Fusion 2017

Las Vegas, Nevada

Quentin Conkle & Isabella Burrage

What is Quality Assurance?

What is quality assurance?

Quality Assurance is defined by Merriam-Webster

dictionary as: a program for the systematic monitoring

and evaluation of the various aspects of a project,

service, or facility to ensure that standards of quality

are being met.1

Why is quality assurance important?

Students feel more supported in a quality, well-designed course versus the isolation or confusion they might otherwise feel in a poorly designed course.

Quality assurance means the students have a positive experience and get the most out of the course.

Properly designed courses help to ensure that a program meets accreditation.

What is ADA?

What is ADA?

Enacted in 1990, The Americans with Disabilities Act

(ADA) is a civil rights law that prohibits discrimination

against individuals with disabilities in all areas of public

life, including jobs, schools, transportation, and all public

and private places that are open to the general public.

The purpose of the law is to make sure that people with

disabilities have the same rights and opportunities as

everyone else.2

How does ADA affect online courses?

Online courses need to meet specific criteria in

order to be ADA compliant.

Examples of this criteria are:

• Written transcripts for videos

• Closed-captioning for video

• Alternative text for images

• Ability to read by assistive technologies

What is an ADA template?

An ADA template is an editable HTML template that

has been designed to be ADA compliant.

It is a pre-arranged HTML document that the course

instructor or instructional designer can populate with

course information.

The template that we use is a highly modified version

of the “ordinary blue” ADA template that was

designed and made available by D2L.

How is the template ADA compliant?

HTML allows the document to be read by assistive

devices like screen readers directly in Brightspace

unlike Word documents or PDFs which need to be

downloaded.

The ADA template has also been designed with

accessible design principles including headers,

lists, captions, tables, links, and videos that are

recognized by assistive technologies.

What is Quality MattersTM

What is Quality Matters?

Quality Matters (QM) is a faculty-centered, peer review process designed to certify the quality of online courses and online components.3

QM uses a rubric comprised of 8 General Standards and 43 specific review standards used to evaluate the design of online and blended courses.4

It certifies that course activities, assessments, instructional materials, and technologies all align with the objectives of the course to assure that students master them.

QM ensures that course quality is continuously improved.

Implementation & Evaluation

Our role in the process

As instructional designers in the Online Learning

and Instructional Design (OLID) department we

work with faculty to help design their online

courses.

We create the templates in HTML and provide

support and training for faculty/staff utilizing the

templates.

We also work to make sure all of our online

students are equipped with the information,

resources, and course design they need to be

successful, no matter what course it is.

When did we first implement the ADA templates?

In 2014, we began redesigning the online documentation for the Health

Professions Education program. This also coincided with our implementation

of the QM rubric. We used the QM rubrics as a guide to creating the HTML

templates by covering as many of the 43 QM standards as we could.

To comply with QM standards:

• We have added a technology resources section, university policies

section, accessibility statements, and a privacy policies list.

• We made QM changes to the weekly course template which prompts

faculty to include module objectives and tie activities with their module

and course objectives.

• We have also color-coded our departmental programs so that it is

easier to know which program’s template we are working on.

How did we implement the ADA templates?

We implemented the ADA templates on a course-by-

course basis based on the quarter system. The new

ADA templates were utilized once the instructor was

ready to update the course for the next available

quarter offering.

So far the entire HPE and Interprofessional Healthcare

Studies (HIPS) programs have integrated the ADA

templates.

How do we evaluate online courses?

At Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science (RFUMS) we use the Quality Matters

rubric to evaluate our online courses.

We have approximately 100 online courses.

We have 9 certified Quality Matters Peer reviewers.

Each peer reviewer evaluates 2 courses per year.

The review process involves cross-referencing the course against the QM rubric.

Many of the standards are already met through the design of the ADA template.

After the course has been reviewed the peer reviewer meets with instructor to go over the

results.

If a course has met the standards by at least 85% then nothing else has to occur, although

recommendations for improvement are given.

If a course does not meet the standards by at least 85% then the instructor has to make the

recommended changes to meet the standards.

The instructors are required to notify the peer reviewers once the updates have been made.

A total of 18 courses are reviewed in a year.

Examples

Examples of QM in our Templates

22 of the specific QM review standards are met by the templates

used in the courses. Below are a few examples:

1.2 Learners are introduced to purpose and structure of the

course

• Course schedule in syllabus

• Instructional Activities section (overview, communication

tools, assignments, exams, final project)

1.3 Etiquette expectations for online discussions, email, etc.

• Course Policies (online conduct)

1.4 Course/and or institutional policies are clearly stated

• Course/University Policies document

1.5 Minimum technology requirements are clearly stated

• Course/University Policies document (Technical

Requirements for Online Learning)

1.6 Prerequisite knowledge

• Course Information document

Examples of QM in our Templates Cont’d

2.1 Course learning objectives are measurable

• Course information document (course objectives)

2.2 Module learning objectives measurable and consistent

with course objectives

• Weekly content template prompt for module objectives

(By the end of this week you should be able to:)

2.4. Relationship between learning objectives and course

activities is clearly stated

• Prompt in Activities section of Weekly content template

(associate the assessment activity with learning

objective)

3.2 Course grading policy is clearly stated

• Course information document (Grades and Rubrics, late

submissions)

3.3 Criteria for evaluation of work tied to grading policy

• Course information document (Discussion Evaluation

Rubric)

Examples of QM in our

Templates Cont’d

6.5 Links are provided for privacy policies of external

tools

• Privacy Policies for External Tools list in Course

Policies document

7.1 Course instructions articulate or link to clear description of

technical support

• Technology Support section of Course Policies document

7.2 Course instructions articulate or link to accessibility policies

• Students with Disabilities section of Student Services

section in Course policies document

7.3 Course instructions articulate or link to academic support

• Learning Resources, Student Services, Reference

Services, etc. in Course Policies document

7.4 Course instructions articulate or link to academic support

• Student Services, University and CHP policies in Course

Policies document

Challenges & Benefits

What challenges did we face?

Faculty pushback to having their course evaluated against QM.

Program chairs not wanting to use a pre-modified template, opting to keep using their current system instead.

Faculty not following up with course changes after QM review.

Faculty not knowing HTML enough to make changes to formatting in the templates.

Lack of OLID manpower to implement templates and update them when necessary.

What benefits have we seen?

Positive feedback from faculty

Increased use in Healthcare Administration, Nurse

Anesthesia, and Nutrition programs

HIPS program overhaul with new templates

Comments from students praising the look and feel

of the courses

REFERENCES

1. Quality assurance. (n.d.). Retrieved May 23, 2017, from

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/quality assurance

2. What is the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)? (2017). Retrieved

May 23, 2017, from https://adata.org/learn-about-ada

3. Instructional Services. (2017) Retrieved May 23, 2017, from

https://www.uakron.edu/it/instructional_services/dds/qm/index.dot

4. Course Design Rubric Standards. (2017). Retrieved May 23, 2017,

from https://www.qualitymatters.org/qa-resources/rubric-

standards/higher-ed-rubric