FLORIDA ONLINE COURSE DESIGN QUALITY DESIGNATIONS

Florida Online Course Design Quality Designations Frequently Asked Questions

Here are some of our most frequently asked questions

What are the Florida Online Course Design Quality designations?

Florida Online Course Design Quality reviews can result in a Quality (Q), or High Quality (HQ) designation.

What is the difference between a Quality Matters (QM) review and a Florida Online Course Design Quality review?

Florida Online Course Design Quality reviews rely on the QM Higher Ed. Course Design Rubric standards, but the review process and the training for reviewers differ. The Florida Online Course Design Quality review processes were developed by the Florida BOG Quality Workgroup members to be flexible enough to work across all of our institutions and to accommodate institutional differences while increasing overall online course design quality.

What is the difference between Q & HQ designation in the Florida Online Course Design Quality process?

A course with a Q designation was reviewed by two trained reviewers (one of whom can be the faculty developer), meets all of the Quality Matters (QM) Higher Ed. Course Design Rubric essential standards, and provides alternative means of access to course materials in formats that meet the needs of diverse learners.

A course with an HQ designation was reviewed by three trained reviewers, one of whom is a Subject Matter Expert (SME), meets all QM essential standards and earns at least 85% of the available points on the QM Rubric, and provides alternative means of access to course materials in formats that meet the needs of diverse learners. The course faculty developer may serve as the SME.

What training is required for course reviewers?

Faculty course developers who serve as the SME for their course review must complete training in the QM standards and rubrics. This requirement may be met by completion of QM’s Applying the QM Rubric (APPQMR) or through other institutional faculty training in which the APPQMR principles are embedded.

Other course reviewers must complete training in the QM standards and in conducting course reviews. This requirement may be met by completion of QM’s APPQMR and Peer Reviewer Course (PRC) courses or through other institutional faculty training in which the APPQMR & PRC principles are embedded

What if my institution does QM internal or QM Official reviews?

Institutions who continue QM internal and QM Official reviews can label courses that complete those reviews as Q and HQ, respectively, if those courses also provide alternative means of access to course materials in formats that meet the needs of diverse learners.

When does a Florida Online Course Design Quality review designation expire?

Florida Online Course Design Quality designations expire after five years.

What if we reviewed our courses before this process rolled out and the designations were available?

Courses reviewed prior to rolling out may still receive Florida Online Course Design Quality designations, which will expire five years after the time of review.

How does a Florida Online Course Design Quality designation get into the FLVC Online Course Catalog?

FLVC updated their platform to add a field for Florida Online Course Design Quality designations. This was piloted by a small group in Spring 2019 and became available for all institutions for the Fall 2019 term. The Florida College System (FCS) made designations available for public view beginning with the Spring 2021 term. The State University System (SUS) has not yet identified a timeline for making designations public.

Can a course display a Florida Online Course Design Quality designation if it is not taught by the faculty developer?

Yes, if a course receives the Q or HQ designation and is used as a master course, any section that uses the master course can be labeled with the Q or HQ designation.

Which version of the Quality Matters rubric is being used for course design reviews?

The review process uses QM HE rubric- either the current or most recent version.

What about institutions that do not subscribe to QM or who have developed their own standards?

Non-QM institutions can submit an Institutional Equivalency Process (IEP) via the Florida Workgroup Canvas Site as evidence that their quality review processes are equivalent to the Florida Online Course Design Quality review process. Equivalency will be based upon a documentable set of standards that can be mapped to the QM standards and adherence to a review process of comparable rigor.

How can we know that other institutions are following the course review processes?

The Florida Online Course Design Quality review process is based on the honor system, but an auditing process will be developed in the future, so institutions should maintain records of their course reviews.

What about the Faculty Award Designations?

The Faculty Award designation process is in development.