What is Quality Matters?
In November 2023, Desire2Learn announced a partnership with Quality Matters, emphasizing the transformations happening in education right now and a need for high quality and accessible content for learners.
We are thrilled to see these types of partnerships, as it connects with what we know to be true - the applications of best practices and learner-centric designs are more important than ever as we experience a real shift in the education industry across all sectors.
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What is Quality Matters?
Quality Matters, also known as Q.M., is a non-profit organization based in the United States that is focused on producing consistent high-quality learning content and experiences through a set of standards and processes that are designed for online and blended learning courses.
These standards or criteria are applied using a tool called the Quality Matters Rubric. This rubric is applied to a course through a quality assurance process. If creating courses using the ADDIE framework, as we do at KnowledgeNow, then the Q.M. Rubric would be applied during the “develop” and “implement” stages.
There are rubrics for all levels of education: primary, secondary, post-secondary, and continuing/professional education. Regardless of level of education, Q.M. rubrics ensure that courses are accessible to all students, especially those with disabilities. The rubrics are grounded in research and best practices in online education, and are regularly updated to reflect new findings and trends in the field of eLearning.
Using the Quality Matters Rubric
At KnowledgeNow, we use the Q.M. rubric as a part of our eLearning development processes to help ensure we design the best learning experiences for everyone.
By using the Q.M. rubric in our quality assurance process, the courses we develop for our clients undergo a review to assess the learning objectives, assessments, content, and learner interactions. KnowledgeNow has an employee whose role is dedicated to performing quality assurance reviews, and the Q.M. rubric is one of the tools used in this work.
To apply the Q.M. Rubric to your quality assurance process, you or someone at your organization need to become trained through one of their workshop offerings. Q.M. training also teaches how to write helpful recommendations for course developers to improve the course that was reviewed, as well as improve future eLearning courses.
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More About the Rubrics
At KnowledgeNow we apply this method of evaluation primarily (but not exclusively) on higher education and continuing education eLearning course development. This includes professional development and corporate training for a variety of clientele. Therefore, we use the Continuing and Professional Education (C.P.E.) rubric, which assesses these eight areas:
Course Overview and Introduction
Learning Objectives (Competencies)
Assessment and Measurement
Instructional Materials
Course Activities and Learner Interaction
Course Technology
Learner Support
Accessibility and Usability
Final Thoughts
Is Quality Matters right for you and your organization? That’s for you to decide. There are many ways in which we can evaluate the quality of elearning content. Having different methods of doing so will strengthen your offerings and ensure that many type of regulations are met.
Interested in learning more! Feel free to reach out to chat further about how Quality Matters fits into our process.
Good Luck!
