Quality Matters: Peer Review of Online Courses

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Implementing the Quality Matters Model to Improve
Online Coursesed bowen, Executive Dean Distance
Learning, Dallas TeleCollege
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Master Online Teacher Competencies Vrgil E.
Varvel Jr.University of Illinois

• Administrative Roles (Systems, Ethical and
  Legal Issues)
• Personal Roles (Personal Qualities and
  Characteristics)
• Technological Roles (Technology Knowledge and
  Abilities)
• Instructional Design Roles (Instructional
  Design Processes, Knowledge, and Abilities)
• Pedagogical Roles (Teaching Processes,
  Knowledge, and Abilities)
• Assessment Roles (Assessing Student Learning
  and Abilities)
• Social Processes and Presence (Social Roles)

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Warming Up

• Who are we?
• What are your expectations?
• Do we agree . . . .

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• Goals for Our Session
• Examine the environment
• Describe essential components
• Apply the QM standards
• Look at adoption strategies

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What has been the Impact of DL at your
institution?
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What has been your Institutions response?
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What is quality?
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Components of the Online Environment
Assessment Access Points
Quality Matters
LMS
ONLINE ENVIRONMENT
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What are the components of QM?
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Quality Matters Peer Course Review Process
Faculty Course Developers
Institutions
National Standards Research Literature
Course
Rubric
Faculty Reviewers
Training
Peer Course Review
Feedback
Blueprint for improvement
Instructional Designers
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Your Point of View as a QM Peer Course Reviewer

• Take the students point of view
• Advocate for the student
• If you cant find evidence that the standard is
  met, dont assume it is or isnt there.. ask the
  faculty member.

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Within Your Group

• What does it mean to take the students point of
  view?
• Is this possible?
• Are there times when this might not be the best
  strategy?

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For Our Purposes, Quality Is
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• More than average more than good enough
• An attempt to capture whats expected in an
  effective online course at about an 85 level
• Based on research and widely accepted standards

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The Rubric

• Eight general standards
• Course Overview and Introduction
• Learning Objectives
• Assessment and Measurement
• Resources and Materials
• Learner Interaction
• Course Technology
• Learner Support
• Accessibility

Key components must align.
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What is Alignment?

• Critical course elements work together to ensure
  that students achieve the desired learning
  outcomes.

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Key Standards That Must Align

• Objectives
• Standard II.1 Measurable outcomes
• Standard II.2 Content mastery, critical
  thinking, learning skills addressed.
• Assessment and Measurement
• Standard III.1 Measures objectives consistent
  with learning activities
• Learner Interactions and Activities
• Standard V.1 Help students achieve the
  objectives
• Course Materials
• Standard IV.1 Deep and comprehensive enough for
  students to achieve the objective
• Course Technology
• Standard VI.1 Tools and media support the
  objectives

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General Standard ICourse Overview and
Introduction

• 1.1 Navigational instructions make the
• organization of the course easy to
• understand.
• 1.2 A statement introduces the student to the
• course and to the structure of the student
• learning, and, in the case of a hybrid
• course, clarifies the relationship between
• the face-to-face and online components.

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General Standard IILearning Objectives
(Competencies)

• II.I The course learning objectives
• describe outcomes that are
• measurable.
• II.2 The module/unit learning objectives
• describe outcomes that are measurable and
  consistent with the
• course-level objectives.

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General Standard III Assessment and Measurement

• III.1 The types of assessments selected
• measure the stated learning objectives
• and are consistent with course activities
• and resources.
• III.2 The course grading policy is stated
  clearly.
• III.3 Specific and descriptive criteria are
• provided for the evaluation of students
• work and participation.

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General Standard IV Resources and Materials

• IV.I The instructional materials support
• the stated learning objectives.
• IV.2 The instructional materials have
• sufficient breadth, depth,
• currency for the student to learn the
• subject.

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General Standard VLearner Interaction

• V.1 The learning activities promote the
• achievement of stated learning objectives.
• V.2 Learning activities foster
• instructor-student, content-student, and if
  appropriate to this course, student-student
• interaction.
• V.3 Clear standards are set for instructor
  response and availability (turn-around time
  for email, grade posting, etc.)

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General Standard VICourse Technology

• VI.I The tools and media support the
• learning objectives and are
• appropriately chosen to deliver the
• content of the course.

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General Standard VII Learner Support

• No 3-point elementsThis standard has no
  essential 3-point elements because its
  primarily concerned with academic support
  services, student support services and technical
  support services.usually thought to be the
  primary responsibility of the institution and not
  the individual instructor.

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General Standard VIIIAccessibility

• VIII.1 The course acknowledges the importance of
• ADA requirements.
• To meet this standard, the course must include
  BOTH
• of these elements
• The course must be offered using software that is
  accepted as ADA compliant..
• AND
• The course should include a brief statement that
  clearly tells students how to access ADA services
  at the institution.

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Adoption Strategies
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Whats In It For Institutions

• External validation
• Strengthen accreditation package
• Raise QA as a priority activity
• Access to a sustainable, replicable, scalable QA
  process
• Inform online course training practices
• Provide professional development activities

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Whats In It For Faculty

• Improve online courses
• External quality assurance
• Expand professional community
• Review other courses and gain new ideas for own
  course
• Participation useful for professional development
  plan and portfolio
• Receive 150 for each completed peer course review

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How could you use QM?
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Where are some of the decision points?
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Range of Implementation Options
Formal QM Peer Review
Internal QM Peer Review
Internal Review
Dean Review
Colleague Review
Cost
Self Administered
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Multiple Uses of QM

• Guidelines for initial online course development
• Quality assurance of existing courses
• Ongoing faculty professional development
• Institutional reaccredidation packages
• Formation of distance learning policies
  steering committees