{"id":347,"date":"2019-02-26T02:21:02","date_gmt":"2019-02-26T02:21:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dev.ucomm.ncsu.edu\/web-platform-free-tier\/2019\/02\/26\/confirming-commitment-to-online-course-quality-through-quality-matters\/"},"modified":"2019-02-26T02:21:02","modified_gmt":"2019-02-26T02:21:02","slug":"confirming-commitment-to-online-course-quality-through-quality-matters","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dev.ucomm.ncsu.edu\/web-platform-free-tier\/2019\/02\/26\/confirming-commitment-to-online-course-quality-through-quality-matters\/","title":{"rendered":"Confirming Commitment to Online Course Quality through Quality Matters"},"content":{"rendered":"

The <\/span>Online Course Improvement Program (OCIP)<\/span><\/a> is a testament to NC State\u2019s commitment to quality teaching and learning and providing online and distance education students with the same extraordinary experience as they would receive in person. <\/span><\/p>\n

The new group of dedicated faculty who make up OCIP\u2019s third cohort is on the mark to continually improve the design of their online course to meet the rigorous standards of the <\/span>Quality Matters (QM) organization<\/span><\/a>. <\/span><\/p>\n

Throughout the 16-week program, the spring 2019 OCIP cohort work collaboratively with each other and DELTA staff through online asynchronous training, face-to-face meetings, individual consultations and more to prepare their courses for an official QM review at the end of the program. <\/span><\/p>\n

The official QM course review is faculty driven where a three-person team from across the nation conducts a peer review of the course. The extensive eight-week process provides faculty with not only a QM certification but rich feedback on how to continuously improve the course.<\/span><\/p>\n

Meet the Spring 2019 OCIP Cohort <\/span><\/h2>\n

\"\"Lecturer <\/span>Christine Cranford<\/b><\/a>, who completed OCIP in fall 2018 and is in the process of certifying her ENG 331: Communication for Engineering and Technology course, learned so much in the fall that she wanted to continue with OCIP this spring to make improvements to ENG 332: Communication for Business and Management. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI applied the work I did last semester to my current ENG 331 online course, and I can tell overall the course is a lot clearer to students,\u201d Cranford said. <\/span><\/p>\n

Cranford is also serving as the faculty lead and provides additional support to the OCIP cohort in the online training and face-to-face meetings. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI serve as a mentor, somebody that has been through the program and can offer experience and suggestions as we develop our courses to meet the Quality Matters standards,\u201d Cranford said. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWorking with faculty members who are outside of my department offers a new perspective. We share ideas and different ways to approach class materials, assignments, and assessments. Working with faculty members from other disciplines is one of the strengths of the Online Course Improvement Program,\u201d she added. <\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"Teaching Assistant Professor <\/span>Peter Hessling<\/b><\/a> teaches ELP 344: School and Society in the Department of Educational Leadership, Policy, and Human Development. <\/span><\/p>\n

Hessling sees participating in OCIP and the Quality Matters certification as an opportunity to reach his students better \u2014 students who will soon be teachers and have students of their own. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMost of my students are going into teaching. Since they will at least in part be teaching online, wouldn\u2019t it be great to model really good online teaching practices for them?\u201d he said. \u201cQuality Matters is not only for my own class but for my students’ classes.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

Hessling received a DELTA Grant in 2015 where he worked with former Instructional Designer Dan Dunnagan to conceptually transform his course. This work set his course up for success in OCIP. <\/span><\/p>\n

Another benefit of OCIP for Hessling is the confidence he hopes to gain in areas such as instructional video and creating solid course objectives \u2014 similar to the confidence he gained after finishing his DELTA Grant. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I finished my year with Dan [DELTA Grant], I wasn\u2019t afraid of technology anymore. If I didn\u2019t know how to do something, before I would say, \u2018I won\u2019t do that,\u2019 now I\u2019ll say, \u2018I\u2019ll give it a shot,\u2019 It was a real change in attitude toward using technology,\u201d he explained. <\/span><\/p>\n

This attitude has enabled Hessling to dive in with OCIP in his pursuit of quality online courses. \u201cI want online students to have the same kind of quality experience as if they were taking it here,\u201d he added. <\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"Postdoctoral Research Scholar <\/span>Muntazar Monsur<\/b><\/a> considers himself an enthusiast for online education. He works with the <\/span>Natural Learning Initiative (NLI)<\/span><\/a> in the College of Design and co-teaches LAR 582: Introduction to Environment and Behavior for Designers with Research Associate Professor Nilda Cosco. <\/span><\/p>\n

Because of his previous experience with DELTA Grants, Monsur became interested in OCIP as he was preparing to teach the LAR 582 course for the first time since 2016. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cCourses in architecture and landscape architecture (my two major fields of interest) are mostly taught in studio environments and are very challenging to teach online. From this program, I am looking forward to enhancing my understandings in online course development in the fields of design,\u201d Monsur said. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSo far, the OCIP training is a revelation for me about the seriousness and attention required for creating a functioning online learning environment for students,\u201d he added. <\/span><\/p>\n

