Online Course Design Checklists
NIU is transitioning from the Quality Matters rubric to the Online Learning Consortium (OLC) Course Review Scorecard. Courses developed with Quality Matters will continue to be supported, while new and revised courses will follow the OLC standards. Learn more.
These checklists have been updated from QM to OLC Course Review standards and are still in initial draft form shared while still under review.
Checklists for Meeting Online Course Quality Standards
These checklists provide practical suggestions for faculty to follow in designing and developing quality online courses that meet NIU online course essentials standards for online course design excellence.
Developed by the Northern Illinois University Center for Innovative Teaching and Learning in collaboration with AI | Adapted from New Mexico State University | Revised 9/30/2025
