Students and educators both want courses and programs that will enhance their knowledge and improve their skills. But, how to ensure that the programs meet the required quality? Is there a way of knowing or assessing whether a course or a program is of high quality? The answer is Yes. There is a way to ensure the quality of online learning – Quality Matters!
Quality Matters (QM) is an international quality assurance organization focused on improving the design and certifying the quality of online and hybrid courses.
QM Mission
QM’s mission focuses on one thing, a high-quality online education. They work with university faculty members and instructional designers to promote and improve the quality of online education and student learning nationally and internationally.
A collaboration with Quality Matters will assure students that they are getting the best quality online education.
Quality Matters aims to improve the quality of online education and student learning across the globe through:
- Development of current, research-supported, and practice-based quality standards and appropriate evaluation tools and procedures
- Recognition of expertise in online education quality assurance and evaluation
- Fostering a culture of continuous improvement by integrating QM Standards and processes into organizational plans to improve the quality of online education
- Providing professional development in the use of rubrics, tools and practices to improve the quality of online education
- Peer review and certification of quality in online education
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QM Certification
For an online or hybrid course to be Quality Matters Certified, it must meet the QM standards and be proven to positively impact the online learning experience. QM’s research-supported Rubrics and Standards provide objective, evidence-based ways to evaluate the components of online learning.
The QM Certification Mark indicates that the course or program was evaluated by a team of experts and has met the rigorous Standards of quality – the QM Standards for Course Design. QM Certifications are valid for five years.
The Quality Matters Certification process includes both a peer review and a rubric review of the online course.
QM developed a rubric of course design standards and created a replicable peer-review process that would:
- Train and empower faculty to evaluate courses against these standards
- Provide guidance for improving the quality of courses
- Certify the quality of online and blended college courses across institutions
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The QM Quality Assurance System
The QM quality assurance system ensures that you deliver the promise of high quality digital content. The quality assurance system relies on four core principles to create a culture of continuous improvement to deliver quality content.
- Continuous
- Centered
- Collegial
- Collaborative
Keeping learners engaged in an online environment, getting learners to focus on content and learning objectives, these challenges are where the quality of your digital content makes the difference. Delivering high quality content will help your learners connect with the courses and help you deliver impactful learning experiences.
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Optimal Implementation of QM
There are many factors that affect the quality of an online course. The QM model primarily focuses on course design, but can be used to address all of the following factors –
- Course Design
- Course Delivery
- Course Content
- LMS
- Faculty Readiness
- Student Readiness
Hurix Becomes a QM Member
In 2014 Quality Matters began operating as a standalone nonprofit organization to broaden their reach worldwide and build new partnerships, as they continue to champion quality assurance in online learning and provide the gold standard for certifying the quality of online courses and programs.
QM’s quality assurance tools and professional development include organizations outside of the Higher Education sector, including K-12, continuing and professional education, course publishers, and education service providers.
HurixDigital has been providing content and technology solutions to publishers and educational institutions for over 20 years. We develop online learning programs that match the unique needs of each client. The programs are designed in a visually engaging and easy-to-understand format so as to provide the learners with a compelling learning experience. In order to further this experience, Hurix recently became a Quality Matters member, ensuring that all the courses and programs developed will be designed to meet Quality Matters standards.
First in India
HurixDigital becomes the first content provider in India to collaborate with Quality Matters. Through Quality Matters membership, Hurix has access to a comprehensive, research-supported quality assurance process to design and develop accessible, engaging online courses.
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Delivering Quality at Every Turn
Our QM members can now help us improve the quality of our courses and other instructional materials.
With QM Certified learning courses and programs, we deliver value to learners in the digital environment. The learning content is designed to meet the rigorous quality standards and deliver the best learning experience. QM membership is a defining step towards fulfilling our commitment to deliver the highest quality of digital learning content.
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