What is Quality Matters?
Quality Matters (QM) is a nationally recognized, faculty-
centered non-profit organization that offers a rubric and peer review process, based on best practices, to measure the quality of online and blended courses. QM provides tools, resources, support, and training to empower faculty to design their own quality online courses. QM does not evaluate online teaching, nor the online instructor, but is focused solely on the design of the course.
Quality Matters is a great way to improve the design of your courses and network with colleagues in your area of expertise, discover new teaching tools, and explore new pedagogical strategies.
All faculty teaching hybrid or online classes at SAU must complete the Quality Matters Applying the Quality Matters Rubric (APPQMR) Workshop within the first year of teaching hybrid or online courses.
This workshop is offered synchronously in a single-day or two-day format. The workshop is also offered asynchronously in a two-week format. The Online Learning Team will complete your workshop registration and payment on your behalf. Please use our Contact Form to request registration in an upcoming APPQMR session.
Read more about the APPQMR workshop or view upcoming sessions on the Quality Matters website.
After completing the APPQMR, faculty can use QM’s automated rubric tool to complete a Self-Review to develop and improve their online course(s). When a Self-Review has been completed, the instructor can request an Internal Review, an unofficial QM course review managed by Online Learning.
An SAU QM Course Review is a full course review using QM’s eight General Standards and 44 Specific Review Standards used to evaluate the design of online and hybrid courses. Courses reviewed in this way are not eligible for QM recognition. Still, the unofficial review provides feedback and allows an opportunity for revisions to the course before submitting it for a QM-Managed official course review.
Once a course has completed the SAU QM Course Review, the faculty member and course become eligible for submission to a QM-Managed Official Course Review.
A QM-Managed Official Course Review is the most effective way to certify and benchmark the quality of an online course. Courses that meet 85% of QM Rubric Standards and all Essential Specific Review Standards earn the QM Certification Mark, valid for five years (three for publisher courses). If a course doesn’t initially meet standards, instructors can revise and resubmit during the 14-week amendment (revision) phase. Course Review Reports also support institutional data analysis and accreditation efforts.
Important: Because the official review is costly, participants must commit to the full 4–6 week review process, including making any required revisions within 14 weeks of the review. Read more about the QM Course Review Process or use our Contact Form to request additional information.
