QM Certification Preparatory Process

Overview

The Quality Matters (QM) Certification Preparatory Process is a faculty-driven peer review preparation process that emphasizes continuous quality improvement in pursuit of official QM course certification.

The QM Certification Preparatory Process takes between 7-9.5 months to complete, depending upon whether officially reviewed courses need revisions. Faculty obligations are limited to pilot teaching, workshop completion (optional), submission for reviews, and revisions based on detailed feedback from the review process.

Who is Eligible?

Courses that have completed the Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL) Course Development process are eligible to go through the QM Certification Preparatory Process. Courses are sponsored by the department, and instructors are assigned to support the course throughout the preparation process.

What is the QM Certification Preparatory Process?

The QM Certification Preparatory Process consists of five stages, beginning just after CTL Course Development.

What is Involved at Each Stage?

Stage 1: Teach, Learn, & Develop

In the first stage of the process, faculty will pilot teach the course as they normally would, with an eye toward final revisions and flow.

While the course is being taught, the course undergoes Accessibility Development in the CTL’s Teaching Studio, with hands-on support by Accessibility Assistants. This process ensures accessibility of videos, text, documentation, images, and other elements of the course, and is typically completed within just a couple of weeks.

During this time, the instructor has the option to complete an 8 hour Quality Matters (QM) Applying the QM Rubric (APPQMR) workshop, where they will learn more about the QM review standards and expectations.

Stage 2: Review & Revise

In the second stage, the course undergoes a QM Preparatory Review by a QM Certified Master Reviewer. Master Reviewers have extensive knowledge and experience with the QM process, and their focus in this review is ensuring the course is ready for official certification review. The review process typically takes around 4 weeks to complete, and will result in detailed feedback for improvement of the course.

Stage 3: Instructional Design Consultation

In stage three, an Instructional Design Consultant works with the instructor to finalize any revisions identified from pilot teaching, the results from the accessibility development process, and the Course Review Outcomes Report from the QM preparatory review. The revisions at this stage are often relatively minor, so the purpose of this stage is primarily to ensure that the course is ready for official review.

This process can typically be completed in 3-6 weeks.

Stage 4: Official Review & Certification

In stage four, the course undergoes official QM review for certification. The review is typically complete within four weeks. Once complete, the course will either be officially QM certified, at which point the process moves to stage 5, or it will require some revisions. If revisions are needed, the review will provide specific details about what is needed.

This process typically takes 4-6 weeks to complete.

Stage 5: Share & Celebrate

In Stage five, instructors who have been certified are encouraged to share and disseminate this achievement with others in their department, college, or across the university. Instructors will be invited to participate in special discussion groups and to present workshops through the CTL to promote a teaching and course design culture at the University of North Carolina Charlotte (UNC Charlotte).

This process is ongoing, and involvement is determined by the individual faculty members, often in consultation with their department chairs and in partnership with the CTL.

How Long Will It Take?

Table 1. An example timeline for the QM Certification Preparatory Process by start of the semester.

Where Can I Learn More?

Still have questions? We would love to hear from you! The best way is to get in touch with Dr. Enoch Park, Quality Matters/Online Learning Specialist via email (Enoch.Park@uncc.edu).