6 Course Quality Assurance Rubrics or Checklists
Course Quality Assurance Rubrics or Checklists are essential tools used by educational institutions to ensure that their courses meet high standards of quality, effectiveness, and accessibility. These rubrics or checklists typically cover a wide range of criteria, including course design, content delivery, interaction and engagement, assessment and feedback, technology use, and accessibility. They are designed to promote best practices in online and blended learning environments and to ensure a consistent and high-quality learning experience for all students.
When it comes to aligning with the core principles of HyFlex (Hybrid-Flexible) courses—student choice, equivalence, reusability, accessibility, and equity—certain elements of these quality assurance rubrics become particularly relevant. Here is a summary of content from typical Course Quality Assurance Rubrics or Checklists that aligns with these HyFlex principles:
1. Student Choice:
– Flexible Learning Paths: Courses should offer multiple options for how students can engage with the material, complete assignments, and participate in class activities. This might include a choice between attending in-person sessions, participating online, or a combination of both.
– Varied Assessment Methods: Providing a variety of assessment methods allows students to demonstrate their understanding in different ways, catering to diverse learning styles and preferences.
2. Equivalence:
– Consistent Learning Outcomes: Regardless of the chosen mode of participation, all students should be able to achieve the same learning outcomes. This means designing activities and assessments that are equitable across different formats.
– Quality Interaction: The course should facilitate quality interaction among students and between students and the instructor across all formats. This includes equivalent opportunities for feedback, discussion, and collaboration.
3. Reusability:
– Reusable Learning Objects: The course materials, such as videos, readings, and activities, should be designed in a way that they can be easily reused across different modes of the course. This includes using formats that are easily accessible and modifiable.
– Scalable Design: The course design should be scalable, allowing for materials and activities to be effectively used in various class sizes and formats without losing educational value.
4. Accessibility:
– Universal Design for Learning (UDL): Courses should follow the principles of UDL, providing multiple means of engagement, representation, action, and expression to accommodate a diverse range of learners.
– Accessible Materials: All course materials should meet accessibility standards, ensuring that they are usable by students with disabilities. This includes providing captions for videos, alt text for images, and ensuring that documents are screen-reader friendly.
5. Equity:
– Inclusive Content and Practices: The course should include diverse perspectives and be mindful of including content that is respectful and inclusive of various cultures, backgrounds, and experiences.
– Support and Resources: Equitable access to support services and resources, such as tutoring, library services, and technical support, is critical. Information about these services should be clearly communicated to all students.
In summary, Course Quality Assurance Rubrics or Checklists that align with HyFlex principles emphasize the importance of designing courses that are flexible, inclusive, and equitable, offering multiple pathways for students to engage with the content and achieve learning outcomes, regardless of their chosen mode of participation. These rubrics ensure that courses are designed with the highest standards of quality and accessibility, promoting an effective and equitable learning environment for all students.
The most common course quality assurance checklists include the following:
- HyFlex Learning Community Course Quality Rubric (HLCCQR)
- Quality Matters (QM) Higher Education Rubric, Seventh Edition
- The SUNY Online Course Quality Review Rubric (OSCQR)
Century College has membership with Quality Matters, and the annotations and examples for the specific review standards (SRS) may be generally used to design and revise the asynchronous part of the HyFlex course.