Conference Presentations

Higher education faculty typically conceptualize alignment differently than instructional designers do. How can we engage faculty in effective discussions around this deeply essential aspect of course design? In this session we will discuss ways to support faculty toward stronger alignment by helping them to conceptualize a course as a thing apart from its designer. You will come away with new insights as well as practical tools to use when working with faculty. 

Over the past two years the field has seen a significant increase in enforcement of civil rights legislation in the area of access to online learning for people with disabilities. The presenter is recognized as the current expert on these issues. It has become eminently clear that there are no differences between higher education and K-12 in the legal compliance for online learning. This session will articulate the expectations the federal enforcement agencies have with respect to access and equity in online learning in K-12 and Higher Education.

Is your institution or program interested in QM Program Review? Are you prepared for the review process? For your new journey, the panel in this session will answer questions, share their experience, and clarify the potential myths through a fun discussion.

QM is an excellent tool for assisting institutions with meeting regional accreditation requirements associated with online and hybrid learning. However, implementation of QM on a campus runs much more smoothly if faculty collaborate with staff and administrators on selection of the Rubric and on campus-wide adoption. This session reviews strategies for introducing the Rubric to faculty and discusses how faculty can be best utilized during the implementation process.

The world of K-12 education has seen an accelerated evolution since the COVID-19 pandemic, especially in the realm of online and hybrid learning. Our  "Snapshot 2024" is our annual review that encapsulates the policy shifts, trends in practice, and enrollment trajectories in the K-12 digital learning space during the 2022-2023 school year.

The COVID-19 pandemic brought educational gaps into stark relief. In K-12, it highlighted the professional development teachers needed - and did not have - in order to design high quality courses that would enable them to work well with all of their students. In this presentation we will discuss those needs and a variety of options available for filling them.

In a time when accessibility in education is highlighted, especially in distance and hybrid learning, we will present how Texas A&M International University has implemented QM accessibility Standards, universal design principles, and diversity appreciation to enable equal learning for all.

Everyone agrees that quality course design is a good thing, and administration is supportive of QM as a process and rubric, but no one is mandating adherence to the process or standards. Now what? How do you get faculty interested and involved? This presentation covers the subtle and not so subtle ways which have worked for one institution.

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Full Description

"Completing the Course Map is 90% of designing a course. Once that's done, the rest of designing the course falls into place much less stressfully. "

                                            Faculty professional development participant

Experts will address competency-based education (CBE), including the universal design principles quality programs share. The panel will discuss key features of various institutional models and approaches to program design, instructional technology and delivery, pedagogy, and faculty roles. A policy expert will update participants on competency-based education-related federal regulation and policy including the HEA Reauthorization, Experimental Sites, and financial aid.

Experts will address competency-based education (CBE), including the universal design principles quality programs share. The panel will discuss key features of various institutional models and approaches to program design, instructional technology and delivery, pedagogy, and faculty roles. A policy expert will update participants on competency-based education-related federal regulation and policy including the HEA Reauthorization, Experimental Sites, and financial aid.

This presentation discusses five considerations in altering institutional and instructional structures and practices by taking an equity-minded approach to design avoiding exacerbated and take-for-granted practices. Let’s discuss what research is telling us that can inform our practices to ensure equity, and what problems of practice are we experiencing that should spur new research to guide equitable and inclusive practices. The succession of killings of Ahmaud Arbery (February 23, 2020), Breonna Taylor (March 13, 2020), and George Floyd, Jr.

Creating quality online learning experiences for students, and communities of practice for faculty and designers, is dependent upon the continuing commitment of leaders within and between institutions.  Growing your career can support our collective commitment to quality for students by putting more designers and faculty in positions to direct strategy, craft institutional priorities and policies, and designate resources.  Come explore how you can reimagine your contribution to the field through leadership progression through a variety of pathways.

Join us in a reflection on the learning and sharing at QM Connect, demonstrating how we can all expand possibilities by focusing on innovation that is learning-centered, data-informed and continuously improving. Keynote speaker Dr. MJ Bishop, Vice President for Integrative Learning Design, University of Maryland Global Campus, and QM Board Chair, will discuss the transformation of teaching and learning and how it needs to be anchored in these attributes and centered on a definition of quality that considers quality and equity as two sides of the same coin.

Discover strategies to improve institutional effectiveness, including ways to measure analytics and critical resource issues. Explore the accreditation process and learn to negotiate for internal institutional support. Specifically, see how QM processes tie into accreditation standards — including accountability for the quality of online courses, academic resources and accessibility assessments — and how making your work with QM visible can validate your efforts and need for resources.