Quality Matters @ Southeastern (QM@S) Steps
What are the steps of QM@S?
- The Department Head recommends faculty members designing and developing an online course to a Southeastern Online Instructional Design Specialist.
- The faculty member completes the Teaching Online at Southeastern course in the LMS and earns all of the necessary credentials for teaching online.
- Faculty will meet with an Instructional Design Specialist at Southeastern Online to begin the design and development process of their course in the LMS. Faculty will teach the course during the first semester while designing the course with the designer.
- At the end of the first semester of the course being taught, the faculty will make necessary revisions with the guidance of the Instructional Design Specialist.
- After the course has been taught twice, the faculty will submit their course for a formal QM@S review. This can be done during the second semester while teaching the course.
- The course will undergo a screening process to determine if the course goes through
to the next step. Courses are screened for measurable objectives, faculty introductions
and inclusion of the course syllabus, for example.
- A team of qualified eLearning Ambassadors complete the formal review, and Southeastern Online shares this anonymous feedback with the faculty member.
- If the course does not earn a QM@S certification, the faculty will continue working with the Instructional Design Specialist to make necessary revisions based on feedback from the review and submit the course after getting approval from the designer. The course will not be taught again until a QM@S certification is obtained. The course will earn a QM@S certification in order for the course to be taught in an online or hybrid modality again.
What happens after a review?
Once a course has been through the entire QM@S review, it will be determined that the course either meets or does not meet expectations based on the rubric. The faculty member will be notified through email with the decision. The email will contain a scorecard of your course review with the determination of the review along with feedback and suggestions from the QM@S Review Team.
There are some courses that go through a review, but only needs minor adjustments to pass. These courses are considered for an Amended Review Process (ARP). This allows the faculty to make the changes within a 28-day period and have the unmet items reviewed again.
My course DID NOT meet expectations
The faculty member will be notified through email that the course did not meet expectations.
The email will include a scorecard containing detailed feedback from the QM@S Review
Team. This feedback includes suggestions and examples of how to make improvements
to meet standards. It is good practice to review and consider the feedback carefully
before beginning to make corrections to the course.
Once corrections have been made to the course, contact a Southeastern Online Instructional Design Specialist and discuss options for submitting the course for another review. There are times when a full review may not be necessary, and an Instructional Design Specialist will be able to guide you through the next steps.
My course MET expectations
The faculty member will be notified through email that the course met expectations. This email will include detailed feedback from the QM@S Review Team. A QM@S certification banner will be added to the course in the LMS. This badge identifies the course as a quality course that has undergone rigorous evaluation.
How long does a certification last?
QM@S certifications last between three to five years. However, if there have been significant changes to the course since the review and before the expiration time, the course would need to go through a QM@S review sooner. These significant changes can be things such as a textbook change or content, activities, and assessments that have been added or deleted. Anything that affects course outcomes, learning objectives, or the alignment of the course would be considered a significant change.
If there have not been significant changes to the course, the faculty member should begin preparing to go through the QM@S steps again around the three- to four-year mark to avoid the QM@S certification expiring for the course.
Does Southeastern Online review courses?
No, Southeastern Online does NOT conduct QM@S reviews. Southeastern Online maintains the system for QM@S, but staff do not review courses. We help faculty prepare their courses for a review and offer design and development workshops all year long for faculty to design their courses against the QM@S rubric. Southeastern faculty from all five colleges of the university who have received speciality training with the rubric and online courses conduct the reviews.
