Scaling Up Quality

A Five-Year-Plan for QM Professional Development at a Large Public University

Abstract

Are you looking for ideas on how to expand quality assurance at your institution? How do you design a flexible, sustainable plan that meets institutional goals and faculty needs? 

The Course Quality (CQ) Program began in 2017 with an ambitious goal: Improve the quality of online education at a large public university where professional development is not required for teaching online. Goal-setting and getting stakeholder buy-in were vital to developing our quality assurance plan. Feedback based on faculty needs and preferences helped grow professional development offerings and support resources. Five years later, we reflect on the successes and challenges of our program implementation. We will share a sample five-year quality assurance plan and collaborate with attendees on a shared document that will serve as a resource after the session.

Highlights of our five-year quality assurance plan:

• Year 1: Launch a cohort-based, intensive semester-long professional development program designed specifically to help experienced faculty prepare courses for official QM review and certification.
• Year 2: Certification of APPQMR facilitators and peer reviewer training to help to build a solid foundation for QM knowledge and course design support.
• Year 3: Launch of a second semester-long professional development program focused on helping experienced online instructors meet QM essential standards in their course and initiate a process for internally reviewing courses.
• Year 4: Creation of additional support pathways for instructors with limited experience teaching or designing online courses and pilot of cohort-based Teaching Online Certification.
• Year 5: Development of short, asynchronous, just-in-time training modules focused on applying best practices based on the eight QM General Standards.

Cultivating a culture of quality assurance requires considerable engagement, feedback, and support from faculty. During the session, we will share faculty testimonials and review the overall impact the Course Quality Program has had to date. As we reflect on the components of our quality assurance plan, we will engage audience members in activities designed to identify needs and spark ideas for growing QM-based professional development at their institutions.