In order to meet accreditation guidelines for higher education institutions, online courses for all campuses in the UM System need to complete a Quality Course Review. (Let’s just call it QCR for short). Chances are pretty good that you’ve already heard about "this QCR thing" by now, though, and you know it’s something you need to do. But what if you aren’t sure what it entails or need some guidance on how to get started?
Enter the Quality Course Review Guide for Instructors. This open Canvas course is accessible to all instructors across all campuses, and it is tailored to help faculty efficiently grasp:
- what a QCR is;
- what the QCR process consists of;
- the 5 pillars that constitute a QCR; and
- the what, why, and how behind the required items for each pillar.
Reviewing the Quality Course Review Guide for Instructors can help you jump into the QCR process with a clear idea of what to expect. It will also help you to do a "pre-flight check" for your course prior to submission, based on required items that reviewers will be looking for in your course. (After all, who doesn’t love getting a study guide indicating the important areas to focus on before going into an exam?)
But what if you’ve submitted a course for review already and are somewhere in the process of completing a QCR? Or what if you’re an instructor who has already gotten a course or two through QCR but still have other online courses to be reviewed? Never fear; there is benefit here for you, as well.
For those who have already begun the QCR process in some capacity, the Quality Course Review Guide for Instructors can help make sense of feedback received from the reviewers who examined your course. It can also help you make informed decisions about how to approach revisions on specific required items post-review. This can better empower you to confidently make revisions on your own — though our designers are always willing to support you at every stage of the QCR process!
Bottom line: Regardless of where you are at in the QCR process, from complete newbie to well-versed in the process, the Quality Course Review Guide for Instructors can give you a leg up on starting and completing the QCR process and ensuring your online courses are meeting institutional requirements.
- Amanda Stafford & Carmen Beck, Managers of Instructional Design
