Comments from Adjunct Faculty Members Who Completed the Quality Matters Online Teaching Certificate in 2022 

“Taking the QM course allowed me to discover new ways in which I can communicate effectively through Blackboard for upcoming assignments that are completed both in-class and online A student commented “"I love the way that you reiterate class discussion through Blackboard for students that are not able to attend in-person classes.”" I really enjoyed taking the QM online learning course as it helped me discover new ways to use online discussion boards as a possibility to expand on lecture materials taking place in the classroom. Through the QM online learning course, I was able to engage with other college instructors throughout the country gaining new insights and strategies for delivering instruction.”

Lisa Morgans - Adjunct Faculty Member, Psychology

"The QM certificate has benefited my classroom in many ways. Previously, Blackboard was something I used at the bare minimum in my courses. However, taking the QM classes really opened my eyes to how much I can do in the online learning environment! I learned how to layout my course in a clear and user-friendly way. In fact, last semester one of my students told me she had been recommending my course to her friends because of how organized the online platform component was. Although this class in particular was an in-person class, I utilized strategies from QM and our online learning environment was a huge component of our class! My students really appreciated this, and I saw much higher success rate with assignments being turned in on time. 

Another piece of invaluable advice I received from QM is still creating a persona and community with your students, even if you never see them face-to-face. QM courses give a variety of resources you can use in your classroom to build that community and get to know your online students. Also, the classes are very interactive and model how we can create online interaction for students. Through this, you also get to learn from professors all over the nation who are taking the classes alongside of you. We shared assignments, ideas, etc! I hope to take more QM courses in the future!

 Christina Autiero - Adjunct Faculty, English

"In this program, for the most part, the concepts weren't new, but I learned a number of tweaks to improve what I was already doing, and I got confirmation that I was going in the right direction. Basically, I gained confidence in my class designs. I have always created a welcome announcement just before the first day of class. Now I have enhanced that announcement, email it to the students, and include a quick orientation of the class setup in BlackBoard. I have increased my follow-ups with students, and I am providing much more detailed feedback on every assignment. One new concept I learned is that I can grade on individual deliverables in group assignments instead of as a group. No idea why, I never thought about that before, but it changed how I use group assignments. I have never liked discussion boards. I always viewed them as student-busy work but through some of the course discussions, I have changed my mind and see real value in that type of assignment. One of the biggest changes I have seen is significantly fewer questions from students about how my course is designed in BlackBoard. Therefore, I believe new awareness has given my students one less thing to worry about and they can focus more on learning the subject. Overall, this course was a lot of work but well worth it. I consider myself very lucky that I had the opportunity to gain my certificate from QM."

Katy Lenahan, - Adjunct Faculty, Sociology