Course Quality Analysis

Color & Design: Hybrid course

Overall, my course meets the majority of the elements on the Quality Matters (QM) program rubric for course quality. For the first time developing an online or hybrid course, I think it is expected that I would have many areas to develop and improve upon. Using this rubric allowed me to gain an objective overview of the course, and visualize areas of strength and areas that could use improvement. Strengths of the course include clear and direct communication about the structure, purpose, objectives and requirements asked of students, which are important components to any classroom environment. The areas in which my course showed weakness, were areas that I feel were more specific to an online or hybrid platform that I hadn’t previously thought about. Working through this rubric allowed me to gain insight into areas that need further development, such as explicitly stating etiquette expectations, stating the minimum technology requirements, providing a link to technical support as well as offering course materials in diverse and widely accessible formats. Several of these components are simple fixes that can be easily worked in to my existing course materials. Expectations for proper etiquette is something typically addressed during a traditional face-to-face class, and is generally a very informal conversation about how to interact with others in the classroom setting. In the online environment; however, everything becomes more formalized through writing, and the instructor must think ahead so that students know exactly what is expected of them. This evaluation process was a great way to find specific ways in which my course could be improved and I plan on implementing these changes to improve the experience students have taking my course in the future.