Course Comparison Study: QA Training and Student Outcomes (Fall 2025)

About the study

This study, conducted by Dr. Sinjini Mitra (SQuAIR Research Associate), examines whether student outcomes differ between online course sections taught by faculty with quality assurance (QA) training and those without. The sample was drawn randomly: 30 online or hybrid course sections from each of CSUF’s eight colleges offered in Fall 2025 (all 12 eligible sections from Engineering and Computer Science, which had fewer offerings). Random selection within each college guards against selection bias in which courses were studied.

222 course sections taught by 177 faculty members, enrolling 9,191 students
89% undergraduate sections and 11% graduate; average enrollment of 41 students per section (range 1–218)
32% of sections (71 of 222) were taught by faculty with QA-related training; 68% (151) by faculty without. None of the sections were QM-certified courses.

QA training among faculty in the sample

Of the 177 faculty whose courses were studied, 51 (29%) had completed QA-related training in online or hybrid teaching. Most trained faculty (78%) had completed one training; 22% had completed two or more. APPQMR was by far the most common.

Student outcomes: QA-trained vs. non-QA-trained faculty

Across every group examined and on both outcome measures, sections taught by QA-trained faculty showed better results: fewer repeatable grades (grades of D, F, or W that require retaking the course) and higher average course GPAs. The differences are consistent in direction but modest in size, and they reached statistical significance at the 5% level only for first-generation students and Pell grant recipients, two groups where improving outcomes matters most for equity.

*Difference statistically significant at the 5% level. Lower is better.

Difference statisically significant at the 5% level. Vertical axis starts at 2.80 to make small differences visible.

How to read these results

These findings are a snapshot based on one semester’s sample. Courses vary widely in structure, teaching style, and grading systems across colleges, so results should not be generalized to all CSUF courses. That said, the sample is large, sections were randomly selected within each college, and the pattern of consistently better outcomes for QA-trained faculty, statistically significant for first-generation and Pell-eligible students, aligns with findings from prior years of this research. The study shows association, not causation: faculty who pursue QA training may also differ in other ways that benefit students.

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