QM at GSU

GSU is a subscriber to Quality Matters. This subscription allows all GSU faculty the opportunity to access subscriber resources using a MyQM account which provides access to the online version of the fully annotated rubric as well as QM’s online Self-Review tool.

Login to the MyQM platform requires using your GSU faculty email address (@govst.edu). If you have not previously signed in to MyQM, you may need to activate your account and create a password. Tip: Select the option "I am new here." to get started. If you are still having trouble accessing MyQM, contact one of the GSU Quality Matters Coordinators.

GSU’s Quality Matters account access, training and course reviews are coordinated through the Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL). Email the GSU Quality Matters Coordinators, Nikki LaGrone (nlagrone@govst.edu) or Scott Thesen (sthesen@govst.edu) to learn more.

• MATH-2100 – Elementary Statistics (Instructor: Lauren Ryba)
• COMM-4210 – Communicating Gender (Instructor: Lara Stache)

• COMM-3411 – Layout, Design & Production (Instructor: Scott Thesen)

• LEAD-9102 – Leadership Theories and Ethics (Instructor: Stephen Wagner)

• PSYC-3605 – Love: What Everyone Needs to Know (Instructor: Jennifer Boender)

• MATH-2100 – Elementary Statistics (Instructor: Lauren Ryba)
• COMM-4210 – Communicating Gender (Instructor: Lara Stache)

• Introduction to QM (INTRO2QM)
Intended audience: newly-hired faculty or any faculty new to online-only or hybrid course design and/or delivery.
• Designing Your Online Course (DYOC)
Intended audience: faculty who have never designed an online-only course, who need to convert an in-person course to an online-only or hybrid format, or who have been tasked to design a new master course shell for future online-only delivery.
• Improving Your Online Course (IYOC)
Intended audience: faculty who have limited experience teaching in an online-only format from courses they have created themselves or from master course shells inherited from other instructors.
• Applying the QM Rubric (APPQMR)
Intended audience: faculty with extensive experience teaching in an online-only format and/or who have created their own online-only courses and master shells who wish to pursue an official QM course certification or official QM roles such as Peer Reviewer.

The QM Rubric is a proprietary document and only available to faculty members of subscriber institutions, and as such are not allowed to be shared outside of the institution. Hard copies of the QM Rubric Workbook with the full annotations are available upon request through the QM Coordinators, Nikki LaGrone (nlagrone@govst.edu) or Scott Thesen (sthesen@govst.edu).

An interactive version of the fully annotated rubric is also available on the QM website through the Course Review Management System. Login is required using your MyQM account credentials. Accounts have been created for all GSU faculty using your GSU faculty email address (@govst.edu). If you have not previously signed in to MyQM, you may need to activate your account and create a password. Tip: Select the option "I am new here." to get started. If you are still having trouble accessing MyQM, contact one of the GSU Quality Matters Coordinators.

The CTL Department has developed a Blackboard template that has prompts for 75% of the QM Rubric Specific Review Standards (the remaining 25% is directly related to course content provided by the instructor as well as each individual instructor's teaching style preferences). Due to technical reasons, faculty can only be added to the template as “students”, but in order to see the editing features faculty would need have the template copied to one of their courses where they are the “instructor”. A Virtual Video Tour was created to help meet the demand for requests to see the template .

If instructors like what they see in the video the template can be copied into any blank Blackboard shell (CTL recommends that the QM Template be copied to a blank shell first, then manually copying and pasting content into the template from previous courses to avoid confusion that can be caused by multiple course copies). Faculty can fill out the Course Copy Request Form and make sure to note that the QM Template should be copied to the requested course shell.

While the QM Rubric was designed specifically with online-only and hybrid (blended) courses in mind, the instructional design principles behind QM are applicable to any course – online, hybrid, or face-to-face. QM is adaptable to your goals, whether they are your personal goals or those of your department/program. The rubric can be used to provide a quality threshold for course design and QM training serves as excellent professional development that faculty can document on their Curriculum Vitae.

The Rubric can be used informally by faculty looking for pedagogically-sound, student-centered course design strategies. Faculty can use the QM rubric to guide their decisions while designing new courses and as the foundation for review and revision of existing courses. A Self Review tool is available on the QM website to assist with this process. There are significant benefits of using QM informally, but official QM recognition comes only if the “official” process is followed.

