. Functionality requirements include technical specifications as well as descri

tions of the navigation and user experience. The course should not be fully developed in electronic form

until the storyboards have been approved. If the awardee is only developing the content of the course, all

functionality requirements will be met by the training portal team

At a minimum, the storyboards should meet the following requirements:

• Storyboards are written in a format between that of a book manuscript and a film script

• Grammar, spelling, and punctuation are correct

• Courses are “chunked” into modules of no longer than 60 minutes in length

• Training aids are scheduled at appropriate times and there is variety in training aid types

• Content includes essential information that supports each of the learning objectives or outcomes

• References are cited following the COPS Office Editorial and Graphics Style Manual 

(https://portal.cops.usdoj.gov/resourcecenter?item=cops-w04

• Assets (images, videos, narration, etc.) do not violate copyright infringement law

• Text is no smaller than 8-point (if designing for mobile, should be 12-point or larger)

• Training objectives and outcomes are explicitly stated, comprehensive, and measurable

• Training objectives and outcomes match training needs

• Course content includes techniques that will stimulate learning

• Level of difficulty is appropriate for the participants

• Course introduction shows the relationship of the subject to the law enforcement field

• Storyboards explain the importance of this topic and how it will be applied to participants’ jobs

• Information is grouped into small and convenient segments and content is sequenced in a logical 

and appropriate manner

• The beginning of each module indicates its expected completion time for self-paced scheduling 

by participants

• Storyboards contain clearly written instructions for practical and interactive exercises and demonstrations

• A final course evaluation is included
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• Sufficient reflections, quizzes, and tests are included to check understanding, including compre-

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hensive pre-and post-course assessments

• Directions explain how to find and proceed through all course components

• Directions for exercises and assignments clearly indicate where to start and what steps to follow

• For awardees developing their own functionality, storyboards include help features

• Storyboards demonstrate that course content and functionality are compatible with participants’ 

existing hardware and networking

• Storyboards demonstrate course content and functionality can easily transition between online 

web browsers

• Instructions, interface design, and navigation directions are logical, consistent, and efficient 

throughout the training program

• Storyboards include a site map or table of contents effectively orienting participants to their 

location within the program

• Links are self-describing

• Any media integrated into the training enhances learning

• A glossary of key terms is included

• Any other information outlined in your cooperative agreement is included

Work with your COPS Office program manager to devise a review process for the storyboards. It may be

beneficial to have your program manager review modules or blocks of content to ensure everyone is on 

the same page. Once complete, the storyboards should be submitted to your COPS Office program ma

ager electronically for review and approval prior to creating an electronic version of the course, hosting 

the pilot, or launching the course. The review and approval process will at a minimum include a COPS

Office internal document review, external peer review, and vetting. Until approval to move onto the next

step is given, no further steps should be taken to deliver or market the course

Peer review

Peer review is the process of experts (law enforcement, researchers, academics, etc.) from outside the

COPS Office reviewing the entire course for relevance and applicability to the field. Most peer-reviewed

documents have three reviewers. The review is confidential, so you will not know the names of those

reviewing your course materials

During their review of the course materials, the peer reviewers fill out a peer-review questionnaire and 

provide a rating for the course. When the reviewers are finished, your program manager will review their

feedback and ratings and share them with you. Your program manager will ask you to make the reco

mended changes. If the reviewers recommended any changes that you decline to make, you will need

to write a memo to your program manager outlining which changes you decline and your reasons. Your

program manager will review this memo and enter it into the COPS Office review process, which could 

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11

take up to two weeks. During this time, do not move forward on the course until you have your program

manager’s approval. The COPS Office may determine that you still need to make the changes. All memo

related to this determination will be saved in your official award folder

It takes four weeks for the external peer reviewers to read the materials and provide comments. If changes

need to be made to the course, they will be made after the review period. You will work with your COPS

Office program manager to determine a time frame for completing the finalized draft course

Vetting

Once the peer-reviewed, finalized storyboards are complete, your program manager will send the course 

through the DOJ vetting process. The purpose of vetting is for the DOJ to review the course for organizational conflicts of interest and any implied endorsements of products or services. Your program manage

might ask you to send the course documents in a specific format for vetting. When vetting is finished, your

program manager will review the vetting feedback and share it with you. Your program manager will ask

you to make any recommended changes. If any changes are recommended that you decline to make,

you will need to write a memo to your program manager outlining which changes you decline to make 

and your reasons. Your program manager will review the memo and enter it into the COPS Office review

process, which could take up to two weeks. During this time, do not move forward on the course until you

have your program manager’s approval. The COPS Office may determine that you still need to make the

changes. All memos related to this determination will be saved in your official award folde

Vetting typically takes two to three weeks; it is unlikely that it will take less time, though depending on the 

length of the training it may take longer. Most vetting clears during the two- to three-week period with

few to no changes identified. If changes do need to be made to the course, they will be made after the

two- to three-week vetting period. You will work with your COPS Office program manager to determine a

timeframe for completing the finalized draft course.

Until approval to move onto the next step is given, no further steps should be taken to develop or market 

the course

STEP 4. DEVELOP ELECTRONIC COURSE

For awardees developing only the content for an online course, step 4 will be the responsibility of the 

COPS Training Portal team

For awardees developing the full electronic course, including functionality, step 4 should include all 

elements from steps 1 through 3 and should elaborate on all of those requirements to make a robust 

and functioning online course. In addition, the completed electronic course should also meet the

following requirements:

• COPS Office logos are used in the course. The DOJ seal should not be use

• Compatible with the COPS Office Online Training Portal (a list of the specifications are outlined in 

the Portal formatting requirements document: https://cops.usdoj.gov/pdf/training/Training_Porta

Formatting_Requirements.pdf
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12

• Compatible with Moodle

– The approximate file size limit for Moodle is 2.5 G

• Published to LMS - SCORM 1.

• Includes HTML5 output, if it is anticipated that some users will access the course on a mobile device 

(cell phone, tablet, etc.

