Quality Standards in Learning Design
What Quality Matters Is, and Why It Changes How We Build Online Courses
There is a version of course development where the content looks fine, the visuals are clean, and the client approves it. Then learners don't complete it, don't retain anything, or can't navigate it without help. Quality Matters (QM) is the framework that forces those questions before it is too late.
The Framework
A non-profit standard with real teeth
Quality Matters (QM) is a non-profit organization that has built one of the most widely adopted online course quality standards in higher education and professional development. Its rubric evaluates online and blended courses against eight areas.
- Course Overview & Introduction
- Learning Objectives
- Assessment & Measurement
- Instructional Materials
- Course Activities & Learner Interaction
- Course Technology
- Learner Support
- Accessibility & Usability
Learn more about the Quality Matters Rubric and Certification (opens in a new tab)
Our Perspective
Why KnowledgeNow values the Quality Matters (QM) Framework
As the co-founder of KnowledgeNow eLearning Solutions, I have applied the QM framework for over a decade as an instructional designer before integrating it into our learning design process. What I keep seeing, across every type of organization and every subject area, is that struggling courses have the same problems: objectives that don't lead anywhere, content organized around topics instead of learners, and interactions that feel busy but teach nothing.
"The rubric works not because it is prescriptive, but because it asks a question most course builds skip entirely: does this course actually work for the person taking it?"
Amanda Douglas-Young, CEO KnowledgeNow eLearning Solutions
The QM framework aligns closely with the KN Method, KnowledgeNow's five-phase approach to course design that builds quality checkpoints into every stage of development rather than treating review as a final step.
Several members of our instructional design team are certified Quality Matters reviewers, bringing formal training in the rubric's standards to every project we take on.
100+
courses designed and developed for Centennial College, every one of which passed the Quality Matters evaluation.
Across multiple departments, subject matter experts, and a multi-year engagement.
What QM Looks Like in Practice
The QM review happens during the build, not after it
When KnowledgeNow was contracted to design and develop over 100 courses for Centennial College, every course passed the Quality Matters evaluation. That result comes from applying the framework consistently, not occasionally. Changes made late in a project are expensive and often incomplete. Our certified reviewers assess learning objectives, assessments, content structure, and learner interactions on every project as the work is in progress.
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Design
QM rubric informs how learning objectives, assessments, and content structure are built from the start.
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Review
Certified QM reviewers assess the course during development, not as a final sign-off.
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Deliver
You receive a course that has been evaluated against the most rigorous standard in the field.
Common Question
How do I know if my online courses meet Quality Matters standards?
This is the question most organizations wait too long to ask. Common signs that a course is not meeting quality standards include low completion rates, learner confusion around navigation or expectations, assessments that do not reflect what the course actually taught, and content that has not been reviewed for accessibility.
The Quality Matters rubric provides a documented, third-party framework for evaluating exactly these areas. An organization does not need to be Quality Matters certified to apply the rubric. What it needs is a team that knows how to use it.
For Your Organization
How the Quality Matters framework (QM) can be used for your courses
If your organization is building new courses, migrating an existing library, or trying to understand why completion rates are low, the QM rubric is a useful diagnostic. It tells you, with specificity, where a course is working and where it is not.
You receive clear grades against the framework and a prioritized list of improvements, so you know exactly what to fix before committing to a full redesign or migration.
The standard is the expectation, not the exception.
If you want courses that perform, we would be glad to talk through what that looks like for your specific context.