Assistant teaching professor Dr. Angela Katenkamp became the 20th faculty member to earn Quality Matters (QM) certification for PSYC 200 (Developmental Psychology) as part of the Quality Matters Impact program. More than half of the QM-certified courses in the University System of Maryland are from UMBC. 

"Going through Quality Matters certification for this course helped me make changes not only to this course but all the courses I teach," said Dr. Katenkamp. "The process has strengthened my skills in course design, helping me to design high quality student-centered courses that promote success."

As an extension of the award-winning PIVOT program, the Quality Matters Impact (QMI) program is an initiative to formally recognize courses that meet Quality Matters standards and demonstrate exemplary online/hybrid course design. Since its inception in 2021, 19 UMBC faculty have earned QM-certification for their online or hybrid course design through the QMI program.

A formal QM course review is designed to be a collegial process to provide helpful recommendations for continuous improvement and reinforce effective, research-based practices for online and hybrid course design. As part of this process, faculty participants receive feedback from certified Quality Matters peer reviewers including UMBC faculty and staff and other online learning experts in the QM community.

DoIT's Instructional Technology team manages the review using QM's Higher Education Rubric, 7th Edition (Requires UMBC login to access PDF). When a course meets QM standards following a formal review, it is eligible to display the QM Certification Mark.

Selection Criteria: 

Participants selected for the Spring/Fall 2025 QMI cohort agree to submit a hybrid or online course for a formal Quality Matters course review.

Full or part-time faculty who meet the criteria and have not previously received funding through the QMI program are encouraged to apply no later than Friday, December 6. 

Recognizing that the QM Impact program does require an investment of time to participate, a $1000 professional development award will be provided to faculty once a course meets QM standards.

Eligibility:

1. You must have taught your course as online or hybrid for at least two semesters at UMBC.
2. Highly recommended skills that demonstrate proficiency and consistent use of Blackboard Ultra:
1. Ability to demonstrate skills in at least seven of the nine Core Competency Areas for Ultra in a current or past online/hybrid course.

This article focuses on ways to leverage features in Ultra to ensure your course is designed to optimize student learning and ensure students feel welcome and prepared, especially at the start of the term. Part 2 will feature Ultra’s progress tracking tools and effective strategies for student identification, outreach, and support.

A student’s first impression of your course, and their learning opportunities throughout the course, are influenced initially by course design. A clutter-free environment helps students focus on the course and avoid confusion. In addition, students’ learning opportunities can be enhanced by using Blackboard Ultra design features to welcome and orient them within the first critical weeks of the semester and ensure they are on track and able to locate content, engage with one another, get help, and submit assignments.

During emergency-remote instruction in 2020, a survey of more than 500 UMBC courses taught by instructors who completed the PIVOT+ professional development program found students reported enjoying taking classes that were well organized and planned. More than 85% of students agreed or strongly agreed that PIVOT+ courses flowed in a logical format. About 90% of students agreed or strongly agreed that course requirements were clear, while 83% agreed or strongly agreed that assignment instructions were clear. 

Using the ‘Start Here’ Module 

Every Blackboard course shell at UMBC is created with a “Start Here” module already in place. Within this module are placeholders for the syllabus, instructor information, and eLearning and academic resources. This module can also contain critical orientation information to let students know what to expect in your course, how to navigate, help set the tone for the course, and provide opportunities to establish teaching and social presence (Quality Matters, 2024; Wengier, 2022).

Welcoming and Orienting Students

When it comes to designing the welcome experience for learners, Quality Matters General Standard 1: Course Overview & Introduction (HE Rubric, 7th ed.), offers researched-backed effective practices for orienting students to the course and instructor expectations for communication, feedback, grading, and use of Blackboard. 

In the QM-certified course AGNG 355, instructor Louise Murray (pictured above) includes a pre-recorded, narrated, and captioned PowerPoint to provide students with a visual tour of the course and communication expectations. This allows students to see and hear the instructor and complements the text Murray provides about email, phone, office hours, and response times. 

There are many ways to welcome and introduce students to your course, including steps you can take before the semester even starts, such as sending a welcome email or announcement. These messages can stay available for students through the duration of the course. 

