Quality Matters™ (QM) is a nationally recognized, faculty-centric non-profit that looks at how educational institutions measure and guarantee the quality of a course, specifically the course design. Quality is measured through both a rubric and a rigorous peer-review process.
How does Kent State University utilize Quality Matters?
Kent State University is a member of the largest QM state consortium in the nation, the Ohio QM Consortium, and provides low-cost training for QM’s foundational workshop, Applying the Quality Matters Rubric (APPQMR). Along with the APPQMR, Kent State also offers QM consultations and a shortened, two-hour introduction to QM presentation, so that faculty can choose their level of involvement.
Online Recognized Courses and Program Design Certifications
Quality Matters™ Recognition via the peer review process means that a course has met rigorous, research-based standards for quality online course design.
Kent State University is proud to announce that specific courses within departments are QM-recognized. Those departments include:
- Ambassador Crawford College of Business and Entrepreneurship
- College of Public Health
- College of Arts & Sciences
An online recognized QM-certified course illustrates that the course is student-friendly. The course is consistent, logical, and easy to navigate. Whereas an online program design certification highlights the College’s commitment to ensuring that quality is upheld by ensuring courses align to measurable program outcomes, are designed by QM-knowledgeable faculty and distance learning staff, and courses are reviewed every few years to ensure they are meeting QM standards.
Kent State University’s Online MBA program
Kent State’s Online MBA program, offered by the Ambassador Crawford College of Business and Entrepreneurship, is ranked #23 in the nation in The Princeton Review’s Top 50 Online MBA Programs for 2022 rankings.
The Online MBA program provides students access to world-renowned faculty and strategically designed courses in a flexible format. The Kent State Ambassador Crawford College of Business and Entrepreneurship’s Online MBA program is the only program in the nation to earn Quality Matters Program Design Certification, and all of Kent State’s core MBA courses are Quality Matters certified, meaning they meet rigorous standards of quality.
For more information on Kent State’s Online MBA Program, visit https://onlinedegrees.kent.edu/degrees/mba.
Interested in Learning More about Quality Matters?
Visit qualitymatters.org to learn more about certified online courses and check out these textbooks recommended by Kent State’s own, Dr. Amy Grincewicz, Director of Instructional Design, Ambassador Crawford College of Business and Entrepreneurship.
Quality in Online Programs: Approaches and Practices in Higher Education
Swapna Kumar & Patricia Arnold
Are you looking for evidence-based hands-on approaches to quality assurance in online programs in higher education? Then this is the book you are looking for. Quality in Online Programs includes approaches and practices to creating and maintaining quality in online programs from across disciplines, institutions, and countries. In this book, leaders in the field of online higher education share their lessons learned using customized approaches to online program quality, student support, and faculty development. These cases will be useful to those seeking to adopt or adapt such practices in their own contexts. The authors also focus on quality assurance at the program level, which has not often been addressed before and which is crucial to ensure faculty satisfaction, program outcomes, and a successful student experience.
Designing master courses that promote significant, engaged learning
Amy M. Grincewicz & Bethany Simunich
In the last decade, significant emphasis has been placed on the process of creating quality online courses, with instructional designers and technologists collaborating with faculty to create engaging and meaningful online course content. One way to meet the challenge of designing quality online courses, given the time and financial investment, is to create what is frequently termed a “master course.” The Master Course Model (MCM) presented in this chapter is a scalable solution to maximize institutional expertise, even with limited design, technology, and media resources.
Ambassador Crawford College of Business and Entrepreneurship
The Ambassador Crawford College of Business and Entrepreneurship at Kent State University offers comprehensive business education from bachelor’s to doctoral degrees. The approach to education blends classroom instruction, experiential learning, and education abroad to produce graduates that are exceptionally well prepared for the challenges of a global economy.
For more information on the Ambassador Crawford College of Business and Entrepreneurship’s online programs, visit https://onlinedegrees.kent.edu/business.
College of Public Health
The College of Public Health at Kent State University prepares students for careers in some of today’s most exciting health fields: emergency management, disease investigation, health services administration, occupational health and safety, environmental risk assessment, global health, and many others. We offer academic programs that provide a “Pathway to a Public Health Career” for students at all stages of their careers from entry and mid-level to senior management or advanced researcher.
For more information on the College of Public Health’s online programs, visit https://onlinedegrees.kent.edu.
College of Arts & Sciences
The College of Arts & Sciences at Kent State University’s primary mission is to provide quality education for all students, led by the very best teacher-scholars. Through our liberal arts offerings, CAS provides the foundational coursework for students throughout the University. The undergraduate and graduate programs in the College encompass humanities, social sciences, natural and mathematical sciences.
For more information on the College of Arts & Sciences’ online programs, visit https://onlinedegrees.kent.edu/.
