Quality Matters to Honor Educators and Institutions for Commitment to Online Education Quality

Quality Matters (QM), the international leader for quality assurance in online and innovative digital teaching and learning environments, announces the recipients of its 2024 awards — five awards that recognize excellence and innovation in online educational quality.

As the footprint of digital learning modalities continues to grow, online quality has become a critical concern for institutions around the world. QM’s research-supported quality assurance processes help educators and institutions ensure that online courses are accessible, inclusive and navigable for all learners. The individuals and organizations receiving these awards have demonstrated exceptional dedication to improving learning experiences for digital learners through engagement with the core elements of QM’s framework for quality: professional development, peer reviews of courses and programs, and research-supported Standards.

The recipients of the 2024 QM Making a Difference for Students Awards are:

Outstanding Impact by an Individual in Higher Education: Cheryl Oberlin, Director, Distance Education, University of Florida College of Journalism and Communications

Cheryl Oberlin’s exemplary commitment to online quality was proven when she spearheaded the establishment of a new instructional design division at the University of Florida’s College of Journalism and Communications focused on improving course quality. By fostering a collaborative environment among this new team of instructional designers, Oberlin was able to completely overhaul the College’s quality assurance efforts, resulting in QM Certification — the result of meeting QM Standards in a Course Review for Certification — for the vast majority of the college’s courses. As a result, learners now have access to trackable learning outcomes, improved assignment directions and rubrics and uniform courses built on a strong template; graduation and faculty performance scores have both improved.

“This award underscores the University of Florida College of Journalism and Communications’ steadfast commitment to delivering high-quality online education. It fuels ongoing collaboration between our faculty and instructional design team to innovate and maintain the rigorous standards of both the College and Quality Matters,” says Oberlin. “Most importantly, it reassures students that we are deeply invested in their learning journey and are dedicated to providing courses that offer meaningful, engaging and top-tier educational experiences.”

Outstanding Impact by a U.S. Higher Education Organization: North Carolina State University

QM recognizes North Carolina State University for its exemplary efforts toward quality, initiated by the founding of the institution’s Course Quality Initiative in 2018. The initiative, led by Bethanne J. Winzeler, Christine Cranford, Arlene Mendoza-Moran, Jill Anderson, and Rebecca Sanchez, established a standard of quality for the design of online and blended courses at the institution achieved through faculty professional development, instructional design support, and the organization of a sustainable process for the peer review of courses. As a result, hundreds of faculty have completed quality-focused professional development, and more than 80 of the institution’s courses and one program have earned QM Certification.

“The Making a Difference for Students by a U.S. Higher Education Organization award will support our quality assurance for online learning by providing greater visibility for our work,” says Winzeler, Associate Director of Course Quality. “Receiving this national recognition will draw the attention of instructors and administrators at our institution. We hope this will increase participation in our Course Quality efforts, leading to even greater outcomes for our learners.”

Outstanding Impact by a Non-U.S. Higher Education Organization: United States International University – Africa

Through rigorous commitment to QM’s quality practices including peer review and educator professional development, United States International University – Africa (USIU-Africa) has begun to position itself as a regional leader in online learning. These efforts have led to the institution’s Online MBA program receiving accreditation from the WASC Senior College & University Commission (WSCUC) in 2020, and by 2021, it was also accredited by the institution’s local accrediting body, the Commission for University Education (CUE). Currently, seven more programs have been certified for online delivery, and over 165 faculty have undergone QM workshops, gaining valuable skills and knowledge to effectively design, develop, and deliver high-quality online courses.

“We are honored to receive this award, which reaffirms USIU-Africa’s dedication to student success, our ongoing commitment to excellence in online education, and our commitment to meeting Quality Matters (QM) standards,” says Dr. Philip Machoka, Director of e-Learning. “This recognition motivates us to continue raising the bar and ensuring our students receive the highest-quality learning experiences.”

Outstanding Impact by a K–12 Organization: Idaho Digital Learning Alliance

In improving its adherence to quality, the Idaho Digital Learning Alliance (IDLA) began with a focus on its course development process. Team members worked to ensure that faculty and design staff were well-educated about quality best practices through extensive training, with 100% of full-time staff completing QM professional development as a result. Additionally, the team established a new set of course development guidelines to be used across the institution. The initiative resulted in a 25% increase in successful course completion among IDLA’s learners and a major improvement in learner approval of online coursework in surveys and interviews.

“Acceptance of this award is a huge boost for our team. It celebrates the dedication and hard work that has gone, and continues to go into meeting and exceeding the high standards set for online teaching,” says Annie Reichelt, Content Development Specialist. “More than just a trophy, this award energizes our commitment to ensuring all our classes meet QM standards. It reminds us of what we’ve accomplished and inspires us to keep pushing the boundaries of what we can achieve in online education.”

QM is also proud to confer the Directors’ Award for Exceptional Service to Quality Matters upon Amanda Hardman and Morris Thomas.  Amanda Hardman is a Senior Learning Designer and the Lead Quality Matters Coordinator for the Colorado Community College System. She is also a QM-Certified Peer Reviewer, Master Reviewer, and Facilitator. She has contributed her expertise to 26 independent workshops and actively participated in 21 QM Course Reviews for Certification. Hardman demonstrated dedication and experience in her work on QM’s Higher Education Rubric, Seventh Edition Rubric Committee — a group of educators whose collective input informed the latest edition of QM’s Standards for Course Design. Her exemplary contributions to the QM community include notable presentations at QM events such as QM Connect and Quality in Action and facilitation of QM workshops such as Applying the Quality Matters Rubric, Intro to Quality Matters, and the seven workshops of the Quality Matters Teaching Online Certificate for both higher education and K-12.

Dr. Morris Thomas is the Assistant Provost for Digital and Online Learning, Director of the Center for Excellence in Teaching, Learning and Assessment and the Associate Professor of Educational Leadership & Policy Studies at Howard University, where he also serves as the QM Coordinator. He is recognized for his selfless service to the QM community as Chair of the Quality Matters Academic Advisory Council, a group of educators who guide QM in fulfilling the needs of online educators and learners. He has provided unwavering leadership during his impactful tenure, particularly in large-scale quality assurance implementation, developing synergy among academic leadership and instructional design and development centers, and championing inclusive online learning. Thomas also served as a panelist at QM Connect 2023 and as an invited contributor to the 2024 QM Research Online Conference. He has facilitated 15 independent workshops and served on 23 QM Course Reviews for Certification.

Awards will be presented at the upcoming QM Connect Conference, whose theme is “Empowering Learners, Enabling Potential.” The conference takes place at the Loews Chicago O’Hare in Rosemont, IL November 3–6, 2024. Pre-conference workshops will be held on November 3, followed by three days of interactive, engaging sessions and networking events from November 4-6.

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 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.