Three Components of Quality Matters

CCS' Quality Matters subscription consists of three components. The QM rubric, professional development, and the facilitated course review process. 

The QM Rubric

The QM Higher Education Rubric was developed for use as a tool for designing online courses and to promote continuous improvement in online course development. The QM program doesn't evaluate how you teach a course. The focus of QM is described in their rubric. The QM Rubric's eight general standards and their intentions follow:

1. Course Overview and Introduction: ensures that students can easily understand how to begin a course, what the course is about, who the instructor is, and what the student and instructor can expect from each other.
2. Learning Objectives: outlines the purpose of the course; each objective must be written from a student perspective and summarize the skills that a successful student will demonstrate by the time the course completes.
3. Assessment and Measurement: ensures that assessments align with the learning objectives, the grading policy is clear, and students have a good understanding of how they will be evaluated. Are you assessing whether the students are meeting the learning objectives?
4. Instructional Materials: focuses on whether instructional materials provide an adequate resource for students to achieve the course learning objectives and considers whether materials are thoughtfully selected, current, and demonstrate multiple perspectives.
5. Course Activities and Learner Interaction: seeks to verify whether activities and interactions further the attainment of the learning objectives based on the interactions with content, the instructor, and other students.
6. Course Technology: ensures that course technologies are used to achieve learning objectives in an optimal way.
7. Learner Support: focuses on information about or links to the university's academic policies and services and student support services, and how students can access such policies and services.
8. Accessibility and Usability: looks for documentation of course material accessibility as well as that of other course tools and activities, to ensure they are accessible to all students. If students need accommodations when using course materials, instructions for obtaining accommodations should be provided.

 

Professional Development

Internal CCS Resources

eLearning offers internal support for your QM goals. Whether you are interested in a full course review, support with implementing items from the rubric, or a focused review that looks at one specific aspect of the QM training, such as clear navigation, instructor presence, or accessibility, we are here to assist you. Both instructional designers have gone through QM training and have experience with course development and alignment. 

SBCTC QM Workshops

SBCTC eLearning & Open Education will pay the tuition (a value of $150-$200) for first-time WA-CTC participants registered in the system facilitated Quality Matters workshops listed below. System workshops are taught by QM certified facilitators from our own colleges and participants interact with peers from across Washington state.

  • Applying the QM Rubric (APPQMR)
    Learn the underlying principles behind the QM Rubric, the concept of alignment, and the critical elements of the QM quality assurance process. Learn about drafting helpful recommendations as you apply the Rubric to an actual course.
  • Improving your Online Course (IYOC)
    The “Improving Your Online Course” workshop explores the QM Rubric and provides a framework to improve the quality of online courses. Participants use the QM Rubric to review their own online courses and develop a course improvement plan.

    Sign up for a SBCTC system facilitated workshop (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.

National QM Workshops

SBCTC will pay the tuition (a value of $150-$300) for first-time WA-CTC participants registered in the nationally facilitated Quality Matters workshops listed below. The national workshops are taught by certified QM facilitators from across the U.S. and participants interact with peers throughout the country.

If you are interested in registering for any of the nationally facilitated courses, email CCS eLearning Director, Patrick McEachern.

 

Course Review Process

CCS' eLearning office offers internal reviews for those who teach an online course. These internal reviews can be tweaked to meet your specific needs. QM also offers external reviews that consist of subject matter experts and master reviewers. eLearning doesn't have the budget to pay for these reviews, but if you wish to learn more about the process read QM's page on the review process Links to an external site.. 

With our internal review, you have the ability to target specific aspects of the QM rubric, do a complete review, and have the help of your instructional designers to implement any changes that are suggested. Remember, this is a confidential and non-evaluative process that is designed to help faculty meet their academic goals. 

 

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