In Dallas County, Texas, one of the largest community college districts in the United States decided that investing the time and resources into their online programs was vital to their continued success.  At the initial stage, there was a recognition that there was a need for a tool that would allow them to comprehensively examine online learning at each of the seven separately accredited colleges. Leading the charge, Terry Di Paolo, the District’s Executive Dean of Online Instructional Services, identified the Quality Scorecard for the Administration of Online Programs after attending a workshop on it offered through the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) Commission on Colleges.  He then shared what he learned with his colleagues at DCCCD where they were able to collaboratively identify a plan to adopt it.

Through implementation of the Quality Scorecard for the Administration of Online Programs, the District was able to gather input from each of its individual colleges so that the final report included a comprehensive review of each aspect of their online learning operations.  By analyzing the results, they developed an action plan based on needed improvements. In addition, the scorecard has been mapped to regional accreditor requirements, which also helped address requirements for SACS. 

To find out more about how the Dallas County Community College District (DCCCD) implemented the Quality Scorecard and used it for improvements, see the DCCCD Case Study for more details.

Institutions seeking to implement the Quality Scorecard to the quality of their own online program can contact OLC via the DCCCD Case Study page for more information.