2016 Annual Conference

Due to increasing demand for quality assurance in online courses, the Office of Academic Innovation at Towson University was tasked with developing and launching a system to ensure quality in online courses, and knew that QM would be the right place to start. Over two years, the team studied QM's Rubric and process and collaborated with faculty to develop the Gold Review system, a customized version of the original QM program.

Developing and implementing policies for the use of Quality Matters online course design standards and online course delivery standards in an online program area can be challenging and cumbersome. Additionally, it is important to have organized policies and procedures regarding course design and course delivery in place for oversight of fully online programs in order to compete in the education marketplace.

I have developed a six-step process for the development and implementation of a quality assurance plan in an online program area: 

 Implementing Quality Matters for your institution may initially seem like a clear and easy choice. If you're like us, you want to ensure the quality and continual improvement of your online and hybrid course offerings. You may have reviewed QM alternatives and considered feedback from faculty who have experience with other models. Now that you've chosen to pursue the implementation of QM at your institution, maybe you've realized that there's more to this implementation process than you initially thought.

The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) has become a leading source of financing of social and economical development in the Latin America and Caribbean (LAC) region. One special activity of the bank is its support to social and economic development in LAC through distance learning. The IDB has become a leader in professional development in LAC, capitalizing on the knowledge and experience of the Bank in the region.

Join two instructional designers from different states in a conversation about how to coach learners of all ages on the use of age-appropriate meta-cognition in highly interactive asynchronous discussion boards. Innovative "best practices" will be sought and incorporated into the conversation to facilitate real-time dialogue.

The purpose of this research was to assess large online course design based on the QM Higher Education Rubric Standards from a student perspective. Students were surveyed based on the Specific Standards within the Rubric. Students were asked to provide feedback on the Specific Standards by rating whether the Standard was not met, was met, or exceeded all expectations. The goal was to improve the course design and teaching within the course.

Have participants encountered challenges making sure assessments align with the stated learning objectives? Or have they been part of a review and didn't quite know how to provide a helpful recommendation about misalignment? Then let's "hang out" during this interactive session to discuss tips on ensuring alignment between learning objectives and assessments, share with the group recommendations and experiences in addressing misalignment, and leave with several new ideas and answers to take back to the workplace!

This presentation reports on an effort to dramatically increase the quality of online and hybrid courses through the coordinated implementation of a replacement LMS with components of instructional design and Quality Matters. In a cross-functional, team-based approach, the institution adapted and approved an instructional design model and process, a course development lifecycle and checklist, an LMS course development template, a formal formative evaluation stage, and a Quality Matters review.