Some instructors send a pre-survey to students before the semester starts to determine prior knowledge or experience. In addition, you may want to prepare a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) resource to address the most common student questions, share tips on time management, and remind students how to access technology and resources.

Consider that there are effective options to consider for welcoming and orienting students that create learning opportunities at the beginning of the course including:

• Accessing a welcome video or course tour (pre-recorded)
• Reading an instructor’s introduction
• Introducing themselves in a Discussion forum or VoiceThread 
• Using the “Ask the Professor” discussion forum to ask clarifying questions
• Completing a syllabus quiz

In the Quality Matters certified course SPAN 201 (pictured above) instructor Milvia Hernandez pre-records a brief video that complements text in Blackboard. More importantly, students can also see and hear Hernandez as she welcomes them in both Spanish and English and explains the course structure and cadence. 

About Quality Matters

Grounded in evidence-based practice research, peer review, and collegiality, Quality Matters (QM) is used by more than 40,000 educators and instructional designers worldwide to strengthen online and blended course design. 

At UMBC, 19 courses have earned QM certification for online course design and represent more than half of the QM-certified courses in the University System of Maryland.

References:

• Quality Matters. (2024, September 9). QM Rubrics & Standards. 
• Wengier, S. (2022). The start here module: Creating a first day impression in an online language class (EJ1346021). 
  

By Susan Biro and Peter Ariev

The first faculty member from UMBC has earned Quality Matters (QM) certification for an online course utilizing the new 7th Edition Higher Education Rubric as part of the Quality Matters Impact (QMI) program. This brings to 19 the total number of certified courses at UMBC. More than half of the QM certified courses inthe University System of Maryland are from UMBC.

Faculty participants received feedback from certified QM subject matter experts and peer reviewers as part of a formal course review. They also earned a digital credential for completing the Applying the Quality Matters Rubric (APPQMR) online workshop in preparation to take a course through the peer review process.

The most recently certified using the 7th Edition Rubric is:  

Four additional faculty have earned Quality Matters (QM) certification of their online or hybrid courses during the Spring and Summer 2023 semesters following peer reviews as part of the Quality Matters Impact (QMI) program. This brings to 18 the total number of certified courses at UMBC. More than half of the QM certified courses in the University System of Maryland are from UMBC.

Faculty participants received feedback from certified QM subject matter experts and peer reviewers as part of a formal course review. They also earned a digital credential for completing the Applying the Quality Matters Rubric (APPQMR) online workshop in preparation to take a course through the peer review process.

The most recently certified courses are: 

Two additional faculty have earned Quality Matters (QM) certification of their online or hybrid courses during the Spring 2023 semester following peer reviews as part of theQuality Matters Impact (QMI) program. This brings to 14 the total number of certified courses at UMBC. 

Faculty participants received feedback from certified QM subject matter experts and peer reviewers as part of a formal course review. They also earned a digital credential for completing the Applying the Quality Matters Rubric (APPQMR) online workshop in preparation to take a course through the peer review process. The most recently certified courses are: 

Three additional UMBC faculty have earned Quality Matters (QM) certification of their online or hybrid courses in the Fall 2022 semester following rigorous peer reviews as part of the Quality Matters Impact (QMI) program.

Faculty participants received feedback from certified QM subject matter experts and peer reviewers as part of a formal course review. They also earned a digital credential for completing the Applying the Quality Matters Rubric (APPQMR) workshop earlier this year as part of the preparation to take a course through the peer review process.

The Quality Matters Impact program formally recognizes courses that meet Quality Matters (QM) standards and demonstrate exemplary online/hybrid course design. An extension of the award-winning PIVOT program, the call for participation in the Quality Matters Impact program is open now for the 2023-24 academic year with reviews scheduled in fall, spring, or summer. 

Using the 6th edition of the QM Higher Education Rubric, a formal QM course review is a collegial process to provide helpful recommendations for continuous improvement and reinforce effective, research-based practices for online and hybrid course design. The 7th edition of the QM rubric is slated for release in July 2023. 

A QM course review provides independent validation of quality, learner-focused course design. As of December 2022, 70% of the QM-certified courses in the University System of Maryland are taught by UMBC faculty. A course achieves QM Certification when it meets QM Rubric Standards at the 85% threshold or better and meets all Essential Standards. QM certification is valid for five years.

