The APPQMR is the prerequisite for QM's Higher Ed Peer Reviewer Course, which is required to become a QM-Certified Peer Reviewer. Since 2019, more than 50 UMBC faculty, staff, and students have completed the APPQMR workshop. Several UMBC faculty have gone on to become QM-Certified Peer Reviewers or Master Reviewers.

Workshop Details and Schedule

• Format & Schedule: Workshop format is asynchronous online via Canvas. *NOTE: This workshop is not self-paced. It has firm due dates for all required assignments and revisions. Potential participants should review QM's Schedule & Checklist in advance of being enrolled. The schedule outlines expectations and required deadlines. Certified facilitators review, offer feedback, and grade activities.
• Time commitment: A minimum of 7-9 hours per week is recommended for achieving the learning objectives. The schedule includes daily time estimates to help participants manage their time and stay on track.
• Course Length: Three weeks, excluding holidays (January 6-27, 2026)

To be enrolled into this workshop or if you have additional questions, please contact Dr. Susan Biro, one of UMBC's QM coordinators, no later than 12 PM, Friday, January 2. 

(Image: Decorative, Quality Matters logo)

The APPQMR is the prerequisite for the Peer Reviewer Course, which is required to become a QM-Certified Peer Reviewer. Since 2019, 41 UMBC faculty and staff have completed the APPQMR workshop. Several have gone on to become QM-Certified Peer Reviewers or Master Reviewers.

Details and Workshop Schedule

• Format & Schedule: Asynchronous online delivery via Canvas. NOTE: The APPQMR workshop is not a self-paced learning experience. Certified facilitators review and grade activities following QM’s Course Schedule & Checklist. It is recommended that potential participants review the schedule in advance of being enrolled. The schedule outlines expectations for reviewing content and includes deadlines for submitting required activities. 
• Time commitment: A minimum of 7-9 hours per week is recommended for achieving the learning objectives. The schedule includes daily time estimates to help participants manage their time and stay on track.
• Course Length: Three weeks, excluding holidays (October 7-28)

To be enrolled into this workshop or for additional questions, please contact Dr. Susan Biro, one of UMBC's QM coordinators, no later than 12 PM, Friday, October 3. 

(Image: Decorative, Quality Matters logo)

DoIT's Manager of Online Learning, Dr. Susan Biro, has been selected to serve on the Quality Matters Academic Advisory Council (QMAAC) for a three-year term beginning January 1, 2024. The Council provides guidance to and oversight of the programmatic directions and initiatives of Quality Matters.

QMAAC members represent an institution or organization's interests and viewpoint to QM; provide guidance on QM to ensure QM's long-term sustainability and success; help to review new initiatives and act in an advisory role for new projects; and disseminate QM-related information, materials, and opportunities to others. 

Biro came to UMBC in May 2019 as Coordinator, Online Learning with more than 20 years of experience in distance education, including accreditation, program management, faculty support, and online student support and retention. 

"I was introduced to Quality Matters early in my higher education career," said Biro. "QM has been an integral part of how we do the important work of supporting faculty in designing effective online and hybrid learning environments. It's an honor to have been selected and I look forward to working with my QM colleagues on initiatives and projects."

Biro currently serves as one of UMBC's QM Coordinators. She is also QM-certified as a Course Review Manager, a Peer Reviewer, and Independent Online APPQMR Facilitator.

About the QM Academic Advisory Council

Created in 2004 during the grant phase of Quality Matters, the Council has evolved in purpose and composition. The QMAAC's 15 members include representatives of QM subscriber schools, QM senior staff, and online and blended learning leaders who provide a national perspective. 

The Council is chaired by Dr. Morris Thomas, Assistant Provost for Digital and Online Learning and Director, Center for Excellence in Teaching, Learning, and Assessment at Howard University. 

Biro is one of five new members selected to serve on QMAAC. The others are Julian King, M.Ed., Instructional Designer & Quality Matters Coordinator, Center for the Advancement of Learning, University of the District of Columbia; Katherine McAlvage, Ph.D., Associate Director, Faculty Development and Support, Oregon State University; Antoinette R. Miller, Ph.D., Professor and Department Chair, Psychology, Clayton State University; and, Alicia Reed, Director of eLearning and Instructional Innovation Center, Laredo College.