• Report status in the learning management system (LMS) configured as Passed/Incomplete

• Each lesson conclusion summarizes the key points and objectives and has correctly cited endnotes 

for further reading

• Includes an easy-to-access glossary of key terms

• Participants can print course information

• Participants can save work, exit the program, and come back to the program at a later time to start 

working where they left off

• Participants should not be able to skip through and take the completion test without experiencing 

course materials

• Participants can control the speed at which they proceed through the course and can replay or 

review material previously accessed

• The visual layout of the content is well organized

• Program effectively orients participants to their location within the program

• Layout of on-screen text is clear and readable

• Content, interface design, and navigation directions are logical, consistent, and efficient throughout 

the training program

• Technical requirements can be met with participants’ existing hardware and networking

• Program is easy to access through Internet Explorer, Chrome, Safari, or Firefox. If the program cannot

be accessed via a certain online platform, specify this limitation upfront

• Help features are found throughout and are easy to understand and access

• Help features are specific to instructional materials and course functionality

• Developers may provide a high-resolution image of their organization logo, which will be added to 

the course certificate if they choose

• Developers are required to create and submit to VCPI a “branding package” to be used by the COPS 

Training Portal team to ensure consistent branding among Portal resources and to assist in promoting 

the course. The branding package should consist of the following

– Your organization’s logo

 Submit the logo’s design file in .ai, .eps, or .svg for
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 If the design file is not available, please submit the highest resolution copy of your logo possible, 

preferably with a transparent background

– Photos and graphics used in the development of the course

 Include the highest resolution versions of images and graphics available

 Acceptable formats include .png, .jpg, .jpeg, .gif, .webm, .svg, .ai, .

 Do not include any files for which the usage rights or licenses have not been secured

– A promotional image for the course

 1200 pixels x 627 pixels at 300 dpi

 Must include the course title and be 508 conformant; may include your logo

 If you are unable to produce a promotional image, please speak with your program manager to 

discuss options for having one built for the course

A complete course transcript must be included in the course for screen readers. Any videos included must

be transcribed and transcriptions should be included and accessible. All on-screen objects should have

alt text to describe the component to participants using a screen reader. Each course developer should

designate a 508 conformance point of contact. More on 508 conformance can be found in the “Overarc

ing requirements” section of this guide.

The electronic course should be submitted to your COPS Office program manager electronically for pilot 

testing prior to launching the course. The course cannot be piloted or launched until your program

manager provides approval.

STEP 5. PILOT THE COURSE

The pilot is a first run through the course, designed to test the course content, functionality, and flow 

before the national launch. All courses, including asynchronous eLearning courses, require a pilot. Pilot

should generally take place at a point in the development of the training that will allow the students to 

fully evaluate the course while maximizing the ability to make changes in a cost-effective manner. For

example, where narration is required to complete the course, a computerized reading of the narration will 

suffice for a pilot. Do not schedule your pilot without approval from your COPS Office program manager

(PM) to ensure that it takes place at the optimal point. Your PM will need to attend the pilot, either in person or virtually, and evaluate it. In general, it will be preferable for the pilot to be arranged to allow for th

PM to attend in person

Grantees shall follow the subsequent guidelines when arranging pilots; deviations from these guidelines 

will require approval from the COPS Office PM

• A minimum of 10 outside attendees will be scheduled to take part in the pilot; it is preferable to 

schedule more than 10 to allow for unanticipated no-shows

• Attendees should include the following:

– Active law enforcement officers, constituting at least half of the scheduled attendees

– Representatives of any other relevant stakeholder groups (e.g., prosecutors or co-responder
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14

• An explanation of the pilot process should be given to participants, including the following:

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– That the course is being piloted and that, depending on feedback, it may or may not be released 

in its current form

– The intent behind the development of the course

– A general description of what the developer/COPS Office want students to learn from the course

– The process by which the pilot will take place, including how students will give feedback

• Students should complete all aspects of the course, including pre-test, post-test, and all modules, 

including interactive/scenario-based modules, that are expected to be a part of the course

• Feedback should be solicited from all attendees on both positive and negative aspects of the course, 

with a focus on whether there are any “fatal flaws” that would prevent the COPS Office from releasing 

the training in its current form. Negative feedback should include suggestions on how to fix the ident

fied problem whenever possible. Feedback will be solicited in the following forms

– Standard evaluation questions found on page 18 using a 1–5 Likert scale

– Written short answer “additional feedback” question allowing the student to express general thoughts

– Group discussion, which should be moderated by either the COPS Office PM or a representative 

of the grantee developer, intended to elicit detailed feedback and assess whether there is gen

eral agreement over that feedback; detailed notes should be taken to ensure that all feedback is 

recorded to assist the grantee and PM in determining what, if any, changes should be made

In general, it is preferable to host pilots in-person where all attendees can individually pilot the course; for 

example, in a computer lab at a Police Academy or university. However, awardees should be prepared to

host the pilot virtually in situations where an in-person pilot is infeasible. Work with your COPS Office PM

to determine the best method for the pilot

The pilot feedback is reviewed by the COPS Office PM and discussed with the awardee to determine next 

steps. The awardee will provide a list of the identified or known major or minor flaws they plan to imm

diately address (like spelling, nonfunctional learning elements, or navigation issues). If there are additional

requested updates identified by test participants—such as suggested wording, aesthetic, or content 

changes—these can be discussed with the COPS Office PM to be prioritized based on the need, impact 

on the budget, or timeline

If there are high priority edits requested by the COPS Office beyond what was included in the approved 

storyboards, the awardee may be asked to provide estimated time and budget impacts of potential edits 

to aid in the decision-making of the COPS Office PM. The awardee and COPS Office PM will notify the

awardee regarding the agreed-upon update list of updates (punch list). If a pilot finds that the course

needs significant revisions to content or instructional style, your PM will provide you with a corrective 

action plan to ensure the course is successful

Even once the agreed upon updates have been made, do not launch the final course until your PM gives 

the final approval
15

Pilots for “hybrid” courses that involve both an asynchronous and instructor-led portion should generally 

follow the guidelines laid out in this document, but may require adjustments; work with your PM to deter-

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mine what changes, if any, should be made

In-person pilots of online courses 

For in-person pilots of online courses, ensure that you notify the local U.S. Attorney’s Office that a COP

Office–sponsored course will be taking place in their district. Your COPS Office PM can provide you with a

list of contacts for U.S. Attorney Offices across the country. U.S. Attorneys’ Offices can be great resour

especially for training space and marketing. They also like to know what DOJ training is being delivered in

their area

For in-person pilots of online courses, you will need to follow the DOJ cost reporting requirements. The

DOJ requires all awardees delivering training (including pilots) to submit the Conference Cost Request/

Reporting Form (CCR) prior to planning a training. For course delivery costing less than $100,000, the form

must be submitted to your COPS Office PM at least 90 calendar days in advance of the delivery. For course

delivery that costs more than $100,000, the form must be submitted at least 120 calendar days in advance 

of delivery. The COPS Office may consider late requests—at its sole discretion—but cannot ensure they

will receive a decision in time for the training to proceed. Any cancellation costs incurred as a result of late

submission may be determined to be unallowable

Your PM will send you the CCR form and guidance, and you can find the FAQs on the training page of the 

COPS Office website. Once you have filled out the form, send it to your PM. Your PM will send it for p

cessing and notify you when it is approved. Do not schedule or hold a pilot before approval is give

