Do you ever wonder if there is a way to receive feedback on your online courses?
Students listening to an instructor
CELT Teaching Tip • September 6, 2018
How do you know your online course is meeting the needs of your students?
Do you ever wonder if there is a way to receive feedback on your online courses? Quality Matters (QM), is a nation-wide, faculty-centered, peer review process designed to certify the quality of online courses and online components.
The QM Rubric includes 8 standards to improve your course: 
  1. Course Overview and Introduction
  2. Learning Objectives (Competencies)
  3. Assessment and Measurement
  4. Instructional Materials
  5. Learning Activities and Learner Interaction
  6. Course Technology
  7. Learner Support
  8. Accessibility and Usability
Quality Matters written in blue over QM in red
Within these standards are specific action steps that you can use today to enhance your online course. These include:  
  • Organizing your course materials into modules, units, or topics so that your content is easier for your students to navigate 
  • Providing messages on the front page of your course to welcome your students to your course and guide them on where to begin 
  • Linking to the Online Learner Support page within MyCanvas Student website with many of the on-campus resources that students need to succeed in your course. 

CELT at Iowa State University subscribes to QM. As such you have the opportunity to improve your course, network with fellow QM users, and streamline accreditation preparation. 
  • Online Course Improvement: CELT offers two on-campus QM workshops to learn the underlying principles of QM and help you review your own courses and develop a course improvement plan. 
  • Canvas Course Templates: CELT has developed a Canvas Template that helps to meet many of the Quality Matters standards. Even if you are not interested in QM Certification, this template can help to organize your online course materials and give you a head start on your Canvas course creation
  • Network with Fellow QM Users: Join the Quality Matters Learning Community in which members will have opportunities to hear about ways to meet the QM standards, as well as discussing best practices, experiences, and solutions to course design problems. No prior QM experience is needed to attend. We hope that you will join us for our first meeting on Sept. 19 (3-4:30 p.m.), register via Learn@ISU.
  • Assistance with Streamlining Online Course Accreditation Preparation: If your program, department, or unit is undergoing accreditation, QM provides an in-depth Program Certification process. It provides a framework for the collection and analysis of evidence related to an institution's online programs - the same evidence that can be used to support accreditation. For information regarding online program accreditation and QM, please visit QM's Streamlining Accreditation Preparation with Program Review page.

A previous participant has sung the praises of CELT QM Coordinator Darrin Jones and the program:

"Darrin knows the QM material very well and is able to present it in a highly practical and orderly manner to make the best use of our time in the workshop. The mix of presenting information and giving time to review our own course materials worked very well. I especially appreciated the final worksheet that brought all of the information together into a prioritized "To Do" list for our own courses. I highly recommend this workshop for anyone teaching an online course."

If you are interested in seeing the QM Canvas Template, or if you have any questions regarding Quality Matters, please visit the On-Campus Quality Matters Workshop page, or contact Darrin Jones in CELT at [email protected] or 515-294-6072.

Best wishes,
Sara Marcketti
Director, CELT
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Plan out your year with over 178 hours of professional development opportunities
The Center for Excellence in Learning and Teaching (CELT) has developed over 178 hours of professional development opportunities. Here's how you can plan out your year:


Step two: View the most up-to-date list of programs and our comprehensive array of events visit CELT’s Event and Registration website.

Step three: Determine which event(s) you would like to attend and register via the Learn@ISU website or if you would prefer email [email protected] and specify: event title, date, your name, department.

You may also want to download one or all of the following topic-based flyers (PDF):
Students in a lecture hall and one student is sleeping
Workshop: Effectively managing disruptive classroom behavior
When disruptive behavior takes place, a number of Iowa State University faculty members recommend addressing it immediately. Their advice: remain calm, assess the situation, listen to student concerns. Especially recommended: provide a clear, firm response that is consistent with responses you’ve given other students. The strategies and resources in this workshop will help you prepare for these moments before they occur.

