Quality Matters | Waubonsee Community College

About Quality Matters

Quality Matters (QM) began as a consortium of higher ed institutions, mostly community colleges, in Maryland called MarylandOnline. Certificates and degrees were offered online, and courses were shared through a program not unlike the Internet Course Exchange (ICE). However, uncertainty about the quality of peer institutions was an immediate obstacle, ultimately overcome through the creation of common design standards funded by a FIPSE grant in 2003.

Quality Matters is focused on course design rather than course delivery or performance and features:

A set of standards for online/blended course design
A faculty-centered peer review process for courses with an online component
A tool for instructional designers to work with faculty
A professional development opportunity for faculty and staff

Today, many states have their own QM consortium; the Ohio Quality Matters Consortium has even innovated a bartering system for course reviews.

Quality Matters Rubric

Quality Matters 7th Edition Rubric Logo

The Quality Matters rubric is supported by current research literature. It is reviewed and updated every 2-3 years. "The rubric for the rubric" has been part of the process since the beginning. The underlying principles about continuous improvement are not limited to courses being reviewed; it also has a significant impact on faculty development as well.

The QM Higher Ed Rubric is focused on holistic course design and the use of technology to support quality instruction and promote student learning. Currently, the rubric is in its 7th edition (2023), and consists of eight key areas. While it might appear like a checklist, the rubric has an intrinsic connection between Specific Review Standards called Alignment that individuals unfamiliar with QM often overlook. This basic internal structure ensures critical course components work together to build effective online course.

Applying the QM Rubric

Course Reviews rely on a community of collegial and collaborative coordinators, facilitators, and peer reviewers.

Peer reviews are the most common way to be involved with QM. Reviewers are typically compensated for completing each review. Reviewing online courses (often from other colleges and universities) allows you to gain insight into your own practice and walk away with new ideas. Participating in peer reviews is a low-stakes activity that leads to continuous improvement.

Peer reviews are a safe space for sharing resources and leading by example. They promote a self-reflective cycle of growth. To understand what the review process entails, you are encouraged to attend the Applying the QM Rubric (APPQMR) workshop (please see the registration instructions below), which is the pre-requisite for the Peer Reviewer Course (PRC) that is required to become an official QM Peer Reviewer.

Even if you do not plan to become an official QM reviewer, APPQMR provides the foundational concepts of Specific Review Standards (SRSs) that are grounded in the research literature and best practice. The implementation of any SRS directly helps improve student learning. QM also has a variety of workshops that focus on different areas beyond the QM rubric. Your courses may already meet the expectations to be QM-certified!

Applying the QM Rubric Course (APPQMR) - Online Option

You can register yourself for the independent APPQMR session at no cost. This option is facilitated directly through QM, with courses beginning every week.

Delivery Options include 2-week long Asynchronous Online course OR a Synchronous Online courses offered as one full day or 2 half days.

It is important that you follow the instructions when registering, particularly your email address and the workshop you choose.

Seats are limited, and registration is on a first-come, first-served basis. Before you decide to register for the workshop, please check the syllabus to make sure that it works with your schedule. If you need any assistance, please contact Faculty Development and Engagement at FacultyDAE@waubonsee.edu.

APPQMR Online Course - Registration Instructions

Follow the instructions below to register yourself for an online session in MyQM.

Open an Internet browser (Chrome, Firefox, or Safari).
Enter https://www.qmprogram.org/myqm into the address bar.
Enter your MyQM email address and password. If you do not already have a MyQM account, follow the steps below to create one:
1. Select “No, I am new here.”
2. Select the Sign In button.
3. Enter your @waubonsee.edu email address, first name, last name, and institution/organization.
4. Enter your desired password.
5. Enter your desired password again to confirm.
6. Select your preference for receiving QM emails.
7. Enter GETACCT into the verification box.
8. Select the Create Account button.
  1. If prompted, select your institution from the list provided.
  2. Select the Create Account button.
9. You will receive a confirmation email from technology@qualitymatters.org with the subject line “Quality Matters – MyQM – New Account Created” at the email address you used to create your MyQM account (check your spam folder if you do not see this email in your inbox).
Select the Sign In button.
If prompted, accept the Terms of Use and select your preferred program.
Select the “Workshop – Register” menu.
Select the Dedicated Training link.
Select the Register link for the session for which you wish to register. If the session you are looking for does not appear in the list, you may need to select a different program using the “Select Program” menu on the right-hand side of the page or the program tabs at the top of the page.
Select the Submit Training Registration button.
Select the Cancellation/Refund Policy link and read the policy. This policy applies to the maximum capacity of each workshop. If the cancellation happens earlier, a colleague could use the seat.
Select the check box and the Continue button to indicate you have read and agree to the Cancellation/Refund Policy.
A confirmation message will appear indicating you have successfully registered for the session. You will also receive an email confirmation.

Applying the QM Rubric Course (APPQMR) - Waubonsee Cohort Option

On occasion, Waubonsee will facilitate an entire cohort for the Applying the QM Rubric (APPQMR) course. This is a unique opportunity to learn about Quality Matters alongside your colleagues.

Please contact Waubonsee's Quality Matters Coordinator (QMC) and Course Review Manager (CRM) Jen Howard, with questions and to register for the next Waubonsee Cohort Course!

