Conference Presentations

Enhancing Learner Engagement Through Credit Hour Analysis

This presentation will describe how Quality Matters is being used as the framework for an online course improvement summer institute. You will hear from the institute organizers and faculty who have completed the program concerning best practices in online course design, as well as how QM was implemented in the curriculum of the institute. The three-week process found participants designing or revising their online or blended courses in preparation for an informal Quality Matters course review.

Presentation site:  https://sites.google.com/site/qmexamplesplease/

How do we explain a "best case" example for 1.2? Or what if an instructor doesn't really know what we mean by standard 8.1, "Course navigation facilitates ease of use"? Consider how having a repository of examples might help faculty to better understand, reflect on, and implement QM standards? Join us as we look at how one was built and what we've learned while doing so.

Does the new QM Rubric go far enough to address emerging competency-based, customized, flexible models in higher education? We will use as a case study courses that were previously QM-Certified that have recently been converted to one institution's new flexible model of delivery directly assessing competencies. We will assess possible application of the new QM Rubric to this new model as well as to other higher education models and explore the implications for the continuing evolution of the Rubric.

The concept of the flipped classroom has been a hot topic in education in the last few years.   While some institutions have fully embraced this style of learning, others have good intentions but may not know how and where to start when it comes to actually implementing this approach.  Beginning in Fall 2014, a fully flipped classroom was implemented in a senior level medical-surgical nursing course.  This presentation will discuss the implementation process, student feedback, and student outcomes in the course.

This session reviews how one institution's existing organizational structure is leveraged to coordinate QM resources. No one person can do this work in isolation. It requires collaboration and consultation across campus and academic units. This session will illustrate a QM framework with three divisions: administration, training and development, and implementation. The framework identifies overlap between divisions, striving to improve student learning and success, and, most importantly, allowing faculty to make decisions regarding QM implementation.

This interactive session will share what instructors at NMSU-A have incorporated into their online classrooms to further engage students in active learning. Incorporating QM Standards has lead to more creative, interactive classrooms that encourage student participation in their own learning. We will provide attendees the opportunity to share what has worked and what has not worked in their own classrooms. This comprehensive list will be shared with any interested participant via email.

Looking at how game design can lend strategies and concepts to educational instructional design.

This session will discuss practical strategies for engaging students in online courses, including how to make your course feel welcoming, how to use interactive social media in your course, and how to manage group work effectively in the online learning environment.

Ever have the same Standards keep showing up as "Not Met" across multiple reviews? Join this presentation to discuss how those tricky standards can be addressed. This session will cover how results from the QM Peer Review process can be used to tackle those difficult standards and ensure quality of new course development. This study examined two sets of data regarding the quality of new online course design: Peer Reviewer and student perspectives. Results show some Standards are not met from both perspectives.

Telling the story of two courses (one developed in accordance with QM standards and one which was not) we will see how the online standards can improve student preparedness and attitudes, instructor confidence (and sanity), and coordination across multiple sections of the same course.

The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) Center for Online Learning, Teaching and Technology has developed and implemented a gamification framework, which applies best practices and Quality Matters principles to their online and hybrid courses. The framework provides a means of using such items for storytelling, achievements for badges, and clever application of adaptive release within learning modules. Join us to learn how to apply game thinking, game elements, and game mechanics into non-game environments.

The discussion examines the intersection of exemplar accreditation standards from the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education of the American Occupational Therapy Association and Quality Matters Rubric Standards for best practice in distance education for occupational therapy practitioners. The comparison suggests opportunities for dialog between the organizations. The author recommends research and collaboration between accreditation agencies and institutes of higher education to modify standards related to distance education.

Over the past two years the field has seen a significant increase in enforcement of civil rights legislation in the area of access to online learning for people with disabilities. The presenter is recognized as the current expert on these issues. It has become eminently clear that there are no differences between higher education and K-12 in the legal compliance for online learning. This session will articulate the expectations the federal enforcement agencies have with respect to access and equity in online learning in K-12 and Higher Education.