Quality Matters and Quality Assurance
Quality Matters (QM) is a global organization dedicated to improving the quality of online education and providing professional development to support faculty in this goal. Key components of the QM program are the QM Rubric (course design standards) and a faculty peer review process for certifying online courses.
Review the CSU Quality Assurance ePortfolio Showcase to learn about CSULB and other CSU schools' commitments to quality assurance in online instruction.
Get Your Course QM-Certified
Courses that receive certification are nationally recognized as exemplifying the best practices for online instruction. Other benefits include:
- Acknowledgment that your course has passed rigorous academic standards recognized nationally and internationally.
- Participation in a community of peers dedicated to best practices and an open, collegial review process.
- Recognition from the CSU/CSULB Quality Matters membership.
- Certification badges to display on your courses.
- Opportunities to further your participation as a Peer or Master Reviewer.
QM Course Certification Instructions
Instructors who have taught a course online for at least 2 semesters may submit it for QM certification by following the steps below:
- Complete the following ATS Faculty Professional Development programs:
- Instructional Technology Foundations
- Quality Essentials 1
- Quality Essentials 2
- Complete an ATS Internal Course Review:
- Request your review via email to ats-instructionaldesign@csulb.edu.
- Review the Internal Course Review Process [PDF]. During this process, two QM-certified peer reviewers will be assigned to you and a timeline of the next steps will be provided.
Upon successful completion of the ATS Internal Course Review, your course will be ready for submission to a formal CSU/QM course review process.
Become a QM-Certified Peer or Master Reviewer
You may want to further your professional development and become a certified QM Peer Reviewer or Master Reviewer. As part of this special cadre of experts, you'll be added to the QM database of Reviewers to help others succeed in online teaching. Consider the benefits of becoming a certified reviewer:
- help enhance your colleagues’ success in course design by serving on official QM course reviews for CSULB or other organizations.
- expand your network of faculty committed to delivering quality online courses.
- learn more about conducting course reviews; get training on critiquing and writing helpful recommendations.
- get compensated for conducting reviews at CSULB and in other official QM and capacities.
QM Peer Reviewer Certification Process
Follow the steps below to become a QM-Certified Peer Reviewer:
- Complete the following QM courses offered (free) through the CSU Chancellor’s Office Online Course Services:
- Improving Your Online Course (IYOC) or Designing Your Online Course (DYOC)
- Applying the Quality Matters Rubric (APPQMR)
- Complete the Quality Essentials 1 program as part of the ATS Faculty Professional Development series.
- Complete the Applying the Quality Matters Rubric (APPQMR) course offered for free through the CSU Chancellor’s Office of Online Course Services.
- After completing the APPQMR course, complete the QM Higher-Ed Peer Reviewer Course. Submit your request to register for this course through ATS:
QM Peer Reviewer Course Registration Form.
After completing the QM Higher-Ed Peer Reviewer Course, you will be eligible to serve as a Peer Reviewer for ATS faculty programs. To become an official QM Peer Reviewer, you must submit the application and MOU upon completing your Peer Reviewer Course.
QM Master Reviewer Certification Process
Upon completion of the steps above for the Peer Reviewer certification, follow the steps below to become a QM-Certified Master Reviewer:
- Serve on two official Higher Education QM-Managed or Subscriber-Managed course reviews (not internal course reviews). Email ats-instructionaldesign@csulb.edu when you are ready for this step and we will work with you to set it up.