With the NLI, Monsur sees first hand the importance of online courses that meet the needs of a wide audience. The NLI offers an online certificate course for early childhood educators, many of whom do not have the time or resources to take a face-to-face class so the online certificate is vital for them. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOnline courses are going to play a major role in the future of education, and quality assurance for online courses is critical to ensure student success,\u201d he said. <\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"Teaching Assistant Professor and DELTA Faculty Fellow <\/span>Melissa Ramirez<\/b><\/a> has been teaching online in the Department of Biological Sciences for several years and also coordinates the <\/span>Microbiology Undergraduate Certificate<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Ramirez jumped into OCIP to not only evaluate her own course but to identify the best practices to recruit faculty in her department to develop their own online and distance education course for the certificate. <\/span><\/p>\n

With research interests focused on inclusion in STEM education, Ramirez has goals to make sure all of her online and distance education courses are inclusive and as accessible as possible for students. She is interested in using Universal Design for Learning to provide students with alternate ways to perceive and demonstrate their mastery of content. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOCIP is giving me the time and resources to really explore aspects of my course with Universal Design Learning in mind,\u201d she added. <\/span><\/p>\n

On the importance of quality online courses, Ramirez said, \u201cGiving students the autonomy to pace their coursework according to their schedules means we can serve students who otherwise couldn\u2019t make it to campus for a class at a set time. We are able to reach more students and make education more accessible, which should serve as a guiding principle, especially for those of us at land-grant institutions.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"Teaching Associate Professor <\/span>Julianne Treme<\/b><\/a> completed a Rapid Design DELTA Grant in fall 2018 and was interested in the next steps to continue improving her ARE 201: Introduction to Agricultural and Resource Economics course. <\/span><\/p>\n

For Treme, getting to know her OCIP cohort who have similar interests in online quality was key to participating. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cEvery discipline does things differently and sometimes what is standard in one is revolutionary in another. \u00a0Being able to apply different tools or techniques to my existing courses is exciting and being able to troubleshoot these with people that have already done it is the most efficient approach,\u201d she said. <\/span><\/p>\n

She also notes that greater numbers of faculty participating in OCIP and earning Quality Matters certifications for their courses positively impact both students and faculty at NC State as the online course value and experience is improved.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOnline courses are only becoming more popular and as more and more students enroll, the quality of the online course must keep pace as class sizes increase and the course is offered more frequently. This program offers faculty a terrific opportunity to learn about best practices and ensuring that students are assessed appropriately given the course’s goals,\u201d she added. <\/span><\/p>\n

Creating a Culture of Quality Assurance <\/span><\/h2>\n

The collaborative OCIP effort is facilitated by QM Coordinator and Lead Instructional Designer <\/span>Bethanne Tobey<\/span><\/a> along with DELTA staff members <\/span>Christopher Beeson<\/span><\/a>, <\/span>Arlene Mendoza-Moran<\/span><\/a>, <\/span>Rebecca Sanchez<\/span><\/a> and <\/span>Bethany Smith<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Each DELTA staff member is paired with one of the OCIP faculty members to serve as a mentor and receives one-on-one consultations to review progress and work through challenges. <\/span><\/p>\n

At the end of OCIP, this group plans to add five more courses to the growing list of Quality Matters-certified courses at NC State<\/a>. <\/span><\/p>\n

OCIP continues to have success in helping faculty learn about and continually improve their courses based on the Quality Matters standards. <\/span><\/p>\n

Tobey and her team are also hosting Quality Matters\u2019 flagship workshop Applying the Quality Matters Rubric on March 12, 2019, and will offer other workshop opportunities focused on QM in the future. <\/span><\/p>\n

To learn more about Quality Matters at NC State, visit <\/span>go.ncsu.edu\/qualitymatters<\/span><\/a>. <\/span><\/p>\n

This post was originally published<\/a> in DELTA News.<\/em><\/p>","protected":false,"raw":"The <\/span>Online Course Improvement Program (OCIP)<\/span><\/a> is a testament to NC State\u2019s commitment to quality teaching and learning and providing online and distance education students with the same extraordinary experience as they would receive in person. <\/span>\r\n\r\nThe new group of dedicated faculty who make up OCIP\u2019s third cohort is on the mark to continually improve the design of their online course to meet the rigorous standards of the <\/span>Quality Matters (QM) organization<\/span><\/a>. <\/span>\r\n\r\nThroughout the 16-week program, the spring 2019 OCIP cohort work collaboratively with each other and DELTA staff through online asynchronous training, face-to-face meetings, individual consultations and more to prepare their courses for an official QM review at the end of the program. <\/span>\r\n\r\nThe official QM course review is faculty driven where a three-person team from across the nation conducts a peer review of the course. The extensive eight-week process provides faculty with not only a QM certification but rich feedback on how to continuously improve the course.<\/span>\r\n

