Once a course earns certification upon meeting QM Standards in a Review for Certification, the certification is valid for three or five years, depending on the Rubric used and the type of course review conducted.
When a course is nearing the end of its certification validity period (four months prior to the expiration date), the Course Representative for the course and the QM Coordinator (QMC) for the organization will receive an email informing them of the pending expiration and the steps to take for maintaining certification. The process can be initiated by completing a review application and choosing the appropriate recertification or renewal review type. Review applications can be found in the Course Review Management System (CRMS) in MyQM. Anyone can submit a review application, but recertification/renewal reviews are typically initiated by the QMC or the Course Review Manager. Organizations usually have a policy or process for submitting review applications.
Once the course has met QM Standards for the recertification or renewal review, its certification is valid for up to three years.
How long are recertifications and renewals valid for?
Type of Certification | Initial Certification Length | Recertification/Renewal Length | Next step for maintaining certification |
|---|---|---|---|
Higher Ed | Up to 5 years | Recertification up to 3 years | New, full course review |
Continuing & Professional Ed. (CPE) | Up to 5 years | Recertification up to 3 years | New, full course review |
Higher Ed Publisher | Up to 3 years | Renewal up to 3 years | Renewal review |
K-12 Locally Delivered | Up to 3 years | Renewal up to 3 years | Renewal review |
K-12 Distributed | Up to 3 years | Renewal up to 3 years | Renewal review |
What’s the difference between “recertification” and “renewal”?
Recertification reviews are meant for courses that haven’t changed significantly since the time of initial certification and will use the same QM Rubric that was used for the initial review. They are available for courses initially reviewed against the QM Higher Ed Rubric or the QM Continuing and Professional Education Rubric. A Recertification Review is conducted by a QM-certified Master Reviewer who is also a subject matter expert. Recertification reviews are available once for a course, and then a new full review is required to maintain certification.
Renewal reviews are essentially entirely new course reviews conducted with the same team composition as the initial review. These reviews are offered at a lower price than the initial review. They are available for courses reviewed initially against the QM Higher Ed Publisher Rubric or the QM K-12 Rubric. Renewal reviews are not available for templates. If a Renewal Content Review is requested, the course must be built on the same template as the one used for the initial review. Otherwise, a Renewal Full Review may be required. It’s best to consult with the QM Quality Assurance department about which review type is applicable to your situation.
How do I know if the course needs to be recertified or renewed before reaching the three or five year mark?
Generally speaking, a course could require a recertification or renewal review before its initial certification expires if any of the following apply and resulting conditions lead to more than 20% of the course changing:
- More than 20% of the course as a whole (as assessed/calculated by the organization) has changed.
- More than 20% of any of the following have changed: course level objectives, module/unit level objectives, assessments, instructional materials, learning activities or assignments, or tools used in the course.
- More than 20% of the content standards have changed.
- The institution has changed its learning management system where the course is hosted.
- The textbook has been changed AND the course design was constructed around the textbook.
- Any of the Alignment Standards are changed due to a textbook update or a new textbook,
- Redesign of a course due to increasing or decreasing course credits.
- If the course has recently gone through a review process by, for example, a curriculum committee as a result of a regular course review cycle.
This flowchart can be useful for determining whether a course might need to be recertified or renewed sooner than six months before the certification expires.
QM Certification is an important milestone on the path to building quality assurance and is a strong symbol of your commitment to delivering on your online promise to learners. Continue to build on what you have started. Have your course recertified when it is time and put other courses through the course design review process — improving the quality of your course and creating a more active learning experience for students.
Please contact the QM Quality Assurance department with your questions about recertification.