The QM Rubric is used in both the internal GSU Exemplary Course Award process through the CTL department and the official QM peer review process, of which review for the Exemplary Course Award is the first step. Both review processes are voluntary, and involve a comprehensive review by trained peer reviewers who utilize the Quality Matters Rubric to provide feedback on the course. Courses that complete the official QM process are listed in a national database of recognized courses. The course developer is provided access to an online “seal” from the CTL department for internal reviews, or from QM that indicates the year the course completed the official QM process – these seals can be displayed by the faculty course developer each time the course is taught by including it in the course syllabus or as part of the banner in the online course shell.

When you are ready to initiate the process of having your course go through the official review process with QM, send an email to the QM Coordinators, Nikki LaGrone (nlagrone@govst.edu) or Scott Thesen (sthesen@govst.edu) who will assist you in applying and preparing for the review.

While it is not required, it is strongly recommended to have formal QM training prior to submitting course for a formal review.

Step 1: Self-Assessment through MyQM
If an instructor has developed a course that is intended to be online-only or hybrid, faculty would first complete a self-review through MyQM using the Self Review tool.

During this time the course would be taught for a semester, and any issues that arise through teaching or the self-review would be addressed.

Step 2: Internal Review Process through the CTL Department
After completing the self-review and teaching the course for one semester, the instructor may decide to submit their course to CTL for an internal review. Internal Reviews do not earn QM certification, but could potentially earn the internal Exemplary Course Award AND a recommendation to the department chair and/or dean that the course can be submitted to QM for an official review. Internal reviews must be performed by two official QM Peer Reviewers, one from the CTL department staff and another who is a content-area expert from within the department of the course being reviewed.

During this time the course would continue be taught for another semester, and any issues that arise through teaching or the internal review would be addressed. Once the course has passed the internal review, the course developer is provided access to an online “seal” from the CTL department – these seals can be displayed by the faculty course developer each time the course is taught by including it in the course syllabus or as part of the banner in the online course shell.

If a Self-Review has been completed for a course, instructors can fill out the Course Review Request form to begin the internal review process.

Step 3: Official Review Process through QM
If the course passes the internal review process and receives an Exemplary Course Award, and the CTL staff receive administrative approval, the course is then submitted by the CTL staff QM Coordinators to QM to be reviewed by a team of three independent non-GSU QM Certified Peer Reviewers for an official QM review using the QM Rubric. All Peer Reviewers must have online teaching experience in a college credit-bearing course and be official QM Peer Reviewers to be eligible to serve on an official QM Course Review. The peer review team must consist of at least one content-area expert, and is led by a team chair who is a QM-Certified Master Reviewer. This combination of Reviewers ensures a diverse set of perspectives and impartiality.

During this time the course would continue be taught for another semester, and any issues that arise through teaching or the official review would be addressed. Following the first official QM review or a course, the review team’s feedback is provided to the instructor in the form of a Final Report. If the course did not yet meet Standards in an official review, 14 weeks are provided for course revisions and improvement based on the recommendations from the review team, because it is assumed that the course will need to be taught again addressing the recommendations. The official QM review team chair then re-reviews the course after revisions are completed. Once the course has met QM Standards, the course developer is provided access to an online “seal” from QM that indicates the year the course completed the official QM process – these seals can be displayed by the faculty course developer each time the course is taught by including it in the course syllabus or as part of the banner in the online course shell.

Upon completion of the official QM Applying the QM Rubric (APPQMR) and Peer Reviewer Course (PRC) workshops, you are then eligible to apply to become an official QM Peer Reviewer for both GSU on internal reviews and other institutions on official QM reviews (QM pays a stipend for participating in non-GSU official reviews). GSU is always looking to expand our roster of QM Peer Reviewers in each department so that we can have internal content-area experts participate in internal reviews whenever possible.

Send an email to the QM Coordinators, Nikki LaGrone (nlagrone@govst.edu) or Scott Thesen (sthesen@govst.edu) to request a time to meet to learn more about QM, discuss your QM goals, or learn specific ways you can address the QM standards in your courses.