Institutions have many choices when deciding how to evaluate the effectiveness of their online courses. From institutional-developed tools to established quality frameworks, choosing the right tool can seem like a daunting task. With more than 20 years as the leader in online and digital learning quality, OLC is in the unique position of providing key resources used by institutions around the world.
In late 2016, OLC announced a partnership with the State University of New York which included the addition of the OSCQR scorecard for course design review to OLC’s suite of Quality Scorecards. With opportunities for customization, the OSCQR rubric includes 50 standards that can be used to identify areas of improvement based on recognized best practices in online course design. Information gathered from the OSCQR scorecard can be used by institutions to review and address multiple components of online course design, including:
- Course overview and information
- Course technology and tools
- Design and layout
- Content and activities
- Interaction
- Assessment and feedback
The rubric can also serve as a method to identify continuous improvement needs around accessibility in online course design.
Today, during the OLC Innovate conference in New Orleans, we’re announcing additional resources to support implementation of the OSCQR scorecard. These new resources are available to OLC institutional members at OLCquality.org, and include access to a newly designed interactive, web-based platform.
Members can use the OSCQR Interactive Scorecard to provide a detailed response to each of the 50 standards and upload files or other data needed. Faculty, instructional designers or other staff can easily manage their portfolio of scorecards through our dashboard and access additional reporting functions.
For more information on the OSCQR scorecard attend our OLC sponsored webinar on May 2 at 2 pm ET.
Jennifer Mathes provides leadership in researching, scoping, managing, and evaluating key projects, programs, and customized solutions that are aligned with OLC’s Advisory Services domestically and internationally. Dr. Mathes has nearly 20 years of experience in both public and private for-profit higher education where she has supported online learning initiatives since she taught her first online course in 1997. She has been instrumental in working with start-up online initiatives as well as leading growth in institutions with an existing online program. She holds a Doctor of Philosophy degree in Education from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign where she wrote her dissertation on “Predictors for Student Success in Online Education.” She also has earned a Master of Science degree in Business Education and a Bachelor of Science degree in Mass Communications from Illinois State University.