For training that includes more than one pilot, it is recommended that for question #7 on the CCR, “Is this 

a blanket request?,” you answer YES, and in question #8 fill out the number of deliveries, year, and locations 

and start and end dates if you know them. If you do not know the location or start or end dates, you can

answer TBD. This will allow you to submit one request for all pilots in a year, so that you do not have to fill

out individual forms for each pilot. For costs, input the estimated cost of your most expensive pilo

Some training deliverables do not require CCR form submission. To determine which TA visits and or trai

ing deliverables do not require submission of the CCR form, review the following 10 questions. The COPS

Office developed a checklist to alleviate some of the uncertainty regarding whether an event requires 

prior approval. If the answers to all 10 questions are “No,” the event does not require prior approval via the

CCR form submission process. It will still require approval from your P

1. Is the cost of the event greater than $20,00

2. Are there meeting room cost

3. Are audio-visual costs greater than $25 per attendee or more than $1,000 in tota

4. Are there any food and beverage cost

5. Did the request for the meeting come from multiple jurisdictions or agencie
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16

6. Do the participants represent multiple agencies that are not co-located or joined by an agreemen

(e.g., task force with MOU

7. Are there trinkets being purchase

8. Is there a formal published agend

9. Are formal discussions or presentation panels planne

10. Are there logistical planning costs beyond incidental internal administrative costs necessary t

arrange travel and lodging for a small number of individuals?

Please reference DOJ Grants Financial Guide: Section 3.10 OJP/COPS Office Conference Approval,

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Planning and Reporting: No Prior Approval Required https://www.ojp.gov/funding/financialguidedo

iii-postaward-requirements#0uxd2 for additional information and/or contact your PM directly

STEP 6. COPS OFFICE LAUNCH

Your COPS Office program manager will arrange for in-house viewing or a virtual opportunity for inter

ested COPS Office staff to take the class prior to the public launch of the course. Work with your program

manager to schedule and ensure the COPS Office staff can view the course. This step may take place

during the pilot process, after the pilot (but after the punch list developed), or once the course has been 

updated and is ready for testing on the COPS Office Training Portal development server. It is not nece

sary for the course developers to be on site for this viewing session, but there are instances where it is 

beneficial to be able to communicate with them—discuss the possibility with your COPS Office program 

manager. If this step takes place after pilot revisions have been made by the awardee, then feedback will

be limited to fatal flaws only

STEP 7. FINAL COURSE, DEVELOPMENTAL LAUNCH, AND PUBLIC LAUNCH

After a course has been updated and finalized and approved by the COPS Office, you can send the course 

and supporting materials to the COPS Office Training Portal team for them to upload the course onto the 

COPS Office Training Portal developmental server. The COPS Office Training Portal team will work with you

to ensure it is loaded and functions as intended. Once loaded on the COPS Office Training Portal server, it

will be tested first by the portal team and then by you and your COPS Office program manager to make 

sure the course features are functioning as intended (including pre- and post-test and being able to print 

certificates of completion)

Awardees hosting on their own websites or platforms need to ensure that the program manager is able to 

view the course on the platform before it is launched

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For awardees developing only the course content, the course launch will be performed by the COPS Training Portal team. You will still be asked to review the portal content once the course has been uploaded

into the COPS Training Portal developmental servers

Once all final reviews have been completed have on developmental servers, the course will ready move 

into the public launch phase to be coordinated with COPS Office

STEP 8. MARKETING

Develop and administer a marketing plan in collaboration with your COPS Office program manager. All

marketing materials should prominently display the COPS Office logo and training logo and state that the 

training is supported by the COPS Office. You must submit initial marketing materials to your program

manager for review and approval at least 30 days before you embark on email/website/flyer/etc. distribu

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tion. The approved materials will then become the approved template for your future marketing effort

At a minimum, marketing materials should include a summary of the course content, information on who 

is eligible to take the course, and any student prerequisites. All marketing materials must also include this

COPS Office disclaimer:

This project was supported by cooperative agreement number 15JCOPS-2#-GG-XXXXX-XXXX 

awarded by the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services, U.S. Department of Justi

The opinions contained herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the 

official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justi

In marketing materials, do not use the DOJ seal or state that the opinions in the training materials are 

the opinions of the U.S. Department of Justice or COPS Offi

The COPS Office has a marketing fact sheet (https://cops.usdoj.gov/pdf/training/Marketing_Guideline

FactSheet.pdf) to help you easily navigate the dos and don’ts of marketing a COPS Office–sponsored cours

II . Public Course Launch

With approval from your program manager, the course can be launched publicly. If the course is hosted

on your website, work with your program manager to include a summary of the course and a link to the 

COPS Office Training Portal. This will help direct more traffic to the course. Ensure that the course is full

functional, has continual maintenance, and supports users through technical assistance from the launch 

through the end of the award. Awardees will be responsible for the reporting the data on the COPS

Office–sponsored training that is taken on their website. If the course is hosted on the COPS Office Trai

ing Portal, work with your program manager to develop a summary and link for your own website; the 

training portal team will ensure functionality and maintenance and provide technical assistance
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III . Evaluation and Deliverable Reporting

All courses should include pre- and post-course assessments for participants, as well as an overall course 

evaluation administered at the completion of the course. All evaluations should be developed during the

course development phase and approved by your program manager (as outlined in part I of this section, 

“Course Development”). All evaluations and assessments must use a 5-point Likert scale, with 1 equaling

“strongly disagree” and 5 equaling “strongly agree.” Open-ended discussion questions may also be included

in evaluations and assessments

Course evaluation questions

At a minimum, the course evaluation should include the following Likert scale questions:

• Before the course, I would rate my knowledge, skills, and abilities in this subject as advanced (5),

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 intermediate (4), basic (3), little (2), none (1)

• After the course, I would rate my knowledge, skills, and abilities in this subject as advanced (5), 

intermediate (4), basic (3), little (2), none (1)

• The training objectives and outcomes for the course are explicitly stated and understandable

• The course provided the knowledge and skills I need to accomplish the job for which I am 

receiving training

• Materials are presented in realistic job scenarios that I can easily transfer to my job

• Based on the training, I am fully capable of implementing the skills I learned

• The course content is appropriate for someone within my professional field

• The course content is appropriate for someone with my level of experience

• Overall, the course met my needs and expectations

• Overall, the course is effective in meeting its outlined goals and objectives

• Overall, this course was a valuable use of my time

• The training program is easy to access online

• Interface design and navigation features are logical, consistent, and efficient throughout the course

• The course directions are clear and easy to understand and explain how to proceed through the course

