Online instruction meets ‘gold standard’ Quality Matters specifications

As UNC Charlotte moves toward the fall 2020 semester, “the new normal” for students and faculty includes different modes of instruction as the University continues to adapt to the challenges of the global coronavirus pandemic.

Virtually all college campuses will see increased use of online offerings, for either entire courses or hybrid situations, meaning a combination of in-person and online learning. UNC Charlotte, due to its 2011 adoption of Quality Matters (QM) standards for high-quality online education, is particularly well-prepared to deliver online instruction that is as effective as traditional classroom teaching and learning.

“Unlike the spring term when our shift to the remote environment was sudden due to the need to vacate campus, faculty have had more time to refine curricula and design coursework for optimal virtual and hybrid learning environments,” noted Associate Provost Leslie Zenk.

During the University’s pivot to remote teaching in March, more than 380 faculty members had completed the QM training program offered by the Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL), with more than 500 engaged in QM programs who could utilize their expertise to transition their courses. Since then, more have taken advantage of a variety of QM training opportunities to assure the online and hybrid courses they teach this fall align with students’ learning needs and expectations. In many cases, they are being coached by their QM-certified peers.

Considered the “gold standard” in online education, Quality Matters is a nationally recognized, faculty-driven, peer-review process used to ensure the quality of online and blended course design. CTL, which administers Quality Matters training and certification for faculty, recognized early that both instructors and students would need support to be successful in online teaching and learning situations.

“The QM process certifies that the design of a course is such that it is easy for students to navigate and find information and includes the requisite resources to ensure they have a positive learning experience,” said Heather McCullough, Ph.D., associate director of the Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL).

Through its instructional design team and network of QM Faculty Fellows, CTL leads the University’s efforts to support faculty to redesign their courses to meet QM standards. In fact, UNC Charlotte offers the highest number of QM-certified courses in the entire state of North Carolina.

QM Faculty Fellows, UNC Charlotte instructors who have achieved national certification in QM standards, serve as workshop facilitators, peer course reviewers and mentors and many conduct scholarly research on best practices related to online education. Since 2017, CTL staff and QM Fellows have delivered 30-plus presentations at conferences and workshops nationwide.

Obtaining QM certification for courses is a rigorous process that requires internal review by QM Faculty Fellows, who are veteran online instructors and fully certified QM peer reviewers, prior to submission for the formal, national QM review.

Enoch Park, Ed.D., Quality Matters/online learning specialist at CTL, said QM courses are designed with student engagement in mind, including high-quality instructional media, such as video and other interactive assignments. CTL instructional designers collaborate with the AISLE group (Audiovisual Integration and Support for Learning Environments) to develop media assets, such as video and audio files.

“Often, students submit their work in multimedia formats,” said Park. “They receive detailed feedback throughout the course as they complete active learning assignments.”

This greater level of faculty engagement and feedback for online courses is fostered by CTL through its redesign process; students are encouraged to express themselves in constructive and inclusive ways to foster the most robust discussions possible in online/hybrid courses.

Because course redesign to meet QM national standards can take up to a year, CTL recognizes QM Essentials designation for University courses that have met rigorous standards for quality online courses.

“QM Essentials recognition acknowledges that the internal assessment has been completed by certified UNC Charlotte peer-reviewers. It provides an additional layer of assurance that speaks to the quality of our online instruction,” said McCullough. “There are multiple steps and stages to achieve the formal QM Matters certification.”

Park noted, “UNC Charlotte has a strong faculty culture of providing quality online instruction. Our faculty are actively engaged in supporting one another in the design and teaching of online courses.”

For the summer and continuing into the fall semester, CTL is increasing its number of professional development offerings to continue to help greater numbers of faculty members to develop and teach online courses.

For example, CTL is offering the five-week workshop, “Create your Online Course in Three Steps,” in which faculty participants will work with a team composed of an instructional designer, faculty mentor and a graduate student from the Master in Learning, Design and Technology program.

“Faculty members are really interested in learning more about redesigning their classes to accommodate one of the online models,” said McCullough. “CTL is hiring four new instructional designers to support this effort, so the University is putting resources into redesigning the learning experience, focusing on student engagement and student success.”

Lecturer Evan Wantland with the Department of Mathematics and Statistics is participating in CTL summer workshops. He praised the center for the courses and resources available to University faculty. He completed “Online Teaching and Foundations” and is taking two other workshops related to online course design.

“CTL has really stepped up to the challenge,” he said. “I hope to get a lot more of my departmental colleagues registered for future sessions.”