DoIT's Instructional Technology team manages the QM review process and facilitates the fully online, asynchronous Applying the Quality Matters Rubric workshop designed to help instructors prepare for a QM course review.

When a course is deemed having met QM standards, the instructor is eligible to display the QM Certification Mark on the syllabus or within the course itself. To maintain QM certification, and be listed onQM's website, courses may be re-certified for an additional three years or officially reviewed again.

Selection Criteria: 

Participants selected for the Quality Matters Impact program agree to submit a hybrid or online course for a Quality Matters course review.

Full or part-time faculty who meet the criteria and have not previously received funding through the Quality Matters Impact program are encouraged to apply by March 30, 2023. 

Recognizing that the QM Impact program does require an investment of time to participate, a $1000 professional development award will be provided to faculty by the Provost's office once a course meets QM standards and all participation requirements are met.

Eligibility for full and part-time faculty

1. You have taught your course as online or hybrid for at least two semesters at UMBC.
2. You have proficiency with Blackboard by your ability to demonstrate the skills in at least six of the eight Skill Builder themes for Blackboard in a current or prior online or hybrid course.

Faculty who meet the eligibility criteria are encouraged to apply by March 30, 2023 for early consideration and feedback. All QMI applications are due no later than June 1.

Applicants may choose one of two review types:

1. QM Review: Official course review with external reviewers. Courses that successfully met QM Standards for course design are eligible to display the QM Course Certification Mark. 
2. QM Essentials: Unofficial review of a course in its entirety that is completed internally against QM's 23 Essential Standards. This type of review is not eligible for QM Certification. 

Inclusion Criteria

Faculty accepted into the QMI cohort agree to participate in the following activities:

• Attend a 45-minute QMI orientation session (virtually, choose January 20 or March 10 at 12 noon)
• Complete the fully online (asynchronous) Applying the Quality Matters Rubric (APPQMR) 2-week workshop offered January 10-24, 2023, facilitated by UMBC.
• You may also choose to complete the online APPQMR workshop facilitated by Salisbury (with UMBC support) on one of these additional dates: February 14-28, April 11-25, or July 11-25
• However, if you have successfully completed APPQMR, you will complete a QM Self-Review of the course you will take through the review process
• Complete a QM self-review of your course (recommended)
• Attend a pre-review conference call with your assigned review team as QM course review windows are fixed: Once assigned, there are limited opportunities to reschedule.
• Implement recommendations to meet QM standards based on helpful suggestions from your assigned review team
• Respond to both a QM survey and a QMI post-program survey after the course review has concluded  
• Participate on a future panel or record a testimonial about your experience

Each accepted QMI applicant will be assigned a specialist to answer Quality Matters questions and support your course prep for the course review.

Application Requirements 

An application to participate in the Quality Matters Impact program must include both course-level objectives and unit-level objectives.

Ready to submit? Please complete the QMI application.

Questions? Please reach out to one of the QM coordinators for UMBC:

Dr. Mariann Hawken, Director, Instructional Technology, mariannhawken@umbc.edu

Dr. Susan Biro, Manager, Online Learning, sbiro@umbc.edu

After participating in rigorous peer reviews of their online and hybrid courses, four additional UMBC faculty have earned Quality Matters certification as part of the campus’ Quality Matters Impact (QMI) pilot.

Faculty participants received feedback from certified Quality Matters peer reviewers at UMBC and other online learning experts in the QM community. 

The four courses are:

EHS 115 - Medical Terminology  Gary Williams Date certified: 06.01.2022
GWST 210 - Introduction to Critical Sexuality Studies Kate Drabinski Date certified: 05.23.2022
SOCY 351 - Health, Illness, and Medicine John Schumacher Date certified: 05.27.2022
CMSC 104 - Problem Solving and Computer Programming  Chris Marron Date certified: 07.26.2022

These four faculty join those who earned QM Certification earlier this year: 

• AGNG 355 - The Experience of Dementia (Louise Murray)
• CHEM 101 - Principles of Chemistry 1 (Sarah Bass)
• EDUC 667 - Structure of English for TESOL (Mary Tabaa)
• ENCH 300 - Chemical Process Thermodynamics (Mariajose Castellanos)
• PBHL 100 - Survey of the US Healthcare System (Katie Birger)