Using the Quality Matters Rubric and Aligning your

Using the Quality Matters Rubric and Aligning your Online Course Ryan Orr Columbia Basin College March 31 st, 2020

Presentation Outline • Background • The Quality Matters Rubric • How You Can Obtain a Rubric and/or Training • Alignment in Online Courses

Background (About Me) • Began teaching Statistics in 2010, Developmental Math in 2013 • Taught 1 st Online Course in 2015 • Took the “Improving Your Online Course” (IYOC) training coordinated through the SBCTC in Summer 2018 • IYOC delivered from the Quality Matters (QM) organization

What is Quality Matters? • Third Party quality assurance organization for online education. • (QM Mission) Promote and improve the quality of online education and student learning nationally and internationally through: • Development of current, research-supported, and practice-based quality standards and appropriate evaluation tools and procedures. • Recognition of expertise in online education quality assurance and evaluation. • Fostering a culture of continuous improvement by integrating QM Standards and processes into organizational plans to improve the quality of online education. • Providing professional development in the use of rubrics, tools and practices to improve the quality of online education. • Peer review and certification of quality in online education.

The Quality Matters Rubric • Set of rubrics addressing several aspects of online course design. • Split into 8 general categories: • • Course Overview and Introduction Learning Objectives Assessment and Measurement Instructional Materials Learning Activities and Learner Interaction Course Technology Learner Support Accessibility & Usibility • Find the outline HERE

Applying the Quality Matters Rubric • The Improving Your Online Course (IYOC) through SBCTC focuses on the “essential” Specific Review Standards. • “Essential” = Worth 3 Pts in the QM Review Process • Within each Specific Review Standard, the rubric provides action items and examples of ways to meet the QM standard

Obtain a QM Rubric and/or Training and Begin Improving Your Online Course! • Talk to Jerry Lewis • Consider taking the IYOC workshop offered by SBCTC. • Get a copy of the QM Rubric, and use it as a starting point to updating your online course. • Feel free to ask me (Ryan) questions any time! • Don’t feel like you have to do it all at once!!!

Alignment • What is alignment? My (unofficial) definition: Learning materials, activities, technology, and assessments should all point learners to the same Learning Objectives/Course Outcomes.

Alignment in an Online Course • When using multiple resources, you may not be as “aligned” as you think! • Online, you don’t have the same opportunities to bridge the gap between resources. • Navigating an online course, in and of itself, will be a challenge for some students. • In an online course, alignment matters more than ever!

Tips for Aligning Your Online Course • Start from the course outcomes and learning objectives. • Evaluate your assessments and activities; are they actually measuring the learning objectives? Less? More? • Evaluate each resource your considering individually. • Does it get students closer to being successful on the assessments?

Tips for Aligning Your Course • Are there ways in which your typical lectures/notes/assessments differ from the course resources (textbooks, online homework, etc. )? • Sometimes in an online course LESS is MORE! • You may have a resource you love, but does it point students towards the learning objectives of the course without significant facilitation? Can on online discussion accomplish this?

What My Online Students Appreciate • Recorded lectures. • Practice directly associated with lecture content. • Solutions/example work so students understand my expectations. • Practice assessments that reflect the content/rigor of the actual assessments. • Alignment between learning materials and assessments. • Flexibility & Understanding.

Questions? Feedback?