Global Campus Instructional Designers Achieve Certification to Peer Review Online Courses

Six instructional designers at the Global Campus who work with University of Arkansas faculty to develop and deliver online courses are now certified by a nationally recognized program to provide peer review of online courses for quality and effective design.

Miran Kang, director of the instructional design and support services unit, and five instructional designers – Ken Muessig, Sean Orme, Liz Stover, Elaine Terrell and Shelly Walters – completed the Quality Matters Program peer reviewer course and are certified to review online courses nationwide.

Quality Matters, a non-profit program of Maryland Online Inc., is a leader in quality assurance for online education in the United States. This faculty-centered program is nationally recognized for its continuous contributions to the improvement of online education. Quality Matters develops and disseminates rubrics for the effective design of online and blended courses, based on research findings on effective online learning and best practices advocated by leading distance learning organizations.

“By gaining this certification, the instructional design team can assure faculty that we have the knowledge and the skills to help them build high-quality courses that are more engaging for students,” said Javier Reyes, vice provost for distance education. “By striving to adopt Quality Matters guidelines in all of our courses, we are ensuring quality programs that engage students and enhance the likelihood of these students completing their courses and degrees successfully.”

Well-designed courses mean students spend more time learning the material and less time trying to navigate the course. Designing quality courses ensures that online students will receive learning opportunities and interactions that mirror face-to-face classes on campus.

The Global Campus subscribes to the Quality Matters Program and serves as the university’s connection to benefits offered through Quality Matters, including rubrics, best practice guidelines, research and workshops. Instructional designers are incorporating Quality Maters standards in all of the courses developed through the Global Campus, and revisions to existing courses are underway.

Faculty can contact Miran Kang for more information about applying Quality Matters standards to their online courses at kang@uark.edu or 479-575-6733.

Institutions can submit online courses to Quality Matters for peer review with the aim of achieving Quality Maters certification, a nationally recognized stamp of quality.

“It is important to us that the online courses offered by the University of Arkansas are of the highest quality,” Kang said. “As certified reviewers, we can help faculty achieve this goal.”

The Global Campus supports the academic colleges and schools across campus that develop and deliver online degree programs and courses. It provides instructional design services, technology services, access to national distance education organizations, and assistance with strategic academic program development.