Course Review and Certification Process

Accepting Applications Submitted Mid Nov. - Dec. 2023 Won't Launch till Mid January

The course review and certification process is a three stage process where the goal for each reviewed course is to obtain at least 85% of the points possible while meeting all core/essential standards in the rubric being applied (QLT or QM).  Once the course meets these criteria, the instructor receives a certification letter and is given a unique certification mark they may place inside the course (e.g, LMS header of the course). Courses meeting this level of certification are recognized on various campus and systemwide websites. 

CSU Course Review Certification Launch Meeting 10/2/22: Meeting Recording  | Meeting Slides 

Application -  Stage 1

Course Review - Stage 2

Notification - Stage 3

  • Notification of Final Report - The course review team chair submits the final report which is shared with the OCS campus lead and instructor.
  • Revisions - If the course reviewed does not meet CSU QLT or QM criteria for recognition, revisions are made to the course.
  • Final Review - The course review team chair reviews the changes and communicates with the QM Coordinator and instructor.
CSU Online Course Services: QLT & QM Managed Course Review and Certification Process

Accessible description of diagram above:

The CSU Online Course Services (OCS): Course Review and Certification is a three stage process.

Stage 1 - Application: The OCS campus lead Completes the Online Application Form. The OCS campus lead sends the syllabus, Module Learning Objectives (MLOs) and Quality Learning and Teaching (QLT) or Quality Matters (QM) Self-Review to the OCS Manager for review. A message is sent indicating whether the course application meets the criteria for an online course. If it does not meet the criteria a denial message with reasons is sent to the OCS campus lead. The applicant can reapply when the conditions are met and will start back at Stage 1. If it meets the criteria, an acceptance message is sent to the OCS campus lead. The instructor/developer agreement is completed and the application moves on to Stage 2.

Stage 2 - Review: The course review team is identified. Agreements are made as to roles and responsibilities of the review team. Confirmation is sent to the review lead and the OCS campus lead. A timeline and process is established. A pre-review conference call is conducted. Individual peer review forms are submitted by each reviewer. A post-review conference call is conducted. The team deliberates. This stage has ended and moves on to Stage 3.

Stage 3 - Notification: CSU Online Course Services team creates the final report. If the report indicates that the course does not meet certification requirements, changes can be made by submitting a “changes and amendments” form. The instructor updates the course. The review lead then decides if after the changes and amendments are made whether the course now meets or does not meet certification. If the course meets the certification criteria a certification letter is sent to the instructor. The course is recognized throughout the CSU OCS community and posted on the CSU OCS website. This is the end of the application and review process.