Quality Matters and Online Courses in Sakai Brian Dashew, Instructional Designer, Marist College Dr. Reba-Anna Lee, Assistant Director for Academic Technology & eLearning, Marist College

Introductions Who is here today? Faculty? instructional designers? Online courses at your institution? Familiarity with Quality Matters? Are you using it? Considering using it? 212th Sakai Conference – Los Angeles, California – June 14-16

About Marist College Comprehensive liberal arts college Located in Poughkeepsie, New York 5700 FTE students, 200 full-time faculty, 500 part-time faculty Reputation as technology innovator Strategic plan calls for growth in distance learning

Distance learning at Marist College Strong history of online instruction First fully online MBA program accredited in New York State Six online Masters and one undergraduate degree completion program Two accelerated undergraduate sessions: 10 week summer session 4 week winter session 12th Sakai Conference – Los Angeles, California – June

Growth in Programs Growth in students taking advantage of online offerings Growth in number of courses offered Winter 2010: 5 4-week courses offered Winter 2011: 14 4-week courses offered Summer 2011: week courses offered 12th Sakai Conference – Los Angeles, California – June

Problems No central oversight over programs Limited instructional design training “Course Readiness Reports” Take too much time Courses not yet created What happens if we find problems? 12th Sakai Conference – Los Angeles, California – June

Marist Distance Learning Committee Created as an ad hoc committee Investigates issues related to quality in DL Year reviewing standards Voted to recommend college investigate Quality Matters 12th Sakai Conference – Los Angeles, California – June

Course Review Feedback Course Course Meets Quality Expectations Course Revision Quality Matters Basics I

Eight General Standards: 1.Course Overview and Introduction 2.Learning Objectives 3.Assessment and Measurement 4.Resources and Materials 5.Learner Interaction 6.Course Technology 7.Learner Support 8.Accessibility Key components must align. Alignment: Critical course elements work together to ensure that students achieve the desired learning outcomes. Quality Matters Basics II

More than average; more than “good enough” An attempt to capture what’s expected in an effective online course at about an 85% level Based on research and widely accepted standards 85 % Quality Matters Basics III

StandardsPointsRelative Value 173Essential 112Very Important 121Important TOTALS 4085 Team of 3 reviewers initially score individually One score per standard based on team majority Pre-assigned point value Yes/No decision; All/None points Consensus is NOT required Quality Matters Basics IV

Quality Matters Basics V A course must achieve: “Yes” on all 17 of the 3-point “essential” standards. A minimum of 72 out of 85 points 72/85 = 85%

Online Course Redesign Institute Five day intensive program in June 2010 Application process 10 faculty selected Each faculty given a preliminary report Essential standards only After redesign, faculty are given a complete report 12th Sakai Conference – Los Angeles, California – June

Program Monday: A framework for your course Tuesday: Meaningful assessments Wednesday: Appropriate content Thursday: Learner interactions Friday: Welcome statements Friday featured brief presentations of redesign work to Deans 12th Sakai Conference – Los Angeles, California – June

Day 1: Framework Basics of Quality Matters Presentation and discussion of the review Standard 2: Writing effective learning objectives Faculty given a Planning Guide 12th Sakai Conference – Los Angeles, California – June

Day 2: Meaningful Evaluations Standard 3: Evaluations Discussion of alignment Best Practices for Assignments and Tests and Quizzes Important that we tie these back to high- quality course implementation 12th Sakai Conference – Los Angeles, California – June

Day 3: Course Content Standard 4: Content Standard 6: Tools and Media Best Practices for Lessons and Resources Student-generated content Web 2.0 tools in iLearn Organization of course material 12th Sakai Conference – Los Angeles, California – June

Day 4: Discussions and Interaction Standard 5: Meaningful interaction Best practices for discussion and collaboration tools Discussions about when and how to set up interaction Setting standards for collaboration 12th Sakai Conference – Los Angeles, California – June

Day 5: Syllabus Standards 1, 7,8: Welcome statement, support, ADA Syllabus tool Opportunity for presentations 12th Sakai Conference – Los Angeles, California – June

What we saw in presentations People valued collaboration with other faculty in the design process People were creative in content presentation and activity design The design process became part of the course Faculty strive for perfection 12th Sakai Conference – Los Angeles, California – June

Additional Programs Fashion department First department with QM in contracts MBA redesign project MPA program First department to vote all courses would be QM-compliant Summer course redesign program 12th Sakai Conference – Los Angeles, California – June

Issues and Concerns How do we scale this? Each review takes between 4-8 hours Even our shortened training takes hrs. Support from faculty? First faculty reviewers hired Spring 2011 Official QM training followed by shadow review Can we use faculty trainers? 12th Sakai Conference – Los Angeles, California – June

QUESTIONS? 12th Sakai Conference – Los Angeles, California – June