The outcomes of education are the same in either traditional or distance education setting although the methods to get to those outcomes may differ. Improving learning outcomes is an institutional goal in the strategic plans of Fort Hays State University. The university has the same expectations for online instructors as for the instructors in the classroom. Based on the Quality Matters Rubric, we provide course developers with five essential categories of guidelines as a reference.

 

CATEGORIES

COMPONENTS AND ANNOTATIONS

User Interface and Navigation

·         Color scheme (text, graphics, icons, hyperlinks, etc.)

·         Readability (type face, font size, background and text color, etc.)

·         Consistency (headings, color, fonts, spacing, icons, graphics, etc.)

·         Ease of use in navigational structures

·         Clear instructions regarding course organization and where to start

·         Ease of use in finding information within the course

·         All the links in the course working

Course Documents and Content Presentation

·         A detailed syllabus designed particularly for distance learners

·         Manageable learning units chunked by units, modules, and topics

·         Clearly defined learning objectives targeted for content mastery, critical-thinking skills, and core-learning skills

·         Lecture notes or study guides to help students learn

·         Assignments or evaluations to assess student learning

·         Use of multimedia components to adapt to students’ different learning styles (e.g. PowerPoint presentations, WWW resources, online tutorials, graphics, animated illustrations, audio, video, etc.)

·         Media components used in the course support the learning objectives

·         High quality and appropriate length or size for multimedia components

·         Requirements of plug-ins to view the media components

·         Availability of plug-in download links provided to the students

Communication and Interaction

 

·         Introduction to the instructor (e.g. educational background, research interest, an image, or a link to an introductory video or a personal website, etc.)

·         Instructor contact information, contact procedures, and response and availability (turn-around time for email, grade posting, etc.)

·         Instructor-student interaction strategies

·         Student-student interaction strategies

·         Strategies to provide students timely feedback on assignments or progress

·         Strategies to promote collaborative learning

Assessment and Grading

·         Clear description of assignments and submission procedures

·         Clear description of assessment procedures

·         Assessment methods appropriate to the course

·         Availability of multiple methods of assessing student learning (e.g. quizzes, journals, reaction papers, discussions, research papers, projects, final exam, etc.)

·         Clear description of grading policies and procedures

Resources and Accessibility

·         Availability of external resources for the learning content

·         Availability of information on or links to academic services, technology support, and student-services websites

·         Consideration of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and a link to services on campus

·         Availability of learner support features such as online help, glossary, calendar, etc.