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Introducing the Quality Matters

Continuing Education Rubric

Quality Matters Course Design Standards

8 General Standards and Alignment Principle

Common to all Quality Matters design rubrics:

1.Course Overview and Introduction2.Learning Objectives 3.Assessment and Measurement4.Resources and Materials5.Learner Interaction6.Course Technology7.Learner Support8.Accessibility

}Key Components Must Align

Standards and Points

HE Rubric• 41 standards• 95 points• 81 points to meet standards

(85%)

CPE Rubric• 41 standards• 99 points• 85 points to meet standards

(85%)

Assumptions of the Higher Education Rubric

• Courses are sponsored by an accredited college or university

• Courses bear academic credit• Course are facilitated by regular or adjunct faculty• Students are admitted and registered at the

sponsoring institution and subject to its policies

Modified Rubrics

• When assumptions of the Higher Education Rubric are not valid, QM modifies the rubric to fit the circumstances, e.g.,– The Publisher Rubric. Where a third-party developed course

does not have the institutional or instructor component– The Continuing and Professional Education Rubric. Where

academic credit is not offered for the course, the learner is not admitted to a course of study at a college or university, and the course may not be facilitated by an instructor. The CPE Rubric is appropriate for professional training and personal development courses offered by a wide variety of organizations, as well as non-credit courses offered by colleges and universities.

Differences between the Higher Education Rubric

and the Continuing and Professional

Education Rubric

Modified Standards in the Continuing Education Rubric

• Courses can meet standards without active instructor facilitation, e.g.,– No direct student-to-instructor communication– No personalized instructor self-introduction– No ready student access to an instructor– Exclusively machine graded assessment

• Courses can meet standards without direct learner-to-learner contact (the CPE Rubric refers to students as course takers or learners due to the variety of participants that may take a CPE course) e.g.,– No learner self-introductions– No learner-to-learner discussion boards– No group activities

Modified Standards in the Continuing Education Rubric

• Reduced expectations of institutional support- Technical Support- Academic Support- Disability Support- And no Learner Support Services (Counseling, etc.)

Compensating Expectations inthe Continuing Education Rubric

• Enriched learner-to-content interaction– Learner engagement through creative assignments and

technology– Expanded opportunities for learner self-assessment– Automated feedback to learners on activities and

assessments

• Clear descriptions of resources available to the continuing education learner– In course introduction, orientation materials, and provider

website– Explanation of forms of recognition available to successful

learners (in lieu of academic credit)