Quality Matters: InterInstitutional Quality Assurance in Online Learning

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Quality Matters Inter-Institutional Quality
Assurance in Online Learning

• A Grant Initiative of MarylandOnline
• Sponsored by the U.S. Dept. Education Fund for
  the Improvement of Postsecondary Education
  (FIPSE)

NUTN Panel Presentation June 1, 2006
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Quality Matters Inter-Institutional Quality
Assurance in Online Learning
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Scope of QM Project (June 2006)

• gt130 institutions in 27 states involved
• 111 Courses Reviewed from 28 HEIs
• 18 in MD
• 10 outside of MD
• 570 Peer Reviewers trained 128 HEIs/orgs.
• 40 QM Trainers from 27 HEIs
• 12 research projects to assess impact

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QM Peer Review Process as an Input

• Purpose quality improvement, not judgment
• Focus course design
• QM rubric is key element of process
• QM rubric is being adapted in variety of ways
• Course review, design, development
• Faculty training and development
• Quality benchmarking (institutionally
  identifying areas of needed improvement)
• Strategic planning tool
• Awareness/interest/support raising)
• QM process is more important than the rubric
• Peer review faculty-centered process

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Quality Matters Course Peer Review Process

• Institutions
• CAOs
• ARs

Faculty Course Developers
National Standards Research Literature
Course
Rubric
Faculty Reviewers
Training
Peer Course Review
Feedback
Instructional Designers
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The Importance of a Faculty-Centered Process

• PRT decisionmaking is more important than more
  detailed idiotproof rubric
• Faculty (PRT, instructors, instructional
  designers) see this as excellent faculty
  development opportunity
• PRTs firm and fair
• Reduces potential for abuse

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QM Research Projects Measuring the Impact of
Inputs

• Student Impact
• Applying rubric elements to hybrids (AACC)
• Impact on student learning outcomes (SUNY-Canton)
• Action research redesign (Frederick CC)
• Design issues student achievement (CSM)
• Learning activities course completion (NVCC)
• Effect of course review on student evals (PGCC)
• Other research projects
• QM Model adoption (MN Online)
• Reliability studies (MOL)
• Faculty survey (UMUC)
• VENDRIC (Harford CC/PGCC)

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Other Examples of QA Efforts

• Michigan Community College Virtual Learning
  Collaboratives Online Course Development
  Guidelines and Rubric
• CSU-Chicos Committee for Evaluation of Exemplary
  Online Courses, Rubric for Online Instruction
  (ROI)
• The Monterey Institute for Technology and
  Education Online Course Evaluation Project
• SUNY Learning Network
• eArmyU

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Contact Information

• Presenter/QM Project Evaluator
• John Sener -- jsener_at_sloan-c.org
• QM Project Coordinator
• Kay Kane kkane_at_pgcc.edu
• QM Project Co-DirectorsChris Sax
  csax_at_umuc.eduMary Wells mwells_at_pgcc.edu