Quality Matters at NIU

To promote excellence in online teaching and learning, in 2014 NIU joined more than 1,300 institutions who subscribe to Quality Matters^TM (QM). Through professional development and a voluntary course review and certification process, QM helps us ensure that our online courses are high quality and support our students' success.

The next Applying the Quality Matters Rubric Workshop will be held Friday, November 3rd. Learn more and register today!

Quality Standards

The QM rubric is based on a synthesis of the extensive and growing body of research on online learning. The rubric is made up of 44 specific review standards for quality online course design. QM is a continuous and collaborative improvement process that recognizes that courses meeting the standards still have room for continuing improvement and courses that do not meet standards initially will receive useful feedback to guide revision.

The QM standards focus on course design, not content, and include recommendations for learning objectives, assessments, activities, technology, and accessibility, usability, learner support, and the initial student experience, among others. 

You can review the standards, which comprise the quality essentials design standards for NIU online courses. Request a copy of the 7th edition rubric by contacting us at citl@niu.edu.

Professional Development for Online Course Quality

Faculty interested in learning more about the Quality Matters^TM rubric and/or becoming a peer reviewer are invited to attend the online workshops in the Quality Online Course Series offered by the Center for Innovative Teaching and Learning. The online workshops will also be recorded and made available after the event as an archive. Faculty who want to engage more deeply with the Peer Review Process are encouraged to attend the day-long Applying the Quality Matters Rubric (APPQMR) workshops which are offered in-person at NIU several times throughout the year, followed by the online Peer Reviewer Course (PRC) offered online by Quality Matters^TM.

Course Review and Certification

Course review and certification is voluntary, but encouraged. As a first step, faculty can request an informal review of their online course and consult with one of our staff on incorporating the standards into their online course. This is done automatically for all courses supported by an instructional designer.  

Courses that meet all noted essential standards are designated as NIU quality essentials courses and can display the the quality essentials badge and statement in the course syllabus and/or Blackboard course.

Once a course has been internally reviewed and recognized for being high-quality, it can be submitted for an official Quality Matters^TM review. An official QM review requires a formal review team and includes an external peer reviewer. Courses that meet these standards can be called QM Certified, display a QM Certification logo, and are included on the Quality Matters’ national list of officially recognized courses.