2011-2013 Quality Matter's Rubric Update

In this month-long blogger series, Allison Peterson, Instructional Designer III, continues to cover TWU's Quality Matters program process.

Last week I introduced Quality Matters (QM) to those who may not have heard about it, or have heard, but did not really know what it is. This week, I want to reach out to those of you who are already QM savvy. In August of this year, QM released the 2011-2013 Edition of their Higher Education Rubric. While the general standards remain largely unchanged, the importance of some of the specific standards has changed along with some of the wording, language and annotations. Some of the most significant changes include moving from 17 to 21 essential 3 point standards, having 41 specific standard totally 95 points and needing a minimum of 81 points to meet expectations.

The best way to learn about the changes to the rubric is to sign up for a free Rubric Update session offered by QM. The online workshop is completely self-paced and asynchronous. QM advises that completing the workshop will take about 1 hour. If you are a QM Peer Reviewer, you are required to complete the update by December 31, in order to remain eligible to act as a Peer Reviewer. To register for the update, go to MyQM http://www.qmprogram.org/myQM/ and login. If you have participated in TWU’s Applying the QM Rubric Workshop, were part of the initial QM Pilot Project, or have had a course officially reviewed, you will have a MyQM account. Your username will be your TWU email address, you@twu.edu, your password is assigned by QM. If you do not know or remember your MyQM password, use the Find MyQM Password link on the left-hand side of the login page.

Happy Updating!

Quality Matters at TWU

Guest Blogger: Allison Peterson, MLS, Instructional Designer III - Denton Campus

So, you might be saying to yourself, “of course quality matters at TWU!” Texas Woman’s University has a long history of providing a quality education for its students. It is because of this tradition that the Office of Distance Education sought out a nationally recognized program to showcase and improve the quality of online and blended course design. At its heart, Quality Matters (QM), is a faculty-centered, peer review process designed to certify the quality of these courses.

QM began life as a FIPSE grant. You may read more about its origins at the QM website; http://www.qmprogram.org/ . Today, QM is a self-supporting organization, run on a subscriptions and fee-for-service model. TWU has been a subscribing member since March 2007. Through our subscription, we get access to QM materials and discounts on QM trainings and course reviews. To date, we have had 12 courses nationally recognized for meeting expectations of the QM rubric and process. You may find a list of these courses both on the QM website and our own TWU QM webpage; http://www.twu.edu/de/quality-matters.

Quality Matters is a voluntary program at TWU. All of the Distance Education Instructional Design team has been trained in the use of the QM rubric and regularly uses it as a basis for conversations on good online/blended course design. We like QM because it is centered on course design, not delivery. It is all about making your course easier for students to navigate and succeed in the tasks you set for them.

The first step to learning more about Quality Matters at TWU, is participating in the Applying the QM Rubric (APP) workshop. The APP is a two-week workshop, currently offered asynchronously online. It introduces participants to the Quality Matters program, process and rubric. Watch your email for registration information about upcoming workshops!