Meet the Spring 2019 OCIP Cohort <\/span><\/h2>\r\n\"\"Lecturer <\/span>Christine Cranford<\/b><\/a>, who completed OCIP in fall 2018 and is in the process of certifying her ENG 331: Communication for Engineering and Technology course, learned so much in the fall that she wanted to continue with OCIP this spring to make improvements to ENG 332: Communication for Business and Management. <\/span>\r\n\r\n\u201cI applied the work I did last semester to my current ENG 331 online course, and I can tell overall the course is a lot clearer to students,\u201d Cranford said. <\/span>\r\n\r\nCranford is also serving as the faculty lead and provides additional support to the OCIP cohort in the online training and face-to-face meetings. <\/span>\r\n\r\n\u201cI serve as a mentor, somebody that has been through the program and can offer experience and suggestions as we develop our courses to meet the Quality Matters standards,\u201d Cranford said. <\/span>\r\n\r\n\u201cWorking with faculty members who are outside of my department offers a new perspective. We share ideas and different ways to approach class materials, assignments, and assessments. Working with faculty members from other disciplines is one of the strengths of the Online Course Improvement Program,\u201d she added. <\/span>\r\n\r\n\"\"Teaching Assistant Professor <\/span>Peter Hessling<\/b><\/a> teaches ELP 344: School and Society in the Department of Educational Leadership, Policy, and Human Development. <\/span>\r\n\r\nHessling sees participating in OCIP and the Quality Matters certification as an opportunity to reach his students better \u2014 students who will soon be teachers and have students of their own. <\/span>\r\n\r\n\u201cMost of my students are going into teaching. Since they will at least in part be teaching online, wouldn\u2019t it be great to model really good online teaching practices for them?\u201d he said. \u201cQuality Matters is not only for my own class but for my students' classes.\u201d <\/span>\r\n\r\nHessling received a DELTA Grant in 2015 where he worked with former Instructional Designer Dan Dunnagan to conceptually transform his course. This work set his course up for success in OCIP. <\/span>\r\n\r\nAnother benefit of OCIP for Hessling is the confidence he hopes to gain in areas such as instructional video and creating solid course objectives \u2014 similar to the confidence he gained after finishing his DELTA Grant. <\/span>\r\n\r\n\u201cWhen I finished my year with Dan [DELTA Grant], I wasn\u2019t afraid of technology anymore. If I didn\u2019t know how to do something, before I would say, \u2018I won\u2019t do that,\u2019 now I\u2019ll say, \u2018I\u2019ll give it a shot,\u2019 It was a real change in attitude toward using technology,\u201d he explained. <\/span>\r\n\r\nThis attitude has enabled Hessling to dive in with OCIP in his pursuit of quality online courses. \u201cI want online students to have the same kind of quality experience as if they were taking it here,\u201d he added. <\/span>\r\n\r\n\"\"Postdoctoral Research Scholar <\/span>Muntazar Monsur<\/b><\/a> considers himself an enthusiast for online education. He works with the <\/span>Natural Learning Initiative (NLI)<\/span><\/a> in the College of Design and co-teaches LAR 582: Introduction to Environment and Behavior for Designers with Research Associate Professor Nilda Cosco. <\/span>\r\n\r\nBecause of his previous experience with DELTA Grants, Monsur became interested in OCIP as he was preparing to teach the LAR 582 course for the first time since 2016. <\/span>\r\n\r\n\u201cCourses in architecture and landscape architecture (my two major fields of interest) are mostly taught in studio environments and are very challenging to teach online. From this program, I am looking forward to enhancing my understandings in online course development in the fields of design,\u201d Monsur said. <\/span>\r\n\r\n\u201cSo far, the OCIP training is a revelation for me about the seriousness and attention required for creating a functioning online learning environment for students,\u201d he added. <\/span>\r\n\r\nWith the NLI, Monsur sees first hand the importance of online courses that meet the needs of a wide audience. The NLI offers an online certificate course for early childhood educators, many of whom do not have the time or resources to take a face-to-face class so the online certificate is vital for them. <\/span>\r\n\r\n\u201cOnline courses are going to play a major role in the future of education, and quality assurance for online courses is critical to ensure student success,\u201d he said. <\/span>\r\n\r\n\"\"Teaching Assistant Professor and DELTA Faculty Fellow <\/span>Melissa Ramirez<\/b><\/a> has been teaching online in the Department of Biological Sciences for several years and also coordinates the <\/span>Microbiology Undergraduate Certificate<\/span><\/a>.<\/span>\r\n\r\nRamirez jumped into OCIP to not only evaluate her own course but to identify the best practices to recruit faculty in her department to develop their own online and distance education course for the certificate. <\/span>\r\n\r\nWith research interests focused on inclusion in STEM education, Ramirez has goals to make sure all of her online and distance education courses are inclusive and as accessible as possible for students. She is interested in using Universal Design for Learning to provide students with alternate ways to perceive and demonstrate their mastery of content. <\/span>\r\n\r\n\u201cOCIP is giving me the time and resources to really explore aspects of my course with Universal Design Learning in mind,\u201d she added. <\/span>\r\n\r\nOn the importance of quality online courses, Ramirez said, \u201cGiving students the autonomy to pace their coursework according to their schedules means we can serve students who otherwise couldn\u2019t make it to campus for a class at a set time. We are able to reach more students and make education more accessible, which should serve as a guiding principle, especially for those of us at land-grant institutions.\u201d<\/span>\r\n\r\n\"\"Teaching Associate Professor <\/span>Julianne Treme<\/b><\/a> completed a Rapid Design DELTA Grant in fall 2018 and was interested in the next steps to continue improving her ARE 201: Introduction to Agricultural and Resource Economics course. <\/span>\r\n\r\nFor Treme, getting to know her OCIP cohort who have similar interests in online quality was key to participating. <\/span>\r\n\r\n\u201cEvery discipline does things differently and sometimes what is standard in one is revolutionary in another. \u00a0Being able to apply different tools or techniques to my existing courses is exciting and being able to troubleshoot these with people that have already done it is the most efficient approach,\u201d she said. <\/span>\r\n\r\nShe also notes that greater numbers of faculty participating in OCIP and earning Quality Matters certifications for their courses positively impact both students and faculty at NC State as the online course value and experience is improved.<\/span>\r\n\r\n\u201cOnline courses are only becoming more popular and as more and more students enroll, the quality of the online course must keep pace as class sizes increase and the course is offered more frequently. This program offers faculty a terrific opportunity to learn about best practices and ensuring that students are assessed appropriately given the course's goals,\u201d she added. <\/span>\r\n

