Quality Matters Supports Educators in Creating Better Online Learning Experiences with Four Events

Quality Matters (QM) — the international leader for quality assurance in online and innovative digital teaching and learning environments — will present a slate of four conference events in 2024 designed to support high quality academic experiences and outcomes for learners by connecting educators to research, innovation and best practices.

This year’s conferences are designed to help institutions achieve their online quality goals by providing a space for instructors, course designers, administrators, and other stakeholders to share best practices, build community and gain new insights into learner-centered digital learning. Each event’s programming will consist primarily of member-led sessions on topics relevant to the present and future of online education. Each event addresses this concept from a different, though equally critical angle, with sessions geared toward the event’s theme.

“There are many kinds of learning opportunities available to the education community but there are none like QM conferences and forums, where experts committed to quality digital learning convene,” says QM’s CEO, Dr. Deb Adair. “The sharing of insights and resources can immediately inform practice, with outcomes going far beyond knowledge acquisition. The opportunities to connect with practice and thought leaders who share challenges and solutions have created communities that continue to support professional advancement. These events are where these relationships are initiated and fostered.”

QM’s 2024 conference programming includes the following:

• The QM Research Online Conference (Feb. 16, 12:30 – 4:30 p.m. ET, virtual) is focused on two key areas related to research into online learning. In the first, participants will explore recent research and evidence in order to support investment in quality online learning at all levels of the institutional landscape. In the second, presenters will showcase techniques for gathering data on quality assurance efforts with the aim of understanding trends and using them to improve digital learning practices. The event’s sessions will be led by fellow practitioners who have successfully implemented research in their work, or by the researchers who have uncovered these findings themselves.
• Q-Up for K-12 Digital Quality (Apr. 12, 12:00 – 4:00 p.m. ET, virtual) is dedicated exclusively to K-12 digital education, supporting educators at all levels of instruction, course design and administration to develop quality learning experiences for elementary and secondary learners. This year’s event will feature sessions on integrating synchronous course components into asynchronous learning, meeting diverse student needs, engaging in solutions thinking, and exploring the potentials of AI.
• Higher Ed Quality in Action (May 3, 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. ET, virtual) aims to present participants in the higher education community with practical, actionable insights for online design, teaching, and quality assurance that can be implemented at their institutions right away. By focusing on such tangible improvements — derived from the lived experience of presenters working in the field — the event presents immediate value to the work educators and administrators are doing at the course, program and institutional levels.
• QM Connect (Nov. 3-6, in-person) is QM’s flagship conference, presenting the best opportunity for educators to grow their skill sets, gain new knowledge and forge new relationships. QM Connect’s three days — plus a day of pre-conference workshops — are composed of educator-led sessions, engaging panels, keynote addresses by industry leaders, and opportunities to build community. With the theme of this year’s conference — Empowering Learners, Enabling Potential — QM hopes to empower educators to place learners at the center of their own academic experiences, unlocking new possibilities for success through online learning. The event takes place in person at the Loews Chicago O’Hare in Rosemont, IL.

Learner demand for online educational modalities continues to grow in the United States, rendering this moment an important one for the development of skills that impact the quality of digital courses. In the CHLOE 8 Report, derived from a 2023 survey of hundreds of Chief Online Learning Officers at U.S. institutions of higher learning, 81% reported that enrollment in traditional, face-to-face courses has stagnated or declined at their institutions, while 56% of respondents reported growth or strong growth in enrollment in online and hybrid programs. As a result, more than half of institutions surveyed reported rethinking their strategies to focus more on online learning. QM’s 2023 conferences are designed to help them meet this demand.

About Quality Matters

Grounded in research. Driven by best practices. A community that puts learners first. Quality Matters (QM) is the global organization leading quality assurance in online and innovative digital teaching and learning environments. It provides a scalable quality assurance system for online and blended learning used within and across organizations. When you see QM Recognition and Certification Marks on courses or programs, it means they have met QM Course Design Standards or QM Program Review Criteria in a rigorous review process.