Earn your Teaching Online Certificate!

While I didn’t attend the webinar, I’m happy to pass along this information from the folks at QM.

Dear Michael,

Thanks for attending the webinar on June 8th “Standing Out From the Crowd: Earn Your QM Teaching Online Certificate.” I hope you learned more about the value of professional development for online teaching and Quality Matters Teaching Online Certificate (TOC) workshops. I am emailing you to see if you have any questions about the program and earning the final certificate.

We continue to see high demand for these workshops during the summer so please register soon. Now is a great time to learn some additional skills and be ready for the fall.

As you know, after each workshop is completed, you receive a QM Digital Credential highlighting your mastery of the associated teaching competency. Receiving all seven QM digital credentials earns you the QM Teaching Online Certificate (TOC). Many of our TOC alumni use QM digital credentials to showcase their commitment to quality online learning.

“I would absolutely recommend these workshops to friends or anyone that is looking for quality professional development in the field of online learning. I have participated in many QM workshops and can say that they never fail to deliver quality online professional development.”
Cheri LaCounte , Instructor, Eastern New Mexico University

Did you know that Teaching Online Certificate holders can receive credit toward select degree programs? Check out the opportunities available at:

• Louisiana State University Online
• American College of Education (ACE)
• Ashland University

Please let me know if you have any questions and I hope you make the time to complete your QM Teaching Online Certificate.

Sincerely,
Jim Snyder
QM’s Director of Community Engagement

Quality Matters

1997 Annapolis Exchange Parkway

Suite 300

Annapolis, Maryland 21401

Higher Ed June Newsletter: Single presenter videos, #QMConnect, Being Human and more

While this is one of their items focused on higher education, there are still a couple of things in here from QM that some readers might find useful.

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Higher Education News June, 2022