• I was able to save work, exit the program, come back to the program at a later time, and start working 

where I left off

• I was able to control the speed at which I took the course and could replay or review material previ

ously accessed
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Monthly training summary report

For courses hosted on the COPS Training Portal, the COPS Training Portal team will fulfill the monthly train-

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ing summary report requirement

For courses hosted on the awardee’s website or portal, the awardee is responsible for developing a 

monthly summary report. At a minimum, this report should include the number of participants who have

taken the course, the ranks or position titles of the participants, participant agency names, and Level I and 

Level II evaluation results. The monthly training summary report should be submitted to your program

manager by the fifth of the month following each reporting month

Quarterly training data collection and submission

For courses hosted on the COPS Training Portal, the Training Portal team will fulfill the quarterly reporting 

requirement. For courses hosted on the awardee’s website or portal, the awardee is responsible for su

mitting the quarterly data

All training conducted should be reported to the COPS Office on a quarterly basis. Training delivered on

the COPS Office Agency Portal will be reported by the portal administrator, which you should still review

The data to be reported should include the average pre- and post-test scores, average course effective

ness ratings, and average answers to course evaluation questions. It should also include general inform

tion on the course, instructors, participants, and overall course feedback. The COPS Office training tracker

outlines all of the required fields. The quarterly due dates are as follows

• Quarter 1. Collection period October 1–December 31. Due to the COPS Office by January 

• Quarter 2. Collection period January 1–March 31. Due to the COPS Office by April 

• Quarter 3. Collection period April 1–June 30. Due to the COPS Office by July 

• Quarter 4. Collection period July 1–September 30. Due to the COPS Office by October 

Training numbers and data should be kept readily available for information requests outside of the 

quarterly reporting period. At times, the COPS Office may request training data or numbers outside of

the quarterly reporting period. Your program manager will inform you of changes to the reporting

dates as needed

Once you receive a COPS Office award that has a training deliverable, your organization will be added 

to the training tracker. The training tracker is currently located in your Agency Portal (https://portal.co

usdoj.gov/). Permissions can be given in your Agency Portal to those staff who will be entering the dat

into the training tracker. Quarterly training data cannot be accepted in spreadsheet or any other form for

the official quarterly reporting. All training data submissions must comply with the quarterly reporting

dates unless otherwise directed by your program manager

Training data are submitted by the title of each course and the participants who successfully completed 

that course title within the reporting quarter. Within the training tracker, there are four possible training

statuses: (1) projected, (2) in progress, (3) delivery submitted, and (4) no delivery to submit. The projecte
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20

status means that training is forthcoming; awardees can use this status to input all of their upcoming 

training. Once the training begins, the awardee can move the training to the in progress status, fill out

all of the evaluation data, and submit the training occurrence. The delivery submitted status means

that you have filled in all of the required sections and submitted a complete training occurrence. And no

delivery to submit means that for the specified quarter, you did not deliver any training

For all courses introduced on or after October 1, 2021, use the following formulation: For the “Course 

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Effectiveness” input, take the average of the scores for the following questions:

• Overall, the course met my needs and expectations

• Overall, the course is effective in meeting its outlined goals and objectives

• Overall, this course was a valuable use of my time

For all courses introduced before October 1, 2021, use the following formulation: For the “Course Effective

ness” input, take the average of the scores for the following questions:

• Overall, the course met my needs and expectations

• Overall, the course is effective in meeting its outlined goals and objectives

Please ensure you are not delinquent in submitting your quarterly training data. If you receive multiple

delinquency notices, your award status will be flagged as noncompliant and official action will be taken

Progress reports

Submit progress reports as outlined in your cooperative agreement. Progress reports should include

summaries of progress on award deliverables such as technical assistance provided to students, marketing 

efforts, and training data for each online course (if not hosted on the COPS Training Portal), as well as any 

concerns noted by students

The reporting system can be found via the agency portal, https://portal.cops.usdoj.g

Final summary report

For awardees hosting training on their own sites, within 90 days of the end of the award, submit a final 

summary report to the COPS Office program manager. At a minimum, this final report should include all

training data, all course materials and resources, copies of marketing material, and summaries of all tech

nical assistance provided. This final report is in addition to the final financial report and final programmatic

progress report required by all training and non-training awardees. Your program manager can supply an

example of a final training report if needed

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IV . Biennial Review

At a minimum, the COPS Office will review each course on a biennial basis. This review is in addition to

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the pilot of each course. The biennial review process is meant to ensure training remains current and to

identify and help maintain successes, as well as to identify areas for improvement. If revisions are su

gested based on the review, your program manager will outline the revision process

V . Multiple Sponsorship

Some courses have more than one funding source or are fee-for-service. That is allowable; however,

clear lines need to be drawn to distinguish which is which. All COPS Office–sponsored courses must

follow the requirements in the COPS Office curriculum process guide and be prominently promoted 

as COPS Office–sponsored courses following all of the rules and requirements of that sponsorship

All non–COPS Office–sponsored courses should not be promoted as COPS Office courses. Do not

report non–COPS Office–sponsored courses in your training data reports to the COPS Office, and do 

not use the COPS Office logos

COPS Office courses are free courses for the field, so no fees should be associated with COPS 

Office courses

Keep your COPS Office program manager up-to-date on which is which to prevent confusion

The storyboards and functionality for COPS Office– and non–COPS Office–sponsored trainings might 

look the same, but the overarching difference is that the COPS Office cannot be stated to be a sponsor 

of the non–COPS Office–sponsored courses or deliveries

VI . Post–COPS Office–Funded Training

At the end of the award, the awardee must submit all COPS Office–funded online course materials devel

oped for the awardee’s website to their program manager

The COPS Office reserves the right to deliver/offer training even after the award for the training is com

plete. The COPS Office reserves royalty-free, nonexclusive, and irrevocable license to reproduce, publish, or

otherwise use the training in part or in whole for Federal Government purposes and to authorize others to 

use the training. The full outline of the right to use is detailed in every cooperative agreement and can be

found in the Code of Federal Regulations (2 CFR 200.315 (b)

The awardee also has the right to continue the use of the developed training after the end of the award

Under the legal guidelines for deliverables post-award, the COPS Office logo should not be associated 

with the training after award funding has ended. Online training should not state that it is a COPS Office

product but that “This training was developed through funding from the COPS Office in [funding year] 

and is currently being delivered through [state organization/agency].
Development and Delivery 

of Pre-Existing Courses

I . Course Review and Marketing

The COPS Office will review and approve all pre-existing online courses prior to linking to, publicizing, or 

embedding them into the COPS Training Portal. Submit all pre-existing training materials to your COPS

