Quality Matters Rubric for Course Design in Blackboard Learn

 The Quality Matters Rubric is intended for use with courses that are delivered fully online or have significant online components (hybrid and blended courses).

 

And the Quality Matters Course Format Chart provides definitions for online, blended, and face-to-face courses and explains how the QM review process is used in each case.

I love the Quality Matters Rubric.  As an instructional designer, this is my ‘go to’ guide when I am designing courses for any virtual learning environment (in HCT we use Blackboard Learn).

I encourage teachers to use this rubric as a reference guide when they are thinking about designing instructionally sound courses in Blackboard Learn.  So what is the QM Rubric?

According the folks at Qualitymatters.org, the Quality Matters Higher Education Rubric, Fifth Edition, 2014 is a set of 8 General Standards and 43 Specific Review Standards used to evaluate the design of online and blended courses.  

The Eight General Standards are:

1. Course Overview and Introduction
2. Learning Objectives (Competencies)
3. Assessment and Measurement
4. Instructional Materials
5. Course Activities and Learner Interaction
6. Course Technology
7. Learner Support
8. Accessibility and Usability

Read more about the QM Rubric here…

The Quality Matters Higher Education Rubric, Fifth Edition, 2014 is copyrighted to Quality Matters, a non-profit organisation dedicated to quality assurance in Online Education.  It should be used in accordance with the guidelines detailed on their website.