Get Involved in QM at CCU
Online Faculty Support
Our Quality Matters (QM) rollout will support Coastal Carolina University online courses via a multi-tiered approach. With the assistance of instructional designers and the implementation of course workshops like APPQMR, this initiative will help further facilitate a campus-wide culture of online quality assurance, reduce overall DWF rates in online courses, and promote university-wide adherence to policy guidelines and rules set forth by accrediting and regulatory bodies, as well as relevant federal compliance.
Quality Matters offers a variety of resources that you can be a part of at CCU. These resources include the latest course evaluation rubrics, certification courses and workshops, conferences, certificate programs, webinars, and other professional development training that are offered both online and on campus. Some of these resources enable faculty and staff to become certified in QM roles. CCU has invested in offering such professional development, and these opportunities will be available as part of this implementation plan.
Quality Matters Process at CCU:
Step 1: APPQMR Training
Steps to Register: Participating faculty will first complete Applying the QM Rubric (APPQMR).using the link to the CCU Online Registration. When you have registered, you will then need to also create Quality Matters Account if you do not have one already. Once you are logged in to MyQM, you will see a list of Professional Development options: please select Register next to the correct date for the Independent Applying the QM Rubric (APPQMR) in which you have chosen to attend. If you have questions or need any assistance, please email our instructional designer, Ashley Hughes.
After completing this workshop, participants will be able to:
- Identify the origin and scope of Quality Matters.
- Identify the critical elements of the QM quality assurance program, including the QM Rubric, materials, processes, and administrative components.
- Apply the QM Higher Education Rubric to review online courses.
- Make decisions on whether the demo course meets selected QM Rubric Specific Review Standards.
- Apply the concept of alignment.
- Draft helpful recommendations for course improvement by citing Annotations from the QM Rubric and evidence from the course.
During this training, participants will learn the basics of the QM Process along with the fundamentals of how the Higher Education QM Rubric Standards are implemented in online course design. This training will help participants to emphasize the concept of alignment and draft helpful recommendations for course improvement through a sample course. The APPQMR is the prerequisite for the Peer Reviewer Course, which is the required course for those that may wish to become a QM-Certified Peer Reviewer. Completion of this APPQMR course earns faculty an internationally recognized micro-credential that signifies their commitment to online quality assurance.
This is QM's flagship workshop on the QM Rubric and its role in reviewing the design of online and blended courses. This course is intended for a broad audience, including faculty, instructional designers, administrators, and adjunct instructors. It is particularly helpful to those new to QM or those considering the adoption of a quality assurance process for online and blended learning. In addition to learning about the QM Rubric and the course review process, participants will learn to apply the concept of alignment and draft helpful recommendations for course improvement. Faculty who apply the rubric in the course will be able to create a learning environment based upon sound instructional design principles, thus contributing to increased student success, engagement and retention, reducing DWF rates.
Step 2: Conduct a Course Readiness Self-Review
After completing the QM Bootcamp (APPQMR course), participating faculty will conduct a Course Readiness Self-Review. This is part of the reflective practitioner model and plays an important role toward the next step in the process in the QM course certification process. Quality Matters offers an Online/Hybrid (Blended) Course Readiness Self-Review Tool that allows faculty to informally evaluate their own course against the QM Rubric. This self-review can take 1-2 days to complete. As faculty are completing the self-review, they may choose to make modifications to their course to bring it into adherence with certain specific review standards. After completing the self-review, faculty will be asked to email their final report to an instructional designer who will use the information for the preparatory review and instructional design consultation later in this process. Some faculty may choose to save this self-review to use in the promotion and tenure file to show documentation of reflection and growth.
Step 3: Preparatory Review and Edits
QM Course Certification Process: The QM course certification process takes on average 3-4 months of preparation, course development, and revisions, with the official QM review lasting anywhere from 4 weeks to 4 months depending upon the speed of the review team, course depth and breadth, and if revisions/amendments are required. Reviews that meet standards generally only last 4-6 weeks. In this stage, the course undergoes a QM Preparatory Review by Coastal Online where an instructional designer, internal QM Certified Peer, Master Reviewer, QM Fellow, or QM Ambassador. who has substantial knowledge and experience in the QM certification process, will review and ensure that the course is ready for official QM certification review. The preparatory review process typically takes up to 4 weeks for the reviewer to complete and will result in consultations, continued conversations, and detailed feedback for improvement of the course during said period (this could be much sooner, depending on caseload). Faculty will then have a period to make edits based on the feedback report. A good preparatory review ensures success in the official review stage and ultimately saves the university time and money, hopefully preventing most reviews from entering the amendment phase or being marked as “not met” post-amendments and thus triggering the need for a new review in the future.
Step 4: Official Review & Certification
In this stage, the course undergoes an official QM review for the nationally recognized official certification. Once the review is processed through QM and assigned to a review team, the review is typically completed within 4-6 weeks (but could last up to 4 months if the review goes into the revisions/amendments stage). Once complete, the course will either be officially QM certified, at which point the process moves to the publication stage, or it will require some revisions/amendments.
