Quality Matters at TAMIU

Course Review General Information

The course review process involves a team of trained, certified peer reviewers, all experienced online faculty. This faculty-driven process is intended to be diagnostic, with the overall goal of improving the course. This is not a pass/fail review. The team gives clear, helpful guidance on ways to revise the course to meet QM Standards. The process makes clear that each Standard can be met in many ways. It also notes that no course is perfect. To earn QM Certification as a quality course, the course must meet Rubric Standards with a score of 85% or higher.

The Quality Matters process is designed to ensure that courses undergoing review will eventually meet Standards and receive QM Certification.

The Review Process at Texas A&M International University

At TAMIU, the following process will be used for course reviews. For full course development process steps, visit the Course Development for Distance Education Courses page. For help with QM course reviews, visit QM's Preparing for a Quality Matters Course Review web page.

Before Review(s)

1. The Faculty Course Developer will use the Quality Matters Rubric as the online course is built and taught. The ID will help with this work.
2. After the course ends, the Faculty Course Developer has up to 30 days to make final changes to the course shell.
3. A copy of the course is created for future QM reviewer access. No student enrollments or submissions will be present in this course shell.
4. Before a review, the faculty course lead and ID may do a self-review. This helps find and fix key areas that may not meet standards. After a self-review is completed, the Faculty Course Developer may proceed with the following review process(es).

Process for Internal (Unofficial) and Official (Subscriber-Managed) Reviews

1. A QM Coordinator or Course Review Manager will submit the course review form in the QM Course Review Management System.
2. The course developer worksheet will be submitted via the QM Course Review Management System by the Faculty Course Developer.
3. A review team (consisting of 2 individuals) will be assigned to the course review. For official reviews, the review team needs one outside reviewer and one Subject Matter Expert. The team also needs a Team Chair who is a QM Master Reviewer. Multiple roles can be represented in one individual. Access to the LMS and the QM course shell under review will be provided. Reviewers will be assigned to the course shell with the Student role. See the QM website for more information on official review requirements. For internal reviews, the team will try to meet official review team rules. This depends on who is free in the internal review pool.
4. A pre-review phone conference will be held amongst the Faculty Course Developer, QM Coordinator, and the review team. The review will begin after the phone conference.
5. The Course Review Team will share feedback and next steps with the Faculty Course Developer. This information will be provided in the QM Course Review Management System.
6. After the team chair completes the review, the Faculty Course Developer will get feedback in a Final Report.
7. The Faculty Course Developer must submit the Review Outcome Response Form within two weeks after the review ends. This must be done in the QM Course Review Management System. The form is located in the Review Actions section of My Open Reviews.
8. If the course does not meet QM standards, the Faculty Course Developer will make required changes. (An ID may assist with changes.)
9. At completion of the course review, the course will meet QM standards, and the course developer will be notified.
10. Reviewer access will be removed from the course shell and LMS.
11. From the start date of the review, the entire review process, including any required amendments, must be completed within 20 weeks.

After Review (Official Reviews Only)

1. The course review certificate may be printed from your MyQM account within 3 business days of the submission of all paperwork.
2. Courses that successfully meet QM standards are eligible to carry the QM Certification Mark. View QM's webpage on policies governing the use of the QM Certification Mark for more information.
3. Recognized courses will be announced on Quality Matters' website and on TAMIU's webpage of recognized courses.

A peer review is a rigorous process. The active course review lasts about three weeks. During this time, the team meets, reviews the course, makes choices, and writes helpful feedback in the online Reviewer Worksheet. The faculty developer will get the two reviewers’ anonymous feedback within four to six weeks. This time includes pre- and post-review calls. The faculty developer/instructor may need additional time to complete mandatory revisions. The entire review period may be as long as twenty weeks from the time the course review was started. See QM's 'How does the review process for course design work?' web page.

A QM Review is a time-consuming process, but it does get easier with practice. The first review often takes the most time. Later reviews get easier as you learn the standards and notes. The time investment depends on your familiarity with the learning management system, the discipline, and, of course, the QM rubric!

Interested in having your course reviewed?

Please contact the lead QM Coordinator, Dr. Abrego, for more information:

• Dr. Patricia Abrego, Director of Instructional Technology and Distance Education Services
  pabrego@tamiu.edu | 956.326.2792 | Killam Library 259