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Explore Quality Matters

Content reviewed July 2023

Quality Matters (QM) is a global nonprofit organization that leads quality assurance in the online teaching and learning environment and provides the gold standard for the certification of quality online courses and programs.

• Quality Matters for instructors
• Explore the offerings from QM
• 2023 QM Higher Education Rubric update
• Timeline
• Get started with QM
• QM Coordinators are ready to help
• QM Coordinator (QMC) Directory

Quality Matters for instructors

QM has developed a rubric for course design standards and created a peer-review process which provides the following:

• Opportunities to train and empower faculty to evaluate courses against design standards
• Guidance for improving the quality of courses
• A course review process
• Certification of the quality of online and blended courses

Explore the offerings from QM

Manitoba Flexible Learning Hub has a system subscription to QM. This subscription provides access to QM tools, information, services, and resources related to quality in online learning and course design. To take full advantage of these, QM recommends that users have their own unique MyQM account.

Note: MyQM is a personalized, secure area of the Quality Matters website. It is a real-time data repository for your organization’s complete Quality Matters history and involvement. 

QM offers a few free resources to support your quality assurance goals. Here are some to check out –  

• QM Success Stories – from these free webinars, learn how other institutions use QM processes and resources to meet the quality of their online teaching and learning and their students’ needs. 
• Accessibility and Usability Resources Site – for finding solutions to common accessibility and usability challenges, explore this community-led resources site. 
• QM IDA Membership – if you are in an instructional designer role, join this special interest group for instructional designers to engage with peers and numerous professional development opportunities. 

If you are looking to hone your online teaching skills or improve course design, explore your potential options from QM professional development workshops and course page. For evaluating the design of your course, you can use one of the several course review options, including self-reviews, preparatory reviews and official course reviews.

• Use the Course Format Chart to see if your course is eligible for review.  

To unearth more about the QM tools and resources, explore QM resource page. 

2023 QM Higher Education Rubric update

With the release of the QM Higher Education Rubric, Seventh Edition in early July 2023 all QM role-holders must complete sessions to review the rubric updates to maintain their roles.

There are two options to maintain your QM role.

• The “Rubric Update” is a free, self-paced, standalone session with a completion deadline of January 5, 2024
• The “Rubric Update Role Reinstatement” session, at a cost of $55 USD. Sessions open up on January 8, 2024.

Timeline

• May 5, 2023 – QM members can register for the free Rubric Update session
• June 5, 2023 – QM members can begin completing the Rubric Update session
• July 5, 2023 – QM Higher Education Rubric, Seventh Edition release
• January 5, 2024 – Last day to complete the free “Rubric Update” session
• January 8, 2024 – QM members can take the “Rubric Update Role Reinstatement” session

Note: if you are a QM-Certified Peer Reviewer, Master Reviewer or Facilitator, please visit your QM Resource Site(s) for more information on keeping your role current.

Get started with QM

All instructors at The Manitoba Flexible Learning Hub partner institutions have access to the resources and benefits of the QM consortium membership. This allows for a shared understanding of the design and development of quality online course standards.

Start your path to course quality assurance excellence by:

• Learn more about QM in this free self-paced course: Elements of Quality Matters on the Canvas platform, including:
  • QM’s origin, evolution, and scope
  • Factors that affect the quality of online learning
  • What it takes for a course to be QM-Certified
  • How QM certifies online programs
  • QM professional development and tools to support online teaching
• Viewing the QM Overview Presentation
• Creating your MyQM account
• Accessing the self-review tool for online courses
• Sign-up for professional development relevant to your goals for continuous course improvement.

QM Coordinators are ready to help

Each MB Hub partner institution has designated a QM Coordinator (QMC). The QMCs play a vital role in establishing a quality assurance process at your institution and work towards fostering continuous course improvement. The QMC is the liaison between your institution and QM and is considered your ‘go-to’ person for all QM-related information and training opportunities.

QM Coordinator (QMC) Directory