Quality Matters Impact Program - Call to Participate

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