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Librarians and the QM Rubric. When Quality Matters. Quality Matters (QM) Rubric. What is it?
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Librarians and the QM Rubric When Quality Matters
Quality Matters (QM) Rubric • What is it? • Quality Matters (QM) is a leader in quality assurance for online education and has received national recognition for its peer-based approach to continuous improvement in online education and student learning. The program features: • Faculty-centered, continuous improvement models for assuring the quality of online courses through peer review • Professional development workshops and certification courses for instructors and online learning professionals • Rubrics for applying quality standards to course design • From: https://www.qualitymatters.org/
What happens when Quality “Doesn’t matter?” • In February 2013, Georgia Tech and CourseraMOOC Online Course titled, • “Fundamentals of Online Education: Planning and Application” • Problems • The instructor did not “introduce” herself to the class. • Encountered technical glitches before the class even began. • Students could not download certain course materials. • Documents were added to the course syllabus at the last minute. • Used Google Docs to help the course’s 40,000 enrolled students to organize themselves into groups. • KOLOWICH, STEVE. "Georgia Tech, Coursera Try To Recover From MOOC Stumble." Chronicle Of Higher Education 59.23 (2013): A15. MasterFILEPremier. Web. 19 Aug. 2013.
What does the QM Rubric do? • It looks at course design by harnessing of technology to deliver instruction and promote student learning. • QM provides a process for peer-to-peer feedback for faculty in the continuous improvement of their course and certifies courses as meeting shared standards of best practice. • QM is not the complete answer to quality assurance for online education, but it can be a critical component.
What is in it for faculty? • If you are an Instructional Librarian or something like… • It improves online courses. • It is an external quality assurance • Participation useful for professional development plan and portfolio • Faculty development trainings • Review other courses and gain new ideas for own course; expand professional community.
What is in it for librarians? • Of the Eight Quality Matters Rubric Standards, four of them directly or indirectly, • involve a Librarian.
Standards • General Standard 4: • Instructional Material • General Standard 5: • Learner Interaction and Engagement • General Standard 6: • Course Technology • General Standard 7: • Learner Support
General Standard 4 • 4.1 Learning materials have to connect with the learning objectives • For example:textbooks, required reading, databases, citation guides, maps, etc. • 4.2 Requires explanation of how materials for learning activities can be used. • For example: online courses would have a Web tutorial about how to use the catalog, hybrid courses would have a librarian embedded in the classroom, training on how to use library databases and other online resources
General standard 5 • 5.2 Interaction opportunities for students that support active learning • Example: writing an APA or MLA style paper, finding resources in the library, reference by appointment, using the group meeting rooms in the library, asking a librarian for help, using the catalog subject guide, etc.
General Standard 6 • 6.4 Course required technology can be accessed • Example: videos, audio, animations, podcasts, blogs, wikis, social media, books, ebooks, databases, etc.
General standard 7 • 7.3 Course provides a link to resources that can help the students succeed and how they can access the services. • Example: link to the library Web site, link to a LibGuide that applies to the course, writing centers, library assistance, library chat, library Facebook page, library Twitter, reference desk phone number, etc. • 7.4 Answers how student support services can help the students. • Example: library workshops, online library tutorials, etc.
Quality matters to librarians • Why? • Having an online component in coursework is quickly becoming the norm. • If we, as Librarians and Information Professionals, do not become a part of the evaluation process, we could get left out. • We are the quality mangers on campus when it comes to information.
Conclusion • Currently, 28 Universities and Colleges in Louisiana subscribe to the QM Rubric and the number is growing. • If you have the opportunity to participate, take it. • Thank you for your time. • Paula L. Webb • University of South Alabama • Mobile, AL • pwebb@southalabama.edu • 251-460-7024