Single Presenter Videos & Social Presence In the past months, Steven Crawford has focused his articles on the roles of audio, screencasting, and voiceover slides in presentations to online learners. This month, he tackles the world of video presentations by discussing single-presenter videos. What are they? What does the research say?  What’s a good length?  And maybe most importantly, “Can I do this myself?!” (Spoiler: Yes, you probably can!) Learn more >> #QMConnect: Start Strong with Workshops  November 6 – 9 Tucson, Arizona Full conference Early Bird pricing for members is just $695 per person. Pre-conference workshops are available at $150 for half day sessions or $300 for full-day sessions. Register In addition to three days packed with information, sessions, presentations, and networking at the amazing location (Tucson’s luxurious Loews Ventana Canyon Resort), there are also several pre-conference workshops to choose from on November 6. These workshops were designed to meet immediate needs of educators at all levels and provide an exciting lead-in to QM Connect 2022! Two of the workshops include: The ABCs of Quality Online Learning Research: Applied, Beneficial, Centered — Jumpstart your online learning research project in the The ABCs of Online Learning Research workshop. This workshop will discuss the unique considerations of online learning research and walk you through the steps to design a quality online learning  research project. The tools and resources needed to bring your online learning research ideas to life will also be discussed. Emancipatory Design Practices for Inclusive Learning — From Drs. Rachel Brooks and Siobhan Day Grady of North Carolina Central University, this workshop provides practical strategies for creating inclusive online courses, and uncovering existing disparities. These are just two of the 13 pre-conference workshops available. The full QM Connect 2022 agenda  — including all of the informative, interactive sessions you have come to expect from a QM conference  — will be available in July. To secure your spot at QM Connect 2022 — and get the best rate — register for the conference today. Be Personable. Be Human. With all of the options to automate an online course, it’s easy to lose sight of the human connection — the essential element that makes a course personable and engaging. While many mini-videos and lectures could be recorded in the same location with the same setup, it’s good to change things up. You can show learners your personality and interests — as Michelle Pacansky-Brock demonstrates in her informal, personalized introduction — without sacrificing professionalism. To humanize the online experience, vary where you create your videos and share a little bit about yourself. This can help make communicating with instructors more approachable and less intimidating for students. QM Live! Summer Camp 2022: July 5 – 28 Make the most of your summer by honing your skills with QM Live! Summer Camp, our interactive virtual workshops. Usually offered only as dedicated sessions for groups of 10 or more, this summer you have the chance to participate in several of them! QM Live! Summer Camp is a series of 2-hour, synchronous workshops designed to help you make your course content shine. Summer Camp runs July 5 – 28, 2022 (Tuesdays and Thursdays 11:00 am – 1:00 pm Eastern or 2:00 – 4:00 pm Eastern). Topics include: Measurable, Precise, Consistent & Clear Objectives Developing Activities to Engage Your Learners Active Learning Strategies Creating Discussion Board Rubrics Aligning Instructional Materials, Activities & Tools with Objectives Developing Consistent Navigation Communicating New Policies for Online Courses Introductions and Overviews: Helping Learners Get Started Register now to secure your spot. Each workshop is only $75 for members. Congratulations! Please join us in congratulating the following Higher Education, Publisher and Continuing & Professional Education members for having one or more courses recently QM-Certified. View More QM-Certified Courses >> Allen College Appalachian State University Athens State University Austin Community College District Butler County Community College California State University-East Bay California State University-Long Beach California State University-Sacramento Cameron University Central New Mexico Community College Clark College Cleveland Community College Columbia Southern University Dyersburg State Community College East Carolina University Emporia State University Florida Atlantic University Florida International University Frederick Community College Germanna Community College Harford Community College Idaho State University Indiana University-South Bend Instituto Profesional IACC Iowa State University John Carroll University Kent State University System Laredo College Mount Carmel College of Nursing New Mexico State University-Alamogordo New Mexico State University-Dona Ana North Carolina State University at Raleigh North Park University Northeastern Illinois University Oregon Health & Science University Polk State College Prairie View A & M University Rowan-Cabarrus Community College Saudi Electronic University Sinclair Community College South Florida State College South Texas College Southeastern Community College (NC) Southern Arkansas University Tech Southwest Virginia Community College Stark State College Texas A & M International University The University of Alabama The University of Texas at Arlington University of Alaska Anchorage University of Cincinnati University of Florida University of Louisiana at Lafayette University of Maryland, Baltimore County University of North Texas Health Science Center University of Southern Indiana Waldorf University West Chester University of Pennsylvania Western Kentucky University Hands-on Labs Region 4 Education Service Center Teachworthy Welcome New Members Felician University Oakwood University Monroe County Community College Baruch College CUNY Colorado Northwestern Community College Community College of Aurora Lamar Community College Northeastern Junior College Otero College Pikes Peak Community College Pueblo Community College Florida A&M University Coastal Carolina University Carleton University Universidad del Valle de Atemajac – UNIVA Learn More About QM Membership >>

You’ve worked hard. You’ve earned them. Don’t forget to claim your digital credential! Learn more Tweet Share Forward Share Copyright © 2022 Quality Matters, All rights reserved. Our email marketing is permission-based. If you received a mailing from us, our records indicate that (a) you have expressly shared this address for the purpose of receiving information in the future (“opt-in”), or (b) you have registered or purchased or otherwise have an existing relationship with us. We respect your time and attention by controlling the frequency of our mailings. Our mailing address is: Quality Matters 1997 Annapolis Exchange Parkway Suite 300 Annapolis, MD 21401

Standards In Practice: NSQ Online Courses

An item from this “national standards” initiative.

