The purpose of a Quality Matters course peer review is to determine if it meets the standards provided in the Quality Matters 6th Edition Rubric. By meeting these standards, the course has incorporated the nationally-recognized and researched elements in courses that help to ensure quality online, hybrid, and remote courses making navigation easier for students, reducing barriers to student achievement, and resulting in better outcomes.
The Quality Matter program is grounded in research and driven by best practices. It came out of the MarylandOnline, Inc consortium in trying to determine a way to measure and assure quality in online courses. Through the work of colleagues in that consortium, aided by the FIPSE grant, the Quality Matters rubric and program were developed. This is a nationally-recognized quality assurance program born out of research and best practices for the design of online and hybrid courses. With the recent pandemic, they have also developed a modified set of standards and a checklist to apply to remote courses as well.
Quality Matters Vision:
Quality Matters is the global organization leading quality assurance in online and innovative digital teaching and learning environments.
Quality Matters Mission:
Promote and improve the quality of online education and student learning nationally and internationally through:
Development of current, research-supported, and practice-based quality standards and appropriate evaluation tools and procedures.
Recognition of expertise in online education quality assurance and evaluation.
Fostering a culture of continuous improvement by integrating QM Standards and processes into organizational plans to improve the quality of online education.
Providing professional development in the use of rubrics, tools and practices to improve the quality of online education.
Peer review and certification of quality in online education.
Quality Matters is built on a continuous improvement model, centered on research, collegial, and collaborative. The peer reviewers are faculty who teach online and hybrid courses.
Information from: www.qualitymatters.org