Introduction to Quality Matters ™ Inter-Institutional Quality Assurance in Online Learning © MarylandOnline, Inc., All rights reserved.

What is Quality Matters?

A set of standards (rubric) for the design of online and hybrid courses A peer review process (faculty to faculty) for reviewing and improving online and hybrid courses A faculty development tool used by instructional development staff Quality Matters is …

The Quality Matters Rubric

Factors Affecting Course Quality  Course design QM REVIEWS THIS  Course delivery (i.e. teaching, faculty performance)  Course content  Course management system  Institutional infrastructure  Faculty training and readiness  Student engagement and readiness

 Consisting of:  8 key areas (general standards) of course quality  40 specific review standards  Including 17 essential standards  and detailed annotations and examples of good practice for all 40 standards The Rubric is the Core of QM

 The 8 general standards: 1. Course Overview and Introduction 2. Learning Objectives 3. Assessment and Measurement 4. Resources and Materials 5. Learner Interaction 6. Course Technology 7. Learner Support 8. Accessibility The Rubric is the Core of QM Key components must align. }

 A statement introduces the student to the course and the structure of the student learning  Instructions make the organization of the course easy to understand  Learning activities foster interaction:  instructor-student  content-student  student-student (if appropriate)  Clear standards are set for instructor response and availability Some Essential Standards

 Learning Objectives describe measurable outcomes  Module/unit learning objectives describe outcomes that are measurable and consistent with course learning objectives  Instructional materials contribute to the achievement of the learning objectives  Course assessments measure the achievement of the learning objectives Standards that Relate to Alignment

Quality Matters Principles

 Improves online/hybrid course quality  Stimulates a campus dialog among faculty and instructional development staff on best practices in online instruction  Helps build a campus culture dedicated to the continuous improvement of online learning  Helps persuade internal and external stakeholders that the quality of online and hybrid offerings is a major institutional priority Principal Value of Quality Matters

 The QM toolset and process are: 1. a faculty-driven, peer review process, and 2. a collaborative process among faculty peers 3. committed to continuous quality improvement 4. based in national standards of best practice, the research literature and instructional design principles, and 5. designed to promote student learning  Courses do not have to be “perfect” but QM aims at better than just “good enough.” Underlying Principles

 Not about an individual instructor (it’s about the design of a specific course)  Not about faculty evaluation (it’s about the quality and effectiveness of a course)  Not a win/lose or pass/fail test (it’s a diagnostic process to facilitate continuous improvement of online/hybrid courses) What the QM Process is Not

 Internal course review/improvement processes  Component in online/hybrid quality assurance programs  Guidelines for online course development  Checklist for improvement of existing online courses  Component of faculty development/training programs  Basis for institutional distance learning policies  An element in regional and professional accreditation Expanded Uses of the Quality Matters Rubric

 Overview Sessions for campus leaders and/or faculty and staff  Applying the QM Rubric (APPQMR)  Individual vs. Group Training  Online or on-site  Online Peer Reviewer Certification  Other Workshops  Building Your Online/Hybrid Course (BYOC)  Improving Your Online/Hybrid Course (IYOC)  Specialized workshops Building an Effective Course Introduction Developing Measurable Course Objectives Implementing Accessibility Tools Training Options

Quality Matters Organization

 Statewide non-profit consortium dedicated to support of distance learning in Maryland  Partners: 14 community colleges, 5 senior institutions  Goals 1. Provide statewide leadership in distance education 2. Maintain a Web gateway for online higher education in Maryland 3. Collaborate on Faculty training 4. Facilitate online course and program sharing  Goals 3 and 4 led to the creation of Quality Matters Quality Matters Was Launched by MarylandOnline

 In 2003, MOL sought funding for a project to…  Develop a rubric for online course design, and  A peer review process to apply these standards  In a manner that was replicable and scalable  Grantor: FIPSE (The Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education)  Title: “Inter-Institutional Quality Assurance in Online Learning”  Grant period: 3 Years: 9/03 – 8/06  Award: $509,177 FIPSE Funds the Quality Matters Project

 Collaborate among 19 MarylandOnline schools to develop and test standards  Engage limited involvement of non-MOL institutions  Make presentations on QM progress at regional and national conferences  Develop a sustainable quality assurance process in Maryland  Create a replicable process for institutions and consortia beyond Maryland Original Scope of the Project

 Early presentations generated widespread interest  MarylandOnline began to receive recognition for QM  WCET Outstanding Work (WOW) Award, 2005  USDLA 21 st Century Best Practice Award, 2005  Maryland Distance Learning Association (MDLA) Best Program Award,  The Sloan Consortium online workshops introduced hundreds of faculty members and staff to QM.  Peer reviewer training spread far beyond Maryland:  700+ faculty trained to review online courses using the rubric  individuals from 158 different institutions in 28 states Success of the FIPSE Grant

 Grant ended in August 2006  MOL decided to continue Quality Matters as a self- supporting activity in order to …  Maintain the integrity of the rubric & process  Guarantee QM’s availability to MOL schools  Continue momentum of nationwide adoption  Participate in the further evolution and enhancement of online education standards  Today, Quality Matters is non-profit subscription service with rapidly growing participation Quality Matters as Non-Profit Subsidiary of MOL

 More than 250 colleges and universities subscribe to Quality Matters  Including 12 statewide groups of institutions  More than 4,000 faculty and staff have been trained  QM continues to earn national recognition for…  Outstanding Contributions to Faculty Development (Sloan Consortium, 2007)  Leadership in Distance Learning (U. S. Distance Learning Association, 2008) Results After 2 Years of Self- Support Operation

MONTANA WYOMING IDAHO WASHINGTON OREGON NEVADA UTAH CALIFORNIA ARIZONA NORTH DAKOTA SOUTH DAKOTA NEBRASKA COLORADO NEW MEXICO TEXAS OKLAHOMA KANSAS ARKANSAS LOUISIANA MISSOURI IOWA MINNESOTA WISCONSIN ILLINOIS INDIANA KENTUCKY TENNESSEE MISS ALABAMA GEORGIA FLORIDA SOUTH CAROLINA NORTH CAROLINA VIRGINIA WV OHIO MICHIGAN NEW YORK PENN MARYLAND DELAWARE NEW JERSEY CONN RI MASS MAINE VT NH ALASKA HAWAII PUERTO RICO VIRGIN ISLANDS Some Subscribers in State Statewide Subscribers 7/1/2008 Quality Matters: An Emerging National Standard

 Visit the Quality Matters Website:   Or Contact  Ron Legon, Executive Director Tel:  Deb Adair, Director Tel: For More Information