Nominations For the 2019 Quality Matters Awards and The Ron Legon Leadership Award Are Now Open

QM Members who have worked hard to meet QM Standards and improve student learning deserve to be acknowledged by their peers! Quality Matters is calling on all members who have implemented quality assurance initiatives and demonstrated student success to nominate themselves — or encourage others to apply — for the Making a Difference for Students QM Awards. Winners are announced each year at the QM Annual Conference on Quality Assurance in Online Learning October 27-30, 2019.

“We look forward to celebrating the work of our members each year as they put QM principles in action to improve engagement and retention of their students. The awards showcase the commitment of our community to continuously improve,” said Dr. Deb Adair, Executive Director, Quality Matters.

Nominations for the QM Making a Difference for Students Awards are open in three categories:

• Outstanding Impact by an Individual in Higher Education

• Outstanding Impact by a Higher Education Organization

• Outstanding Impact by a K–12 Individual or Organization

These awards celebrate QM Members who have made a positive impact on faculty/staff and students through their use of the QM quality assurance process, including course and program reviews and the application of professional development. Applying for a QM award is a way for individuals and institutions to showcase all their hard work and research around online learning, be recognized for their achievements, and make the case for others to follow suit.

“We had not done any formal research comparing student performance before and after embracing QM. The nomination process gave us a reason to pull together the data that we needed and helped us discover that student performance had improved,” said Krista Tomaselli, Assistant Director of Instructional Product Development at Michigan Virtual and recipient of the 2017 Outstanding Impact by a K–12 Organization Award.

QM and MarylandOnline are also excited to announce that nominations are now open for The Ron Legon Leadership Award for Quality Assurance in Online Education.

This prestigious award is open to the public and is intended for an individual with at least seven years of demonstrated leadership at academic institutions or organizations related to online learning. Visionary and innovative leaders who have had a significant impact on online education quality assurance policy or practice in higher education, K–12, publishing or continuing education are encouraged to apply.

“By recognizing those whose leadership efforts have changed the online education quality assurance paradigm, we are bringing their work forward to an even larger audience. We are saying that this work matters and that we value your contributions,” said Dr. Ron Legon, Executive Director Emeritus, Quality Matters.

Nominations for all awards are due May 3. The winners will be announced in early October and an awards ceremony will be held at the QM Connect conference in Grapevine, Texas.

View the criteria for the QM Making a Difference for Students Awards.  

View the Ron Legon Award criteria.

For more information, please contact Jim Snyder, Awards Committee Member, jsnyder@qualitymatters.org.

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.