Evaluating Online Courses

To help campuses ensure that their online courses are learner centered and well designed, a team of SUNY staff and campus stakeholders has designed the Open SUNY Course Quality Review (OSCQR) Rubric, a customizable and flexible tool for measurement. The incorporated standards focus on accessibility and course design from the perspective of the Community of Inquiry (CoI) model, and help reviewers assess opportunities for social presence, cognitive presence, and teaching presence in addition to the overall online course educational experience. The OSCQR Rubric is intended to be used for assessing course design rather than the actual course delivery.

The CLT’s instructional design team uses the OSCQR rubric when evaluating online courses for our Teaching Online Certification Program (TOCP). However, instructors who are not part TOCP are encouraged to complete a self-assessment of their online courses. The IDS team is available to assist with this process.