Quality Matters
Quality Matters Standards is endorsed by the Online Best Practices Advisory Team in our online and blended course development and teaching practices. This involves a faculty-centered, peer review process designed to endorse the quality of online and blended courses.
Online learning presents multiple opportunities and challenges not applicable to a face to face “traditional” classroom setting. These opportunities and challenges can offer many advantages to our students, however, because teaching online and blended courses requires an adaptation of teaching techniques to suit the online and blended environment, faculty must be well versed in best practices and online pedagogy.
Therefore, the Online Best Practices Advisory Team has endorsed the use of the Quality Matters Standards in our online and blended course development and teaching practices. This involves a faculty-centered, peer review process designed to endorse the quality of online and blended courses. Sponsored by MarylandOnline, Inc, the Quality Matters Program has generated widespread interest and received national recognition for its peer-based approach to quality assurance and continuous improvement in online education. This process is not intended to evaluate course content; determining appropriate course content is the ultimate responsibility of the instructor and the department.
What Is Quality Matters?
“A national benchmark for online course design.”
Primary objective: Quality assurance and continuous improvement of online and hybrid courses.
Quality Matters is a faculty driven process that is:
• Collaborative
• Collegial
• Continuous
• Centered- in academic foundation around student learning
What Quality Matters is NOT
Not about an individual instructor
(It’s about course design)
Not about faculty evaluation
(It’s about course quality)
Not about a win/lose or pass/fail test
(It’s a diagnostic tool to facilitate continuous improvement of online/hybrid courses)
Principles of Quality Matters
• Based in national standards of best practices, the research literature and instructional design principles
• The course under review does not have to be “perfect” but better than just “good enough” (Standards met at about 85% level or better)
• Integral to a continuous quality improvement process
• Valued as part of a faculty-driven, peer review process
• Designed to promote student learning
• Designed to ensure all reviewed courses will eventually meet expectations
• QM is a collegial review process, not an evaluation process
• Setup so that the course faculty or instructor is considered part of the review team
The Quality Matters Program Mission
To promote and improve the quality of online education and student learning through (from http://www.qmprogram.org/our-mission):
• Development of research-supported, best practice-based quality standards and appropriate evaluation tools and procedures.
• Recognition as experts in online education quality assurance and evaluation.
• Fostering institutional acceptance and integration of QM standards and processes into organizational improvement efforts focused on improving the quality of online education.
• Provision of faculty development training in the use of QM rubric(s) and other quality practices to improve the quality of online/hybrid courses.
• Provision of quality assurance through the recognition of quality in online education.
What are the implications for teaching & learning?
The principles and standards embodied in the Quality Matters rubric and process are based on research that indicates that certain elements of course design, if implemented correctly, will have the following effect on teaching and learning.
• Improvement in student learning outcomes and student retention in online courses
• Integration of new technologies using sound online instructional design principles and research-based best practices
• Efficiency in use of instructional resources
• Continuous improvement in online and hybrid courses and ongoing faculty development
Quality Matters Rubric
The Quality Matters Rubric is a set of 8 general standards and 41 specific standards used to evaluate the design of online and blended courses. The Rubric is complete with annotations that explain the application of the standards and the relationship among them. A scoring system and set of online tools facilitate the evaluation by a team of reviewers.
The eight general standards include:
• Course Overview and Introduction
• Learning Objectives (Competencies)
• Assessment and Measurement
• Instructional Materials
• Learner Interaction and Engagement
• Course Technology
• Learner Support
• Accessibility
For more information on Quality Matters, go to www.qmprogram.org.