What are the three most significant (or surprising) things you learned by participating in this workshop?
- Despite how time consuming the course review process can be, I really enjoy applying the rubric to a course and am happily doing so with two of my courses right now.
- I have much more enthusiasm, direction and focus in revising my course based on the QM standards because they provide such detailed instructions and examples that I can easily use.
- I found the Alignment Standards (2.1, 2.2, 2.3, 2.4, 2.5; 3.1, 4.1, 5.1 and 6.1) and 4.2 (relationship between instructional materials and learning activities is clearly explained) to be the most important part of the review process. I was really impressed when applying the alignment standards to my own courses in that it made it really clear where I needed to make specific adjustments in assessments and course materials to improve student success in achieving course outcomes and doing well in the course. Applying the alignment standards also allowed me to be a much more focused and effective teacher and my course evaluations reflected that students felt the same.
- QM is a very comprehensive and deliberate set of requirements that cannot be rushed through but must be acted upon thoroughly. Stylistic differences may exist with course design, but the rubric is a rigorous body of work that captures the learner’s perspective.
- The QM Rubric simplifies the process of determining what should be done about specific issues that affect the online course.
- I was surprised at how much better the sample course became after making changes based on just one Specific Review Standard. It was like night and day!
- The detailed requirements of making a course accessible to diverse learners and how to make sure navigation is smooth and makes sense.
- The extensive amount of new information, software, technology, and standards that entail constructing the perfect course.
- It is also gratifying to see that some of my colleagues in this class have realized how much work it is to develop a quality course and they have a new appreciation for online learning.
- While I have a lot of experience in online learning and teaching, I find myself re-energized every time I take a workshop.
- I understand why course learning objectives and institutional learning objectives are emphasized on my campus. They align with QM and likely other rubrics.
- I am surprised that more people and institutions are not using the QM Higher Education Rubric more. It seems much of the information has a universal appeal that will benefit the learner and educator experience.
- I would compare your experience taking this class following the rubric with the likely experience of a student taking your current online classes. The compare and contrast puts you in the perspective of the learner more effectively than just about anything else.
What do you intend to do next to begin actively using QM and the QM Rubric with your course and/or at your institution?
- I am continuing to revise and upgrade my courses with the goal of having them both QM certified.
- I will be working with our Instructional Designers to find out how I can help improve courses in the arts, which are often considered to be very difficult to offer in an online setting.
- I intend to start by making a rough list of general improvements in my course. Next, I want to overhaul my course- and module-level learning objectives and reexamine my chosen learning activities, instructional materials, assessments, and course tools to ensure that they are in alignment with these objectives. From there, I want to perform a Self-Review to assess my course on a more granular level.