Standard Highlight:  Online Courses Standard B: Content B:  The online course provides learners with various content options that promote their mastery of content and are aligned with state or national content standards.    B1:  The online course objectives or competencies are measurable and clearly state what the learner will be able to demonstrate as a result of successfully completing the course.    Download PDF Short description:   B1 is perhaps the most obvious standard and indicator in the NSQ, yet it is also often the most difficult for a K-12 course provider to master. What does “measurable” mean, anyway? When the Launch K-12 virtual program became a member of Quality Matters in 2017, we mistakenly thought we had the requirement for course objectives under control–after all, we had always ensured alignment in all of our courses to the Missouri Learning Standards (MLS) required by our state. It didn’t take us long to realize, however, that while we had 100% alignment to our state’s standards (NSQ Standard B3), we also had to ensure that our course-level objectives were measurable–and that wasn’t always (or even often) the case with MLS. We soon learned that even if the state standards weren’t measurable, that we could improve the quality of our course design by including overarching course objectives that were measurable – which helped to ensure the alignment of the course materials, assessment, activities, and tools. We were able to demonstrate this to stakeholders by developing a correlation document or alignment map. Having measurable course objectives allows us to determine in a quantifiable way whether or not a student has mastered that objective. See example below. By Dr. Meghan Roe, Coordinator of Course Development at Launch Virtual Learning in Missouri.  Helpful Hints for putting the standard into practice Keep your Bloom’s handy (or Webb’s Depth of Knowledge): Both taxonomies can be  very helpful in writing alternate, measurable course objectives. Network! The QM course review process helped us to figure out a structure that would work for us via an alignment document. We learned that you can “fail forward” and that members of both Quality Matters and Virtual Learning Leadership Alliance were able to provide some helpful guidance. Document your development process: We built a Canvas resource course for the subject matter experts writing content and another course for the instructional designers developing the content. We use template assignments, course writing documents, and alignment documents to provide examples of exactly what we need to ensure measurable objectives and alignment to state standards. Consider the needs of your audience: Partner districts need to know how our courses align to Missouri Learning Standards, whereas parents and students are more concerned with individual assignments. Our answer is to make our alignment document suitable for all potential audiences, but also to repeat information from the document in multiple places: on our website, unit overview pages, and even assignment-level goals on each page of the course. Resources to support standard use. At Launch, the following resources are used throughout our course development process: from  writing measurable course objectives to ensuring the alignment to Missouri Learning Standards; they help to keep track progress. Course writing document: Create a template which provides a space for the Subject Matter Expert and Instructional Designer to write and edit assignments before they are built in Canvas. From the beginning of the process, emphasize the importance of not only aligning assignments to state Standards, but also ensuring that the objectives of each assignment are measurable. Course Writer Resource Course: Helpful for SME’s in particular, as they delve into the course writing process.The CANVAS course helps them to understand the need for measurable objectives. Alignment document template:  Used during the course writing process, this includes tips for filling out each field. Launch instructional designers complete this at the end of the development process. Project Management software (Monday.com): This tool helps us keep track of every step of course development. Not only do we know exactly where a course is in the writing, development, and revision cycle, we also know when it is time to fill out the alignment document. Author and Organization Bio  Dr. Meghan Roe is the Coordinator of Course Development for Launch in Missouri, a state-wide K-12 virtual program based out of Springfield Public Schools. Launch has been a Quality Matters subscriber since 2018 and recently joined the Virtual Learning Leadership Alliance. Meghan leads a team of 11 Instructional Designers and 2 Quality Assurance Specialists in the design and development of hundreds of courses inside Canvas. She has a particular interest in bringing together the NSQ standards for online courses and the NSQ standards for online teaching, both for her team and for the team of curriculum leads and full-time teachers, who are also often the subject matter experts that write course content. Check out the NSQ Website and  NSQ Professional Learning Portal for more resources. Copyright © *2022* *National Standards for Quality Online Learning Project*, All rights reserved. Our mailing address is: *NSQOL.org*

National Standards for Quality Online Learning · 6024 Deer Trace Ct · Dunlap, IL 61525-9662 · USA

Here’s your webinar recording: “Standing Out From the Crowd: Earn Your QM Teaching Online Certificate”

This recording may be of interest to readers of this space.

Enhance Your Skills — and Your Career

Thank you for your interest in “Standing Out From the Crowd: Earn Your QM Teaching Online Certificate.” The webinar recording is now available. Please note: the recording is available for 30 days from the date of the webinar. After that, you will be able to find it on our YouTube Channel. During the webinar, several educators shared how the program has made an impact at their institutions. “Faculty who have taken the workshops comment on how they were well worth the effort required and that they learned more about online learning and teaching. They tell their colleagues, who then request the program.” — Amy Crowley-Gonsoulin, Miami Dade College “It was a huge motivator for our faculty that they were able to use their courses/materials rather than a fake/hypothetical course…. And the coolest thing I’ve seen so far is that some of the faculty are starting to put the QM TOC badge in the signature line of their emails.” — Justin Sentz, Shippensburg University Earn your QM Teaching Online Certificate this summer Ready to hone your expertise and raise your professional profile? Now’s your chance — workshops for this summer are enrolling now! The program includes: Gauging Your Technology Skills Evaluating Your Course Design Exploring Your Institution’s Policies Orienting Your Online Learners Connecting Learning Theories to Your Teaching Strategies Creating Presence in Your Online Course Assessing Your Learners You can take workshops individually, or save 10% when you register for all seven! Learn More & Register We look forward to seeing you in an upcoming workshop. If you have any questions about the program, please get in touch at info@qualitymatters.org.

