Welcome and Course Overview

Course Purpose and Learning Outcomes

This course introduces you to the Quality Matters (QM) framework—a comprehensive, internationally recognized set of standards for evaluating and designing online education. Whether you're a course designer, instructor, instructional technologist, or administrator, understanding and applying QM principles ensures that online courses are structured for student success and continuous improvement.

The Quality Matters rubric is based on decades of research into what makes online education effective. It emphasizes alignment between course objectives, instructional activities, assessments, and technology tools. By completing this course, you will be able to:

  1. Define Quality Matters and explain its role in online education quality assurance
  2. Identify and apply the 8 General Standards of the QM rubric to course design and review
  3. Understand the QM review process and how certification works
  4. Apply QM principles to self-paced courses and asynchronous learning environments
  5. Develop actionable strategies for implementing QM in institutional workflows

How to Use This Course

This course is organized into five learning units, each building on previous concepts. Each unit contains:

  • Core Content: Key concepts, explanations, and examples
  • Video Segments: Short video lectures from QM experts (required viewing)
  • Key Takeaways: Summary of the most important concepts
  • Self-Check Questions: Reflection prompts to help you consolidate learning

After completing all five units, you will take a summative assessment (10 multiple-choice questions) to demonstrate your understanding of the material. The assessment is not part of the unit content—it is taken separately after you've finished all learning activities.

About Quality Matters

Quality Matters is a not-for-profit organization founded by Maryland Online, Inc., a pioneer in online higher education. Since 1998, QM has maintained a rigorous, peer-reviewed rubric that has become the de facto standard for online course quality in higher education and K–12 settings globally. The QM framework focuses on learner-centered design and emphasizes that alignment is the foundation of quality—every element of a course should align with the learning outcomes and support student success.

Key Concept: Alignment

Throughout this course, you'll see "alignment" emphasized again and again. Alignment means that all course components—learning outcomes, instructional activities, materials, interactions, and assessments—are connected and working together toward the same goal. A well-aligned course is inherently more effective.

Course Structure at a Glance

  • Unit 1: Introduction to Quality Matters — Origins, adoption, and why it matters
  • Unit 2: The 8 QM General Standards — Detailed walkthrough of each standard
  • Unit 3: The QM Review Process — Self-review, internal review, and certification
  • Unit 4: QM at Saylor Academy — Institutional implementation and training
  • Unit 5: Alignment—The Core Principle — Deep dive into alignment and self-paced courses
  • Unit 6: Summary and Next Steps — Consolidation and resources for ongoing learning

Ready to begin? Continue to Unit 1