Creating a Culture of Quality Assurance <\/span><\/h2>\r\nThe collaborative OCIP effort is facilitated by QM Coordinator and Lead Instructional Designer <\/span>Bethanne Tobey<\/span><\/a> along with DELTA staff members <\/span>Christopher Beeson<\/span><\/a>, <\/span>Arlene Mendoza-Moran<\/span><\/a>, <\/span>Rebecca Sanchez<\/span><\/a> and <\/span>Bethany Smith<\/span><\/a>.<\/span>\r\n\r\nEach DELTA staff member is paired with one of the OCIP faculty members to serve as a mentor and receives one-on-one consultations to review progress and work through challenges. <\/span>\r\n\r\nAt the end of OCIP, this group plans to add five more courses to the growing list of Quality Matters-certified courses at NC State<\/a>. <\/span>\r\n\r\nOCIP continues to have success in helping faculty learn about and continually improve their courses based on the Quality Matters standards. <\/span>\r\n\r\nTobey and her team are also hosting Quality Matters\u2019 flagship workshop Applying the Quality Matters Rubric on March 12, 2019, and will offer other workshop opportunities focused on QM in the future. <\/span>\r\n\r\nTo learn more about Quality Matters at NC State, visit <\/span>go.ncsu.edu\/qualitymatters<\/span><\/a>. <\/span>"},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Online Course Improvement Program (OCIP) has a new cohort of faculty who will work to make improvements to their online courses to meet the nationally recognized standards of the Quality Matters organization. Meet the new group of dedicated faculty members committed to providing quality online teaching and learning.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":348,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"source":"ncstate_wire","ncst_dynamicHeaderBlockName":"","ncst_dynamicHeaderData":"","ncst_content_audit_freq":"","ncst_content_audit_date":"","ncst_content_audit_display":false,"ncst_backToTopFlag":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[5],"class_list":["post-347","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-_from-newswire-collection-6"],"displayCategory":null,"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dev.ucomm.ncsu.edu\/web-platform-free-tier\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/347","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dev.ucomm.ncsu.edu\/web-platform-free-tier\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dev.ucomm.ncsu.edu\/web-platform-free-tier\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dev.ucomm.ncsu.edu\/web-platform-free-tier\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dev.ucomm.ncsu.edu\/web-platform-free-tier\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=347"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dev.ucomm.ncsu.edu\/web-platform-free-tier\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/347\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dev.ucomm.ncsu.edu\/web-platform-free-tier\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/348"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dev.ucomm.ncsu.edu\/web-platform-free-tier\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=347"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dev.ucomm.ncsu.edu\/web-platform-free-tier\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=347"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dev.ucomm.ncsu.edu\/web-platform-free-tier\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=347"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}