About Quality Matters at UMBC

A total of 18 faculty have earned Quality Matters certification of their online or hybrid courses following rigorous peer reviews as part of the Quality Matters Impact (QMI) program. To date, more than half of the QM-certified courses in the University System of Maryland are from UMBC.

For more information about Quality Matters at UMBC, including course reviews, please contact Dr. Susan Biro (sbiro@umbc.edu).

This year's National Distance Learning Week 2022 Lunchtime Series (November 7-11) at UMBC created space for candid conversations about online learning. These conversations featured 11 panelists who represented faculty, staff, and students sharing their challenges, accomplishments, and lessons learned. 

Instructional Technology will continue hosting monthly candid conversations about online learning starting in spring 2023. Follow us on myUMBC for the latest information about dates, times, and guests.  

If you missed one of these candid conversations during National Distance Learning Week check out the session takeaways below or watch/listen to the recorded session.

• Panelists:Dr. Louise Murray, Director, Undergraduate Programs and Clinical Associate Professor in the Erickson School of Aging Studies; Mr. Gary Williams Jr., Senior Lecturer, Emergency Health Services Department and Clinical Coordinator, Paramedic Concentration; Dr. Eileen O'Brien, Director, College Teaching & Learning Science (CTLS) Post Master's Certificate Program; and, Dr. John Schumacher, Professor, Department of  Sociology, Anthropology, and Public Health, Co-Director Doctoral Program in Gerontology.
• Key takeaways: Faculty shared their experiences in online course design and how the Quality Matters framework strengthened their design after taking a course through a formal course review. The rigor of the QM peer-review process also presented faculty with challenges in understanding, learning, and designing for new technologies and methods of designing learning. As they applied what they learned about effective online course design, faculty shared that students reported a clearer understanding of what was expected in the online course, where to find content, and how they were going to be assessed.

Tuesday, November 8th topic: How do we engage disconnected students? (session recording) 

• Panelists:Gary Rozanc, Assistant Professor Graphic Design, Department of Visual Arts (CAHSS); Nancy McAllister, Adjunct Professor of Environmental Science, Geography & Environmental Systems Department (CAHSS); and Dr. Sarah Bass, Lecturer of Chemistry, Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry (CNMS). 
• Key takeaways: Faculty shared how their approach to engaging online students evolved from the start of the pandemic to more recent practices. During the fall of 2020, engaging students meant using multiple methods to help online students connect with one other, instructor, and content. In the fall of 2022 with a return to campus, our panelists reported rethinking how they use technology in-person. Today's students  enter college with more experience and comfort using technology and perhaps with a different motivation for learning. Panelists noted that how they taught pre-pandemic may not align with today's first-year students who are seeing the work they'll be doing in the future happening in asynchronous and remote formats. Our panelists asked, what does this mean to engagement in any class format and the ways students are choosing to learn post-pandemic?

Wednesday, November 9 topic: How do we counter the myths of online learning? (session recording) 

• Panelists: Thirandie Bambaradeniya, Director of Sustainability, Student Government Association (UMBC 23); Dr. Tara Carpenter, Principal Lecturer, Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry; Dr. Toby Gouker, Acting Graduate Program Director, Engineering Management; and Dr. Delana Gregg, Director of Academic Learning Resources, Assessment, and Analysis. 
• Key takeaways: When it comes to the myth that online learning is easy, panelists were in agreement that online learning is not easier than in-person as it requires students to be even more disciplined in managing their time and asking for help. Debunking the myth that online students don't interact with each other or the instructor, our panelists noted that teaching online is often more intensive and intentional, as students cannot 'hide' in the back of the online classroom. When it comes to the myth that everyone cheats in an online course, panelists said faculty have since created multiple ways for students to be tested, including more formative or open-note assignments. In considering where UMBC could go with online learning, panelists noted that online learning has long been a useful tool for decades and in a post-pandemic time, it remains a viable choice for many students. They would encourage UMBC to consider how we can provide online learning effectively and continue to put services in place to help support our online learners.  

UMBC Instructional Technology

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