Office program manager for review and approval before scheduling or delivering training. This includes

the storyboards, raw electronic course files, and the finalized electronic course. Review this section to

make sure your materials include the appropriate information

To ensure all requirements are met, arrange a time to talk with your COPS Office program manager on a 

monthly basis. Remember, your COPS Office program manager is here to help: Do not hesitate to reach

out via email or phone

Overarching requirements

The COPS Office has a series of requirements that apply to all courses in all stages of development, deliv-

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ery, and online launch:

1. Ensure that all proposed deliverables and publications follow and are in accordance with th

COPS Office Editorial and Graphics Style Manual (https://portal.cops.usdoj.gov/resource

ter?item=cops-w0434)

2. All products and deliverables (written, visual, or sound; curricula, reports, or websites) must contai

the following statement:

This project was supported by cooperative agreement number 15JCOPS-2#-GG-XXXXX-XXXX 

awarded by the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services, U.S. Department of Justi

The opinions contained herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the 

official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice. References to specific agencie

companies, products, or services should not be considered an endorsement by the author(s) 

or the U.S. Department of Justice. Rather, the references are illustrations to supplement dis

sion of the issues. The Internet references cited in this publication were valid as of the date of

this publication. Given that URLs and websites are in constant flux, neither the author(s) nor

the COPS Office can vouch for their current validity

3. When appropriate, U.S. Department of Justice publications and other products and deliverab

should contain the following copyright notice:

Copyright© [year work was published] [name of copyright owner]. The U.S. Department 

Justice reserves a royalty-free, nonexclusive, and irrevocable license to reproduce, publish, or 

otherwise use, and authorize others to use, this resource for Federal Government purposes

This resource may be freely distributed and used for noncommercial and educational pur

poses only

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4. Ensure that the COPS Office online training portal formatting procedures are followed. The formatti

procedures are available on the COPS Office website: https://cops.usdoj.gov/pdf/training/Trainin

Portal_Formatting_Requirements.pd

5. All videos developed for online training curricula should follow the COPS Office video developmen

guidelines (https://cops.usdoj.gov/pdf/training/Video Development ProcessGuide_2023.p

6. If the online course includes supplemental materials such as a participant guide or resource packet

they should include a front, inside, and back cover developed with the COPS Office training templates

Templates are available on the COPS Office website: https://cops.usdoj.gov/traini

7. If materials or toolkits that accompany the training are developed and could be released as standalone resources, the full COPS Office publishing process should be follow

8. If the course will include previously created printed course materials and resources, the COPS Offic

will review those materials and resources and provide guidance on editorial requirements

9. All requirements and tasks outlined in each cooperative agreement must be followed in addition t

the COPS Office Curriculum Standards, Review, and Approval Guide (https://cops.usdoj.gov/trainin

10. All content must be free from discriminatory examples and terminology and negative stereotypi

11. Grantees may be required to submit full source files for any course to the COPS Office or to th

COPS Office Training Portal administrator

12. All courses will be hosted on the COPS Training Portal servers and may not be connected to an

other LMS without explicit written permission from the COPS Office. This requirement does not

restrict the ability of a developer to separately host the course on their own LMS if allowed by their 

cooperative agreement

COPS Office logos

The COPS Office has two logos for training documents: the training logo and the main COPS Office logo. All

COPS Office–sponsored training materials should prominently display both logos. Contact your COPS Office

program manager for logos if you need them in an image format. Supplemental materials to the training

should also include the COPS Office logo, legal disclaimer, and, if necessary, the copyright notice. Awardees

should not use the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) seal in conjunction with the COPS Office log

When placing the COPS Office logo and training logo on a colored background, please be careful of the 

color you choose, as the contrast can affect readability. To avoid visibility issues, make sure (1) the COPS

logotype, (2) the red separator rule, and (3) the identifier and parent affiliate text are all clearly legible. Any

alteration of the logo is a violation of usage standards because it creates inconsistency and confusion for 

readers and diminishes the integrity of our agency’s identity

For further assistance with logo usage, consult the Graphic Standards and Identity System for the 

COPS Office (https://cops.usdoj.gov/pdf/training/Logo_Standards_Manual.pdf) and Logo Fact She

(https://cops.usdoj.gov/pdf/training/Logo_Guideline_FactSheet.pdf) on the training section of t

COPS Office website

In addition to the aforementioned COPS Office logos, the Training Portal has a separate logo for its sole use
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24

508 conformance

Ensure that all electronic and information technology deliverables (websites and web-based information, 

online training, and video and multimedia products) are developed and produced in a format that is 

accessible according to accessibility requirements as specified in section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 

1973. Specifically, video should contain closed-captioning and audio description options. Electronic pu

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lications should be created in HTML, fully tagged PDF, or accessible text file format, and all websites must 

be fully conformant with 508 accessibility standards. For more information on section 508 accessibility

requirements, consult http://www.section508.go

• It is important to note that under section 508, agencies must give disabled employees and members of 

the public access to information that is comparable to access available to others

• If deliverables are not 508-conformant, they may not be published in print or online

STEP 1. COURSE DISCUSSION

To start the course development process, you will participate in a course kickoff meeting with your COPS 

Office program manager. The purposes of this meeting are (1) to discuss the training cycle and (2) to

ensure everyone agrees on the goals, objectives, target audience, and length of the course. The training

cycle refers to the course’s purpose and assessment, planning and preparation, presentation and facilita

tion, and evaluation and performance

Your program manager will work with you to establish a date and time for this discussion. If subsequent

discussions are needed prior to the development of the course design document, your program manager 

will inform you to not proceed with the course design document until all parties agree on the overall 

purpose of the course

STEP 2. COURSE REVIEW 

The COPS Office will review the pre-existing online course for content and functionality. The review will

include, at a minimum, an internal COPS Office review, external peer review, and vetting. Your program

manager will inform you of any modifications to the course after the COPS Office review

Internal review

This is a COPS Office review of the course structure and content. The COPS Office will review the course

to ensure it meets the COPS Office standards at a basic level before the course is approved to proceed to 

peer review. This process typically takes two week

Peer review

Peer review is the process of experts (law enforcement, researchers, academics, etc.) from outside the

COPS Office reviewing the entire course for relevance and applicability to the field. Most peer-reviewed

documents have three reviewers. The review is confidential, so you will not know the names of those

reviewing your course materials
25

During their review of the course materials, the peer reviewers fill out a peer-review questionnaire and 

provide a rating for the course. When the reviewers are finished, your program manager will review their

feedback and ratings and share them with you. Your program manager will ask you to make the recom

