I have been working as a content developer at DePaul for nearly 5 years. In these 5 years, I have heard rumblings about Quality Matters and Quality Matters Reviews, but never really understood what “QM’ing” a course really meant. When asked what I would like to focus on for professional development, becoming a certified peer reviewer was the first thing that popped in my head. I have quality assured many courses and wondered, “how much different is that from doing a quality matters review?” I was in for an awakening.
The first step in becoming a certified reviewer is to take the Applying the QM Rubric course. This course focuses on the quality matters rubric, which is the main tool used during course reviews. Before taking this course, I did not realize the magnitude of this rubric. It is a fairly large document with many rules and guidelines that courses need to meet in order to be considered a QM certified course. As a content developer, I usually focus on building only certain parts of a course. I don’t always get the chance to sit back and see the big picture and what steps were taken before the content is ready to be built. I don’t always get the chance to see the designing steps of the course. The QM process specifically focuses on the design and whether or not the instructor has implemented is enough for students to successfully achieve the objectives of the course.
The great thing about this course is that it trains you to really observe a course and look at every detail to make sure the information provided is adherent to the QM rubric. This training is not just useful for people who want to become peer reviewers, but also any instructor who wants to teach online. Since the course allows you to view your course through the eyes of a student, you start to pay attention to things that might not be clear enough or cause problems for students when they actually take course. I recommend this course to anyone who is considering going the online teaching route and for anyone who wants to improve the way they design their course.
To apply or to get more information about the QM program, follow the link provided below.
https://www.qualitymatters.org/
Lori,
I have completed the Applying QM Rubric course as well as the Peer Reviewer course successfully. It was intensive to say the least, but well worth it. I found, as you did, that now I am able to really look at the design of a course and review it. The Quality Matters Rubric can seem intimidating, but once you start reviewing courses, remembering the standards becomes easier. I would recommend QM to anyone who is teaching and online course.