- Complete the Master Reviewer Certification (MRC) course offered by Quality Matters. Submit your request to enroll in this course through ATS: QM Master Reviewer Course Registration Form
Join the CSULB-QM Community of Practice
QM-Certified Online Courses
| Faculty Name | Course Title | Year Certified |
|---|---|---|
| Brooke Dekofsky | Intro to Nutrition (NUTR 132) | 2020 |
| Lesley Farmer | Information and Digital Literacies (ETEC 523) | 2019 |
| Elena Ionescsu | Perspectives on Gerontology (GERN 400) | 2018 |
| Adam Kahn | Media Effects (COMM 422) | 2019 |
| Ali Rezaei | Research Methods in Education (EDP 520) | 2021 |
QM Coordinators
CSULB QM Campus Faculty Lead:
- Nancy Quam-Wickham, CLA, QM Master Reviewer
CSULB/ ATS QM Coordinators:
- Afifa Alwai, Lead Instructional Designer, ATS
- Sabrina Dean, Lead Instructional Designer, ATS
- Mariza Hernandez, Assistant Director Instructional Design and Accessibility, ATS
- Marvin Mayo, Interim Director, Instructional Design, ATS
QM Peer Reviewers
Academic Technology Services
| Name | Title | Year Certified |
|---|---|---|
| Maria Aceituno | Senior Instructional Designer | 2015 |
| Afifa Alawi | Lead, Instructional Designer | 2016 |
| Sabrina Dean | Lead, Instructional Designer | 2020 |
| Joseph Guillen | Instructional Designer | 2020 |
| Chad Harris | Instructional Designer | 2021 |
| Mariza Hernandez | Assistant Director, Instructional Design & Accessibility | 2016 |
| Ashley Huyge | Instructional Designer | 2020 |
| Jennifer Lares | Instructional Designer | 2016 |
| Mark Lim | Instructional Designer | 2020 |
| Marvin Mayo | Interim Director, Instructional Technology Support Services | 2016 |
| Adam Mitchell | Instructional Designer | 2018 |
| Paul Quezada | Instructional Designer | 2021 |
| Jamie Reim | Instructional Designer | 2021 |
| Roger Strang | Instructional Designer | 2021 |
College of Health & Human Services (CHHS)
| Name | Department | Year Certified |
|---|---|---|
| Claire Garrido-Ortega | Health Sciences | 2020 |
| Youngok Jung | Family & Consumer Sciences | 2021 |
| Portia Resnick | Kinesiology | 2021 |
| Long Wang | Family & Consumer Sciences | 2018 |
| Natalie Wong | Kinesiology | 2021 |
College of Liberal Arts (CLA)
| Name | Department | Year Certified |
|---|---|---|
| Richard Chang | Journalism | 2021 |
| Cem Demir | Linguistics | 2021 |
| Violet Gregory | English | 2021 |
| Angela Hawk | History | 2021 |
| Adam Kahn | Communication Studies | 2020 |
| Loretta Ramirez | Chicano/Latino Studies | 2021 |
| Clariza Ruiz De Castilla | Communication Studies | 2021 |
| Kelly Sharron | Women's, Gender & Sexuality Studies | 2021 |
| Shraddha Swaroop | Journalism & Public Relations | 2021 |
| Kim Vu | Psychology | 2021 |
| Teresa Zimmerman-Liu | Asian/Asian American Studies | 2021 |
College of Engineering
| Name | Department | Year Certified |
|---|---|---|
| Saleh Al Jufout | Electrical Engineering | 2021 |
| Shamim Mirza | Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering | 2021 |
| Shabnam Sodagari | Electrical Engineering | 2021 |
| Duc Tran | Electrical Engineering | 2021 |
College of The Arts (COTA)
| Name | Department | Year Certified |
|---|---|---|
| Debra Satterfield | Design | 2021 |
QM Master Reviewers
| Name | College/Department | Year Certified |
|---|---|---|
| Casey Goeller | CHHS/Family & Consumer Sciences | 2015 |
| Jeff Helton | CHHS/Health Care Administration | 2018 |
| Adam Kahn | CLA/Communication Studies | 2021 |
| Adam Mitchell | Academic Technology Services | 2019 |
| Nancy Quam-Wickham | CLA/History | 2018 |
| Long Wang | CHHS/Family & Consumer Sciences | 2020 |
| Francine Vasilomanolakis | CED | 2015 |