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mended changes. If the reviewers recommended any changes that you decline to make, you will need

to write a memo to your program manager outlining which changes you decline and your reasons. Your

program manager will review this memo and enter it into the COPS Office review process, which could 

take up to two weeks. During this time, do not move forward on the course until you have your program

manager’s approval. The COPS Office may determine that you still need to make the changes. All memo

related to this determination will be saved in your official award folder

It takes four weeks for the peer reviewers to read the materials and provide comments. If changes need

to be made to the course, they will be made after the review period. You will work with your COPS Office

program manager to determine a time frame for completing the finalized draft course

Vetting

Once the peer-reviewed, finalized storyboards are complete, your program manager will send the course 

through the DOJ vetting process. The purpose of vetting is for the DOJ to review the course for organiz

tional conflicts of interest and any implied endorsements of products or services. Your program manager

might ask you to send the course documents in a specific format for vetting. When vetting is finished, your

program manager will review the vetting feedback and share it with you. Your program manager will ask

you to make any recommended changes. If any changes are recommended that you decline to make,

you will need to write a memo to your program manager outlining which changes you decline to make 

and your reasons. Your program manager will review the memo and enter it into the COPS Office review

process, which could take up to two weeks. During this time, do not move forward on the course until you

have your program manager’s approval. The COPS Office may determine that you still need to make the

changes. All memos related to this determination will be saved in your official award folde

Vetting typically takes two to three weeks; it is unlikely that it will take less time, though depending on the 

length of the training it may take longer. Most vetting clears during the two- to three-week period with

few to no changes identified. If changes do need to be made to the course, they will be made after the

two- to three-week vetting period. You will work with your COPS Office program manager to determine a

time frame for completing the finalized draft course.

Until approval to move onto the next step is given, no further steps should be taken to develop or market 

the course

STEP 3. REVISIONS

Your program manager will notify you of any necessary revisions to the course. If revisions are suggested

that you do not want to make, you should send a written justification for rejecting them to your program 

manager no later than 10 days after receipt of the revision request. Your program manager will review the

justification and submit a final determination

After receiving the revision request from your program manager, you should electronically submit the 

revised course to your program manager within 30 days
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26

A pilot to test the course is required after making revisions to any course. The pilot should not be sched

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uled until your program manager indicates approval of the revisions. Until approval is given, no further

steps should be taken to deliver or market the course

STEP 4. PILOT THE REVISED COURSE

The pilot is a first run through the course, designed to test the course content, functionality, and flow 

before the national launch. All courses, including asynchronous eLearning courses, require a pilot. Pilot

should generally take place at a point in the development of the training that will allow the students to 

fully evaluate the course while maximizing the ability to make changes in a cost-effective manner. For

example, where narration is required to complete the course, a computerized reading of the narration will 

suffice for a pilot. Do not schedule your pilot without approval from your COPS Office program manager

(PM) to ensure that it takes place at the optimal point. Your PM will need to attend the pilot, either in pe

son or virtually, and evaluate it. In general, it will be preferable for the pilot to be arranged to allow for the

PM to attend in person

Grantees shall follow the subsequent guidelines when arranging pilots; deviations from these guidelines will require approval from the COPS Office PM

• A minimum of 10 outside attendees will be scheduled to take part in the pilot; it is preferable to 

schedule more than 10 to allow for unanticipated no-shows

• Attendees should include the following:

– Active law enforcement officers, constituting at least half of the scheduled attendees

– Representatives of any other relevant stakeholder groups (e.g., prosecutors or co-responder

• An explanation of the pilot process should be given to participants, including the following:

– That the course is being piloted and that, depending on feedback, it may or may not be released 

in its current form

– The intent behind the development of the course

– A general description of what the developer/COPS Office want students to learn from the course

– The process by which the pilot will take place, including how students will give feedback

• Students should complete all aspects of the course, including pre-test, post-test, and all modules, 

including interactive/scenario-based modules, that are expected to be a part of the course

• Feedback should be solicited from all attendees on both positive and negative aspects of the course, 

with a focus on whether there are any “fatal flaws” that would prevent the COPS Office from releasing 

the training in its current form. Negative feedback should include suggestions on how to fix the identified problem whenever possible. Feedback will be solicited in the following form

– Standard evaluation questions found on page 30 using a 1–5 Likert scale

– Written short answer “additional feedback” question allowing the student to express general thoughts

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– Group discussion, which should be moderated by either the COPS Office PM or a representative 

of the grantee developer, intended to elicit detailed feedback and assess whether there is gen-

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eral agreement over that feedback; detailed notes should be taken to ensure that all feedback is 

recorded to assist the grantee and PM in determining what, if any, changes should be made

In general, it is preferable to host pilots in person where all attendees can individually pilot the course; for 

example, in a computer lab at a Police Academy or university. However, awardees should be prepared to

host the pilot virtually in situations where an in-person pilot is infeasible. Work with your COPS Office PM

to determine the best method for the pilot

The pilot feedback is reviewed by the COPS Office PM and discussed with the awardee to determine next 

steps. The awardee will provide a list of the identified or known major or minor flaws they plan to imm

diately address (like spelling, nonfunctional learning elements, or navigation issues). If there are additional

requested updates identified by test participants—such as suggested wording, aesthetic, or content 

changes—these can be discussed with the COPS Office PM to be prioritized based on the need, impact 

on the budget, or timeline

If there are high priority edits requested by the COPS Office beyond what was included in the approved 

storyboards, the awardee may be asked to provide estimated time and budget impacts of potential edits 

to aid in the decision-making of the COPS Office PM. The awardee and COPS Office PM will notify the

awardee regarding the agreed-upon update list of updates (punch list). If a pilot finds that the course

needs significant revisions to content or instructional style, your PM will provide you with a corrective 

action plan to ensure the course is successful

Even once the agreed upon updates have been made, do not launch the final course until your PM gives 

the final approval

Pilots for “hybrid” courses that involve both an asynchronous and instructor-led portion should generally 

follow the guidelines laid out in this document, but may require adjustments; work with your PM to deter

mine what changes, if any, should be made

In-person pilots of online courses 

For in-person pilots of online courses, ensure that you notify the local U.S. Attorney’s Office that a COP

Office–sponsored course will be taking place in their district. Your COPS Office PM can provide you with a

list of contacts for U.S. Attorney Offices across the country. U.S. Attorneys’ Offices can be great resour

especially for training space and marketing. They also like to know what DOJ training is being delivered in

their area

For in-person pilots of online courses, you will need to follow the DOJ cost reporting requirements. The

DOJ requires all awardees delivering training (including pilots) to submit the Conference Cost Request/

Reporting Form (CCR) prior to planning a training. For course delivery costing less than $100,000, the form

must be submitted to your COPS Office PM at least 90 calendar days in advance of the delivery. For course

delivery that costs more than $100,000, the form must be submitted at least 120 calendar days in advance 

of delivery. The COPS Office may consider late requests—at its sole discretion—but cannot ensure they

will receive a decision in time for the training to proceed. Any cancellation costs incurred as a result of late

submission may be determined to be unallowable
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28