Quality Matters Rock Stars 🌟

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What is Quality Matters?

Quality Matters (QM) is an inter-institutional quality assurance organization. As a non-profit organization, they offer an internationally recognized faculty-driven Online Course Peer Review program founded on 4 underlying principles (or 4 C's):

Continuous (improvement)
(Student-) Centered
Collegial
Collaborative

The QM Higher Ed (HE) rubric emerged from research and instructional design principles for best practice. The rubric focuses on course design in courses that have an asynchronous online component.

Identical to Waubonsee's Online Course Peer Review in 2017-2020, QM applies only to Online (asynchronous) courses (.920-.929), hybrid courses (.950-.959), and Flex courses (.970-.979).

Note that like Face-to-Face courses, Emergency Remote Teaching and Sync Online is not a suitable candidate for QM certification.

Design vs Delivery

QM focuses on the design of a course.

Design:

QM defines course design as the forethought and careful planning faculty put into a course.

Delivery:

This is the actual teaching of the course and the implementation of the design.

Example: What is design? It is the planning of a discussion board. Students are told when they should participate and how often they can expect the faculty to participate. What is delivery? It is how often faculty participate and what is being said to students.

QM suggests that reviewers take students' point of view to look for evidence that the rubric standard is met and not assume it is or isn't there.

What is in the QM Higher Ed Rubric?

The Higher Education rubric includes 44 Specific Review Standards (SRSs) divided in 8 categories:

Course Overview and Introduction
Learning Outcomes
Assessment and Measurement
Instructional Materials
Learning Activities and Learner Interaction
Course Technology
Learner Support
Accessibility and Usability

The rubric addresses three fundamental questions:

What do I want my students to learn?
- Learning Outcomes
How do I know my students learn?
- Assessment and Measurement
What do I do to help my students learn and succeed?
- Course Overview and Introduction (Day 1 in the classroom)
- Instructional Materials
- Learning Activities and Learner Interaction
- Course Technology
- Learner Support (Relevant Institutional Resources)
- Accessibility and Usability (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusiveness)

What is Alignment?

Alignment is how course components work together to ensure students learn what you want them to learn.

QM defines alignment as "critical course elements working together to ensure that students achieve the desired learning outcomes". This is a reason why well-written outcomes are so important.

With a clear goal, it is easy to see if the course framework (content, assignments, and assessment) lead to what we say students should be able to do.

What is the Certification Mark?

Once a course is officially QM-certified, QM provides Certification Mark, a digital image, for you and Waubonsee to embed in different web platforms, including the .edu site and Canvas. Each image is specific to a course and is not transferable.

The Certification Mark indicates that the course went through the QM Review process and successfully met the Review Standards. The image cannot be altered, however, a Widget Maker allows you to adjust the size and background color before displaying it.

How can I learn more about having a course QM certified?

Quality Matters recommends that a course is run at least twice before being reviewed using the Quality Matters Higher Education rubric.

Please note that internal reviews at Waubonsee using the QM HE rubric do not result in QM Certification. You can learn more about the HE Specific Review Standards by attending the Introduction to QM or APPQMR workshops.

Both during and after the workshops, you can use the QM Self-Review tool on MyQM Portal to evaluate your own course. The Self-Review is totally confidential. Please contact Jen Howard, Waubonsee's Quality Matters Coordinator (QMC) and Course Review Manager (CRM) with any questions you may have regarding QM standards or for assistance with course designing.

Who manages the review process?

How are the Specific Review Standards (SRSs) evaluated?

QM review standards have a quality goal of 85% or better.

For example: If there are 15 course outcomes and a reviewer believes 13/15 are measurable: For SRS 2.1, the reviewer will likely consider it "Met".

However, if another reviewer believes only 12/15 course outcomes are measurable, then the reviewer would consider SRS 2.1 "Not Met".

That is why QM requires a Review Team to have 3 Reviewers: Majority Rules. The point(s) awarded for each SRS is all-or-nothing.

Number of Reviewers	SRS "Met"	SRS "Not Met"	Point(s) Awarded
3	3	0	Yes
3	2	1	Yes
3	1	2	No

How do I become a QM Certified Peer Reviewer?

QM Peer Reviewers are not unique to Waubonsee and are able to review courses for other colleges and universities.

QM Peer Reviewers are considered private consultants and must have a clear understanding of the QM rubric. To be a QM Peer Reviewer, you must complete both the Applying the QM Rubric (APPQMR) workshop, the Peer Review Course (PRC), and submit an application. In addition, you need to be the instructor of record for an Online (asynchronous) course within the last 18 months.

The APPQMR workshop is the pre-requisit of the PRC. After the completion of the PRC, if you are eligible, you must complete the QM Role Application on MyQM portal to be listed as a Peer Reviewer on the QM website.

To be a Waubonsee Reviewer, you need to be a current Waubonsee instructor faculty and have completed the APPQMR workshop.

Emergency Remote Teaching and Sync Online is not considered an Online (asynchronous) teaching experience.

For additional questions or for more information on QM or Course Review, please contact Jen Howard, Instructional Designer/Technologist through the Office of Faculty Development and Engagement.