Quality Matters has many tools and resources for creating quality learning environments to support student success. Explore all of our professional development and course review options to find the one that is right for you. Quality Matters (QM) is the global organization leading quality assurance in online and innovative digital teaching and learning environments. It provides a scalable quality assurance system for online and blended learning used within and across organizations. When you see QM Certification Marks on courses or programs, it means they have met QM Course Design Standards or QM Program Review Criteria in a rigorous review process.

View this email in your browser Forward to a friend Copyright © 2022 Quality Matters, All rights reserved. Our email marketing is permission-based. If you received a mailing from us, our records indicate that (a) you have expressly shared this address for the purpose of receiving information in the future (“opt-in”), or (b) you have registered or purchased or otherwise have an existing relationship with us. We respect your time and attention by controlling the frequency of our mailings. Our mailing address is: Quality Matters 1997 Annapolis Exchange Parkway Suite 300 Annapolis, MD 21401

Instructional materials: do yours meet the standard?

The second of two items, this time a K-12 focused one, from the folks at Quality Matters that may be of interest to readers.

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Resources for Building Quality June 2022

Instructional Materials for Student Success Meeting learners where they are is essential to their success, and that calls for quality instructional materials. Whether you’re handed materials when you’re assigned a course or must hunt them down on your own, you need confidence that they’ll help students meet learning objectives. Is your content robust and rigorous? Do materials represent a variety of formats and the latest best practices? Do they support the needs of a diverse array of learners? Effective instructional materials can make the difference between sink or swim for students. In this video, QM’s K-12 Program Director Chris Voelker explains how to apply the Specific Review Standard 4.4 C benchmark of “sufficient breadth, depth and currency” to ensure your materials hit the mark. Ready for a deeper dive into instructional materials? These workshops will give you tips and tricks to put into practice in your courses. K-12 Instructional Materials: Investigating What Works — Choose from a dedicated two-hour session or a one-week workshop for groups of 10-20. Rethinking Content for the Online Classroom — Two-hour dedicated virtual workshop for groups of 10-20. FREE Printable What can you do today to enhance the depth, breadth and currency of your instructional materials? Check out these Timely Tips for concrete steps you can take no matter how much time you have — even just 5 minutes can make a difference! K-12 Publishers with QM-Certified Courses Pearson Virtual Schools: 117 Imagine Learning (formerly Edgenuity): 101 Edmentum/Apex Learning: 91 North Carolina Virtual Public School: 72 Strongmind: 71 Michigan Virtual: 47 International Academy of Science: 31 Founders Education: 23 Virtual Arkansas: 20 Graduation Alliance: 15 See More Certified Courses >> Learning Opportunities Teaching Online Certificate — Take your expertise to the next level with QM’s Teaching Online Certificate. You’ll strengthen your skill set and raise your career profile with valuable credentials. K-12 Online Course Design — Learn to develop your online course using QM foundations. You’ll come away with a practical framework and a module/unit ready to use in your course development plan. Explore the two-hour QM Live! workshops for more professional development opportunities. Summer sessions are open for registration now!

Share Tweet Forward Share Quality Matters (QM) is the global organization leading quality assurance in online and innovative digital teaching and learning environments. It provides a scalable quality assurance system for online and blended learning used within and across organizations. When you see QM Certification Marks on courses or programs, it means they have met QM Course Design Standards or QM Program Review criteria in a rigorous review process. Copyright © 2022 Quality Matters, All rights reserved. Our email marketing is permission-based. If you received a mailing from us, our records indicate that (a) you have expressly shared this address for the purpose of receiving information in the future (“opt-in”), or (b) you have registered or purchased or otherwise have an existing relationship with us. We respect your time and attention by controlling the frequency of our mailings. Our mailing address is: Quality Matters 1997 Annapolis Exchange Parkway Suite 300 Annapolis, MD 21401