Your PM will send you the CCR form and guidance, and you can find the FAQs on the training page of the 

COPS Office website. Once you have filled out the form, send it to your PM. Your PM will send it for pr

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cessing and notify you when it is approved. Do not schedule or hold a pilot before approval is give

For training that includes more than one pilot, it is recommended that for question #7 on the CCR, “Is this 

a blanket request?,” you answer YES, and in question #8 fill out the number of deliveries, year, and locations 

and start and end dates if you know them. If you do not know the location or start or end dates, you can

answer TBD. This will allow you to submit one request for all pilots in a year, so that you do not have to fill

out individual forms for each pilot. For costs, input the estimated cost of your most expensive pilo

Some training deliverables do not require CCR form submission. To determine which TA visits and or trai

ing deliverables do not require submission of the CCR form, review the following 10 questions. The COPS

Office developed a checklist to alleviate some of the uncertainty regarding whether an event requires 

prior approval. If the answers to all 10 questions are “No,” the event does not require prior approval via the

CCR form submission process. It will still require approval from your P

1. Is the cost of the event greater than $20,00

2. Are there meeting room cost

3. Are audio-visual costs greater than $25 per attendee or more than $1,000 in tota

4. Are there any food and beverage cost

5. Did the request for the meeting come from multiple jurisdictions or agencie

6. Do the participants represent multiple agencies that are not co-located or joined b

an agreement (e.g., task force with MOU

7. Are there trinkets being purchase

8. Is there a formal published agend

9. Are formal discussions or presentation panels planne

10. Are there logistical planning costs beyond incidental internal administrative costs necessary t

arrange travel and lodging for a small number of individuals?

Please reference DOJ Grants Financial Guide: Section 3.10 OJP/COPS Office Conference Approval,

Planning and Reporting: No Prior Approval Required https://www.ojp.gov/funding/financialguidedo

iii-postaward-requirements#0uxd2 for additional information and/or contact your PM directly

STEP 5. FINAL COURSE

The final course should include any changes requested in response to the pilot. It should be electronically

shared with your COPS Office program manager for a final quality check before launch. Once your pr

gram manager verifies the course is in a final state, you may initiate the course launch steps outlined here

Do not launch the course until your program manager confirms final approval

Developers may provide a high-resolution logo image, which will be added to the course certificate 

if they choose
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For courses that will be hosted on the COPS Office Training Portal, this step will be performed by the 

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training portal team

As a quality check, your COPS Office program manager will arrange an in-house viewing session at the 

COPS Office prior to launching the course. Work with your program manager to ensure the course can

be viewed by the COPS Office. It is not necessary for the course developers to be on-site for this viewing

session, but there are instances where it is beneficial—discuss the possibility with your COPS Office pro

gram manager

After the internal viewing, the course will move into the launch phase. Awardees hosting on their own

websites or platforms need to ensure that the program manager is able to view the course on the plat

form before it is launched. For those awardees whose training will be hosted on the COPS Office Training

Portal, the Training Portal team will test and launch the course on the COPS Office’s own platform

STEP 6. MARKETING

Develop and administer a marketing plan in collaboration with your COPS Office program manager. All

marketing materials should prominently display the COPS Office logo and training logo and state that the 

training is supported by the COPS Office. You must submit initial marketing materials to your program

manager for review and approval at least 30 days before you embark on email/website/flyer/etc. distrib

tion. The approved materials will then become the approved template for your future marketing effort

At a minimum, marketing materials should include a summary of the course content, information on who 

is eligible to take the course, and any student prerequisites. All marketing materials must also include this

COPS Office disclaimer:

This project was supported by cooperative agreement number 15JCOPS-2#-GG-XXXXX-XXXX 

awarded by the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services, U.S. Department of Justi

The opinions contained herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the 

official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justi

In marketing materials, do not use the DOJ seal or state that the opinions in the training materials are 

the opinions of the U.S. Department of Justice or COPS Offi

The COPS Office has a marketing fact sheet (https://cops.usdoj.gov/pdf/training/Marketing_Guideline

FactSheet.pdf) to help you easily navigate the dos and don’ts of marketing a COPS Office–sponsored cours

II . Public Course Launch

With approval from your program manager, the course can be launched publicly. If the course is hosted

on your website, work with your program manager to include a summary of the course and a link to the 

COPS Office Training Portal. This will help direct more traffic to the course. Ensure that the course is full

functional, has continual maintenance, and supports users through technical assistance from the launch 

through the end of the award. If the course is hosted on the COPS Office Training Portal, work with your

program manager to develop a summary and link for your own website; the training portal team will 

ensure functionality and maintenance and provide technical assistance
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30

III . Evaluation and Deliverable Reporting

All courses should include pre- and post-course assessments for participants, as well as an overall course 

evaluation administered at the completion of the course. All evaluations and assessments must use a

5-point Likert scale, with 1 equaling “strongly disagree” and 5 equaling “strongly agree.” Open-ended discussion questions may also be included in evaluations and assessment

Course evaluation questions

At a minimum, the course evaluation should include the following Likert scale questions:

• Before the course, I would rate my knowledge, skills, and abilities in this subject as advanced (5), 

intermediate (4), basic (3), little (2), none (1)

• After the course, I would rate my knowledge, skills, and abilities in this subject as advanced (5), 

intermediate (4), basic (3), little (2), none (1)

• The training objectives and outcomes for the course are explicitly stated and understandable

• The course provided the knowledge and skills I need to accomplish the job for which 

I am receiving training

• Materials are presented in realistic job scenarios that I can easily transfer to my job

• Based on the training, I am fully capable of implementing the skills I learned

• The course content is appropriate for someone within my professional field

• The course content is appropriate for someone with my level of experience

• Overall, the course met my needs and expectations

• Overall, the course is effective in meeting its outlined goals and objectives

• Overall, this course was a valuable use of my time

• The training program is easy to access online

• Interface design and navigation features are logical, consistent, and efficient throughout 

the course

• The course directions are clear and easy to understand and explain how to proceed through 

the course

• I was able to save work, exit the program, come back to the program at a later time, and start 

working where I left off

• I was able to control the speed at which I took the course and could replay or review material 

previously accessed

For those courses that are community- or workshop-based or whose audience is young people, your 

program manager will discuss the evaluation questions with you, as these questions might not all be 

suitable for the audience
31

Monthly training summary report

For courses hosted on the COPS Training Portal, the COPS Training Portal team will fulfill the monthly train-

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ing summary report requirement

