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Quality Matters Impact (QMI) Program - Call to Participate

Faculty can apply by Dec. 6 for Spring/Fall 2025 Cohorts

As an extension of the award-winning PIVOT program, the Quality Matters Impact (QMI) program is an initiative to formally recognize courses that meet Quality Matters standards and demonstrate exemplary online/hybrid course design. Since its inception in 2021, 19 UMBC faculty have earned QM-certification for their online or hybrid course design through the QMI program.

A formal QM course review is designed to be a collegial process to provide helpful recommendations for continuous improvement and reinforce effective, research-based practices for online and hybrid course design. As part of this process, faculty participants receive feedback from certified Quality Matters peer reviewers including UMBC faculty and staff and other online learning experts in the QM community.

DoIT's Instructional Technology team manages the review using QM's Higher Education Rubric, 7th Edition (Requires UMBC login to access PDF). When a course meets QM standards following a formal review, it is eligible to display the QM Certification Mark.

Selection Criteria: 

Participants selected for the Spring/Fall 2025 QMI cohort agree to submit a hybrid or online course for a formal Quality Matters course review.

Full or part-time faculty who meet the criteria and have not previously received funding through the QMI program are encouraged to apply no later than Friday, December 6. 

Recognizing that the QM Impact program does require an investment of time to participate, a $1000 professional development award will be provided to faculty once a course meets QM standards.

Eligibility:

  1. You must have taught your course as online or hybrid for at least two semesters at UMBC.
  2. Highly recommended skills that demonstrate proficiency and consistent use of Blackboard Ultra:
    1. Ability to demonstrate skills in at least seven of the nine Core Competency Areas for Ultra in a current or past online/hybrid course.

PARTICIPATION REQUIREMENTS

Faculty accepted into the QMI Spring/Fall 2025 cohort agree to complete the following activities:

  • Attend a 45-minute orientation session: Friday, November 22 at either the 12 PM or 2 PM slot (choose one)
  • Complete the DoIT-facilitated Applying the Quality Matters Rubric (APPQMR) asynchronous online workshop either January 6 - 24 or June 2 - 20, 2025.
  • Complete a QM self-review of the course (highly recommended)
  • Meet with your assigned review team for a pre-review conference call
  • Implement recommendations to meet standards based on helpful recommendations from your assigned review team
  • Respond to a QMI survey after the program concludes  
  • Participate on a future panel or record a testimonial about your experience

SUPPORT

  • Each participant will be assigned an Instructional Design Specialist to answer Quality Matters questions as the course is prepared for a QM Course Review.

APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS

An application to participate in the Spring/Fall 2025 Quality Matters Impact cohort must include both course-level and unit-level learning objectives.

Ready to submit?

For more information about the Quality Matters Impact program, contact the QM Coordinators for UMBC:

Dr. Mariann Hawken

mariannhawken@umbc.edu

Dr. Susan Biro

sbiro@umbc.edu
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