To learn more about managing classroom behavior visit CELT's Managing Disruptive Classroom Behavior website and/or download CELT’s Effectively Managing Disruptive Classroom Behavior Toolkit (PDF) .

Register via the Learn@ISU website or email CELT ( [email protected])
for one of CELT's Effectively managing disruptive classroom behavior workshops this fall on Fri., Sept. 21 (12:10-1 p.m.) or Thurs., Nov. 1 (12:10-1 p.m.)

Twitter Its whats happening
Recent @isucelt tweets:
Engage in conversation about the recent events related to police reporting, response & community interaction - Big or Small––Do You Call? Campus Conversation (Sept. 13, 3:30 p.m., 198 Parks Library) @IowaStateU http://bit.ly/2oJ75HT (Tweeted 3:50 PM - Sep 4, 2018)
 
Why Demand Originality from Students in Online Discussion Forums? - http://bit.ly/2Pz5G28  via @FacultyFocus (Tweeted 1:55 PM - Sep 4, 2018)
 
Do you have a topic that P&S staff will benefit from learning about? Consider being a presenter for the 2019 Conference! @ISUPSCouncil's Submission Deadline is Oct. 5 http://bit.ly/2PDzR8C (Tweeted 10:22 AM - Sep 4, 2018)
 
Fall 2018 Call for Submissions: Teaching Online Pedagogical Repository (TOPR) -- Share your online teaching practices with the world! http://bit.ly/2PzxbZq (Tweeted 9:03 AM - Sep 4, 2018)
 
Seeking Nominations for the 2020 Robert Foster Cherry Award for Great Teaching @baylor @IowaStateU http://bit.ly/2wEtlq5 (Tweeted 8:37 AM - Sep 4, 2018)
 
Big data, mental illness, film animation find a spot in lectures lineup - Inside Iowa State for faculty and staff - Iowa State University http://bit.ly/2NTzshR (Tweeted 9:08 AM - Aug 30, 2018)
 
Fostering Human Connection for Meaningful Learning in Technologically Advanced Learning Spaces http://bit.ly/2NVlmw7
(Tweeted 1:07 PM - Aug 29, 2018)
Upcoming CELT programs
To learn more about the events listed visit CELT’s Event and Registration website and register via the Learn@ISU website. Many of these workshops are available in-person and/or via Zoom, virtual web-conferencing.

  • Workshop, Grading & Student Data in Canvas, Sept. 7 (10 a.m.-Noon), or Sept. 20 (1-3 p.m.)
  • Workshop, Group Work & Collaboration in Canvas, Sept. 11 (10 a.m.-Noon), or Sept. 25 (3-5 p.m.)
  • Workshop, Rubrics & Outcomes in Canvas, Sept. 12 (10 a.m.-Noon) or Sept. 26 (2-4 p.m.)
  • Workshop, Personalized Learning & Mastery Paths in Canvas, Sept. 13 (10 a.m.-Noon), or Sept. 27 (10 a.m.-Noon)
  • Workshop Series, The research-based flipped classroom: Team-Based Learning, Sept. 13, 20, 27, Oct. 4 & 11 (3:30-5 p.m.)
  • Meeting, ISU Online Learning Community (ISU-OLC), Sept. 14 (11:30 a.m.-1 p.m.)
  • Workshop, Engagement Strategies for Every Classroom, Sept. 17 (12:10-1 p.m.)
  • Inclusive Classroom Workshop, Sept. 18 (2:10-5 p.m.)
  • Meeting, Quality Matters Learning Community, Sept. 19 (3-4:30 p.m.)
  • Award-Winning Seminar Series, Authentic Problems: What to do when learners just aren't getting it?, Sept. 26 (12:10-1 p.m.)

Prefer a Print version? To view the Teaching Tip as a printable document with the web addresses, download the CELT Teaching Tip (PDF) (http://bit.ly/2wM8lha)