For courses hosted on the awardee’s website or portal, the awardee is responsible for developing a 

monthly summary report. At a minimum, these reports should include the number of participants who

have taken the course, the ranks or position titles of the participants, participant agency names, and Level 

I and Level II evaluation results. The monthly training summary report should be submitted to your pr

gram manager by the fifth of the month following each reporting month

Quarterly training data collection and submission

For courses hosted on the COPS Training Portal, the Training Portal team will fulfill the quarterly reporting 

requirement. For courses hosted on the awardee’s website or portal, the awardee is responsible for su

mitting the quarterly data

All training conducted should be reported to the COPS Office on a quarterly basis. The data to be reported

should include the average pre- and post-test scores, average course effectiveness ratings, and average 

answers to course evaluation questions. It should also include general information on the course, instru

tors, participants, and overall course feedback. The COPS Office training tracker outlines all of the required

fields. The quarterly due dates are as follows

• Quarter 1. Collection period October 1–December 31. Due to the COPS Office by January 

• Quarter 2. Collection period January 1–March 31. Due to the COPS Office by April 

• Quarter 3. Collection period April 1–June 30. Due to the COPS Office by July 

• Quarter 4. Collection period July 1–September 30. Due to the COPS Office by October 

Training numbers and data should be kept readily available for information requests outside of the quarterly reporting period. At times, the COPS Office may request training data or numbers outside of the quarterly reporting period. Your program manager will inform you of changes to the reporting dates as need

Once you receive a COPS Office award that has a training deliverable, your organization will be added to 

the training tracker. You will find the training tracker located in your Agency Portal (accessed via the COPS

Office website). Permissions can be given in your Agency Portal to those staff who will be entering the

data into the training tracker. Quarterly training data cannot be accepted in spreadsheet or any other form

for the official quarterly reporting. All training data submissions must comply with the quarterly reporting

dates unless otherwise directed by your program manager

Training data are submitted by the title of each course and the participants who successfully completed 

that course title within the reporting quarter. Within the training tracker, there are four possible training

statuses: (1) projected, (2) in progress, (3) delivery submitted, and (4) no delivery to submit. The projecte

status means that training is forthcoming; awardees can use this status to input all of their upcoming 
ON-DEMAND ONLINE CURRICULUM STANDARDS AND REVIEW

32

training. Once the training begins, the awardee can move the training to the in progress status, fill out

all of the evaluation data, and submit the training occurrence. The delivery submitted status means

that you have filled in all of the required sections and submitted a complete training occurrence. And no

delivery to submit means that for the specified quarter, you did not deliver any training

For all courses introduced on or after October 1, 2021, use the following formulation: For the “Course 

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Effectiveness” input, take the average of the scores for the following questions:

• Overall, the course met my needs and expectations

• Overall, the course is effective in meeting its outlined goals and objectives

• Overall, this course was a valuable use of my time

For all courses introduced before October 1, 2021, use the following formulation: For the “Course Effective

ness” input, take the average of the scores for the following questions:

• Overall, the course met my needs and expectations

• Overall, the course is effective in meeting its outlined goals and objectives

Please ensure you are not delinquent in submitting your quarterly training data. If you receive multiple

delinquency notices, your award status will be flagged as noncompliant and official action will be taken

Progress reports

Submit progress reports as outlined in your cooperative agreement. Progress reports should include

summaries of progress on award deliverables such as technical assistance provided to students, marketing 

efforts, and training data for each online course (if not hosted on the COPS Training Portal), as well as any 

concerns noted by students

The reporting system can be found via the agency portal, https://portal.cops.usdoj.g

Final summary report

For awardees hosting training on their own site, upon completion of the award, submit a final summary 

report to the COPS Office within 90 days of the end of the award that includes, at a minimum, all training 

data, all course materials and resources, copies of marketing material, and summaries of technical assis

tance provided. This final report is in addition to the final financial report and final programmatic progress

report required by all training and non-training awardees. Your program manager can supply an example

of a final training report if needed

IV . Biennial Review

At a minimum, the COPS Office will review each course on a biennial basis. This review is in addition to the

pilot of each course. The biennial review process is meant to ensure training remains current and to ide

tify and help maintain successes, as well as to identify areas for improvement. If revisions are suggested

based on the review, your program manager will outline the revision process
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V . Multiple Sponsorship

Some courses have more than one funding source or are fee-for-service. That is allowable; however,

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clear lines need to be drawn to distinguish which is which. All COPS Office–sponsored courses must

follow the requirements in the COPS Office curriculum process guide and be prominently promoted 

as COPS Office–sponsored courses following all of the rules and requirements of that sponsorship. All

non–COPS Office–sponsored courses should not be promoted as COPS Office courses. Do not report

non–COPS Office–sponsored courses in your training data reports to the COPS Office, and do not use 

the COPS Office logos

COPS Office courses are free for the field, so no fees should be associated with COPS Office courses

Keep your COPS Office program manager up to date on which is which to prevent confusion

The storyboards and functionality for COPS Office– and non-COPS Office–sponsored trainings might 

look the same, but the overarching difference is that the COPS Office cannot be stated to be a sponsor 

of the non-COPS Office-sponsored course deliveries

VI . Post–COPS Office–Funded Training

At the end of the award, the awardee must submit all COPS Office–funded online course materials 

developed for the awardee’s website to their program manager

The COPS Office reserves the right to deliver/offer training even after the funding source for the training 

is complete. The COPS Office reserves royalty-free, nonexclusive, and irrevocable license to reproduce,

publish, or otherwise use the training in part or in whole for Federal Government purposes and to autho

rize others to use the training. The full outline of the right to use is detailed in every cooperative agre

ment and can be found in the Code of Federal Regulations (2 CFR 200.315 (b)

The awardee also has the right to continue the use of the developed training after the end of the award

Under the legal guidelines for deliverables post-award, the COPS Office logo should not be associated 

with the training after award funding has ended. Online training should not state that it is a COPS Office

product but that, “This training was developed through funding from the COPS Office in [funding year] 

and is currently being delivered through [state organization/agency].

For pre-existing courses, please consult with your COPS Office program manager regarding the COPS 

Office’s right to reproduce, publish, or otherwise use the training for Federal Government purposes 

through the royalty-free, nonexclusive, and irrevocable license. There are some instances where this does

not apply: for example, a course that was developed without COPS Office funding and for which COPS 

Office paid only for course delivery
e081710845

Updated August 2023

US. Department of Justic

Office of Community Oriented Policing Services

145 N Street NE

Washington, DC 20530

To obtain details on COPS programs, call 

the COPS Office Response Center at 800-421-6770

Visit the COPS Office online at cops.usdoj.gov