Conference Presentations

Timeline Review and Program Support

Purpose of the Cohort Program -
To provide structure, support and, resources for faculty engagement with Quality Matters Course Review from the early stages of design through the process of certification.

Digital badges can support learning that happens beyond traditional classrooms and can be used to represent achievements, communicate success, and set goals. Digital badges are currently being offered to students in a Computer Literacy online course as one method for making evident a student's progress through the learning activities associated with the course. Participants will learn how to use badges to help student engagement in an online course. Earn a Credly badge (maybe your first) for attending this session!

This presentation will introduce the emerging field of Learning Engineering and demonstrate how instructional design plays a role in learning engineering which also engages learning science, human-centered design and data analytics to create scalable learning environments in all modalities. Participants will learn the components of learning engineering through case studies. Using this information, participants will develop a plan of how to implement this process at their own institution. 

Since 2003, Quality Matters (QM) has been a pioneer of best practices in the field of instructional design. Standards 7 and 8 of the QM Higher Education Rubric (6th edition, 2018) provide critical guidance on making online courses accessible to learners with disabilities. In addition, the Universal Design for Learning framework emphasizes an inclusive, proactive approach to course development for faculty, instructional designers, and support staff.

Diversity and inclusion are core principles incorporated into effective instruction and Quality Matters standards. For example, Standard 1 promotes inclusiveness through the course welcome and introductions. Standard 3 emphasizes multiple opportunities to demonstrate competence with varied assessments and Standard 8 enhances inclusion through accessibility and usability. The purpose of this session is to identify and develop strategies that promote inclusion in an online learning environment.

Enhancing Learner Engagement Through Credit Hour Analysis

Embark on a journey to redefine educational excellence using peer-created custom GPT strategies aligned with Quality Matters standards. Participants will engage in hands-on activities, utilizing GPTs for curriculum alignment and engaging content creation. These tools will also be employed to ensure content meets institutional goals and QM 7th edition standards.

As artificial intelligence (AI) tools become increasingly available to students, educators and instructional designers face new challenges in upholding academic integrity while also leveraging AI for learning and innovation. This session explores the evolving landscape of AI in education and quality course design, highlighting both its potential and the ethical dilemmas it presents. We will discuss strategies for designing courses around the challenges of AI, fostering responsible AI use among students, and designing assessments that promote originality and critical thinking.

Join us as we share our methods for maintaining academic integrity in online classes.We will explore effective strategies for teaching students to use AI tools responsibly, emphasizing the importance of leading with care before considering consequences. Additionally, we will assess current academic integrity policies related to AI use and discuss potential improvements based on best practices.

This presentation will explore considerations for maintaining and supporting educational equity within the context of online learning.

CCCS is reimagining online learning across the state’s 13 community colleges. This session will address our efforts to expand the QM framework to incorporate DEI elements into the criteria for a “healthy course.” We will share resources, successes, and challenges related to promoting equitable online learning experiences.

CCCS is reimagining online learning across the state’s 13 community colleges. This session will address our efforts to expand the QM framework to incorporate DEI elements into the criteria for a “healthy course.” We will share resources, successes, and challenges related to promoting equitable online learning experiences.

QM isn’t just for online courses. This session will show which QM K-12 Rubric standards need to be modified in order to more correctly fit within a blended learning program as well as guide the learner in how to align a blended learning program to meet these modified standards.  This session will also review pedagogical and androgogical best practices used in blended learning and how aligning them with the QM K-12 Rubric will insure integrity in course development, implementation, and delivery.

What happens after the QM review? How does a campus go from QM to total QA? Hear how campus-wide quality assurance is maintained at NMSU-A. Topics will include ensuring the quality of courses, of delivery, and of master courses and providing campus-wide equivalent services for online students.

Quality Matters is an excellent foundation for online course design, but what happens after the QM review? Once the QM review is over, how is quality ensured?  How does your institution determine when changes in a course warrant a new review?  This session will demonstrate the processes at New Mexico State University Alamogordo used to ensure the quality of the QM approved courses and to ensure the integrity of master courses based on the QM guidelines. It will also include steps used to determine the need for a new review.  

Discover how your institution can implement high-quality HyFlex courses to meet diverse student needs, particularly in the face of rising mental health challenges. We'll share how we developed a HyFlex model that integrates face-to-face, synchronous online via Zoom, and asynchronous online options, all aligned with QM Standards. This session will equip you with practical insights into our course development process, empowering you to create equitable learning experiences at your institution.

Objective alignment is essential in course design, yet, hard to understand.  We strove to create a document showing alignment.  The Course Alignment Matrix is now a primary tool in our QM courses and is used to show faculty how to achieve alignment.

The Student Experience Project identified seven learning conditions correlated to student retention and success, notably for historically-underrerpresented learners. These conditions include belonging certainty, identity safety, institutional growth mindset, and self-efficacy. Each is linked to pedagogical interventions that quantifiably raise retention and success. Data indicates that combining QM Standards with SEP strategies has greater impact for online learners than for F2F courses.

The Student Experience Project identified seven learning conditions correlated to student retention and success, notably for historically-underrerpresented learners. These conditions include belonging certainty, identity safety, institutional growth mindset, and self-efficacy. Each is linked to pedagogical interventions that quantifiably raise retention and success. Data indicates that combining QM standards with SEP strategies has greater impact for online learners than for F2F courses.