If revisions are needed, the review team will provide specific details about what is needed to meet the specific review standard in question. If amendments are made, this additional process of changes and approvals typically takes up to 2-3 weeks to complete. Review teams are groups of 3, consisting of: a review chair, a subject matter expert, and a peer-reviewer.
Step 5: Share, Celebrate, and Promote QM
Faculty whose courses have been certified are encouraged to share and disseminate this achievement with others in their department, college, or across the university. Coastal Online in Continuing Studies will work to publicize this on related CCU web pages. The achievements will also periodically be sent out via email to faculty and staff. Social media posts will be made. QM provided press releases will also be utilized, as appropriate.
Additional Opportunities to be Involved in QM Initiatives at CCU
Becoming a QM Peer Reviewer
- After taking the Applying the QM Rubric (APPQMR) course, faculty can enroll in Higher Ed Peer Reviewer Course (PRC) ($220 value; Three-week course – 22 days – online facilitated). The $220 cost will be covered by Coastal Online. Successful completion of this course would allow the faculty or staff member to apply to QM for the national QM Peer Reviewer role.
- Some faculty may want to be a QM Peer Reviewer, as the certification holds great value professionally and shows their commitment to online quality assurance. The Higher Ed. Peer Reviewer Course is designed to prepare experienced online faculty and instructional designers to serve as QM-Certified Peer Reviewers. It includes a review of the foundational principles of Quality Matters and the QM Rubric. In addition, over the three-week period, participants apply Specific Review Standards to an online course (locate evidence, make decisions based on the evidence, and write helpful recommendations). Finally, participants use their new skill set to complete a practice review of an online course using eight Specific Review Standards from the QM Rubric.
- It’s important to note the Peer Reviewer Course is a rigorous certification course that is not self-paced. It prepares participants to serve as QM-Certified Peer Reviewers and in doing so, follows a mock course review schedule. It has firm due dates for all assignments and revisions. If revisions are needed, they are due within 48 hours of being graded. Participants must meet expectations on all assignments and adhere to the firm due date and 48-hour revision schedule to complete the course successfully. Upon successful completion of this course, eligible participants may complete and submit a Role Application, plus a Memo of Understanding to be approved for a QM-Certified Peer Reviewer role. After approval, QM-Certified Peer Reviewers may serve on both QM-Managed and Subscriber-Managed course reviews.
Internal QM Leadership Roles
An internal QM Mentor, Ambassadorship, and Fellowship program will be implemented to promote the QM quality assurance process, establish and grow support of the QM initiative, as well as build an internal pool of experts and mentors in the QM process who could help conduct Official QM Subscriber-Managed Reviews, thus reducing the overall costs of reviews. Stipends to be determined for Ambassadorship and Fellowship Roles.
QM “Departmental” Mentor: Faculty who have taken APPQMR, HEPRC and/or have gone through the QM course certification process will play a role as a QM advocate and mentor for those in their department and university at large. A mentor may participate in preparatory reviews and instructional design consultation stages and invite them to serve as a Faculty Mentor. Noted below are ways they can be involved as internal QM Ambassadors and internal QM Fellows.
QM “Departmental” Ambassadorship:
To earn an Ambassadorship, the faculty member would be expected to be: working on the foundations of online teaching and learning, have taken predetermined QM course(s) (Applying the QM Rubric (APPQMR) and others we add to the list), have submitted a course readiness self-review, and be working with Coastal Online and Continuing Studies staff towards designing and developing a course to meet QM standards.
QM “College” Fellowship:
For a Fellowship, a Faculty member would have at least one QM Certified course. This person would also have taken Applying the Quality Matters Rubric (2-week course), Higher Ed Peer Reviewer Course (PRC) (3-week course) and could serve in a mentor role to other faculty, assist with instructional design consults, and serve on CCU’s Official QM Subscriber Managed Reviews.
Becoming a QM Master Reviewer
- After taking Applying the QM Rubric (APPQMR) Course, Higher Ed Peer Reviewer Course (PRC), and successfully serving as a peer-reviewer on a minimum of two official QM reviews, faculty can enroll in the Master Reviewer Certification (MRC) Course ($330 value; Three-week course – 25-30 hours – online facilitated). The $330 cost will be covered by Coastal Online. Successful completion of this course would allow the faculty or staff member to submit an application for the role of QM Master Reviewer.
- Some faculty may wish to become Master Reviewers. The Master Reviewer Certification (MRC) is an advanced certification course for experienced QM Peer Reviewers. The role of the QM Master Reviewer is integral to ensuring the rigor and consistency of the peer-review process. In this course, Peer Reviewers will learn the role of Master Reviewers including management of the entire review process and coaching peers to ensure helpful recommendations are provided for course improvements.
- Master Reviewer Certification is a requirement for Team Chairs on all official course reviews, both QM-Managed and Subscriber-Managed. Prerequisite requirements include successful completion of the Applying the QM Rubric workshop and the Peer Reviewer Course, recent online teaching or design experience, and service on two official Higher Education QM course review teams (either QM-Managed or Subscriber-Managed).