Many factors contribute to a student’s online learning experience, including class size. That begs the question — what is the ideal number of students for an online class? As research shows, there is no easy, cookie-cutter answer, but there are some guidelines based on factors such as course design and pedagogy.

Faculty and staff development play an important role in delivering on your online promise. But is your team retaining the information they learn? North Carolina Central University didn’t think so. That’s why the University turned to game-based learning and gamification to help its team embrace continuous learning.

Many institutions search for ways to engage faculty in their quality assurance efforts. The Christ College of Nursing and Health Sciences gained faculty support for QM through a multifaceted approach, including professional development, course reviews and recognition. In the process, they enriched their faculty and created a win-win situation.

Achieving QM Certification for a course is accomplished through deliberate application of QM Standards for Course Design. If you've been involved in helping a course meet standards either as the Course Representative, course designer or through your work as an Instructional Designer, the QM community wants to see how you did it.

Providing students with an exceptional online learning experience is the goal of many schools. A solid quality assurance plan can help achieve that goal. But as Illinois Virtual School and teacher Pam Shaw discovered, the benefits of a quality assurance plan extend beyond student impact, making a difference for faculty, staff and the institution as a whole.

QM Connect is the go-to conference for online and blended learning professionals. There, one can connect with like-minded individuals as well as fresh ideas to improve the learner experience. Discover how K-12 and higher ed attendees benefit from participating in the conference and how their quality assurance journeys are impacted by what they find there.

QM Exemplary Program Status is the highest level of quality certification for online programs. It is earned when an institution earns individual QM Program Certifications in four key areas — Online Program Design, Online Teaching Support, Online Learner Support, and Online Learner Success — within three years. Go behind the scenes of the certification process with the University of Alaska Fairbanks to learn more about what’s involved and the benefits it provides.

Support for online learners is a critical component for student success. To demonstrate its commitment to providing the resources students need to succeed, Alamo Colleges District came up with a winning game plan to achieve QM Program Certification for Online Learner Support.

The journey to QM Official Reviews can take many different paths. Some schools jump right in, while others take smaller steps and build momentum for reviews. Discover the path VirtualSC took and how professional development and the reviewer role moved their quality assurance journey forward.

Professional development is an important part of the continuous improvement process. But with so many options, it can be confusing to know who should take what and when. We’re here to help. Check out the QM professional development team’s advice on pinpointing the best professional development options for your team.