Quality Matters (QM) is the premier worldwide organization in supporting faculty and instructional designers in improving the quality of online and blended (hybrid) education. QM provides a range of tools, course review processes, and professional development materials to support the improvement of online education, and as a QM institution, Missouri State provides all of QM’s resources to our faculty free of charge. This year, as one of the Strategic Plan Igniting Opportunity quality initiatives, MSU is offering $100 stipends to faculty members who perform a self review of one of their online courses using the Quality Matters (QM) self review tool. If you’d like to review one of your courses and improve your teaching effectiveness (and get a nice extra bit of money while doing so), follow this step-by-step guide to ensure you’ve completed the process correctly.

Step One: Create a QM Account

To begin the self review, you’ll first need to create a Quality Matters (QM) Account in MyQM.

1. Go to MyQM.
2. Input your university email address in the first box.
3. Select “No, I am new here.” underneath the Do you have a MyQM password? query.
4. Click “Sign In.”

Step Two: Set Up Your Review

Once you’ve created an account, it’s time to set up your review. Note that only online courses are eligible for the QM self-review tool, and in-person classes cannot be reviewed as part of this program. In order to be eligible for the QM self-review program, you must be the instructor of record for the course you are reviewing. 

1. Ensure that the “Higher Education” tab is selected at the top of the screen.
2. Select the Course Review Management System (CRMS) icon in the top navigation bar.
3. From the left-hand menu, expand the “My Course Reviews” drop-down menu and select “Self Reviews.” 
4. Select “Complete New Self Review.” This will open the worksheet for self reviews that you will use. 
5. The Worksheet will prompt you to select a rubric and title your review. Select “Essential QM Standards from the QM Higher Education Rubric, Seventh Edition” from the drop-down menu next to Select a Rubric.
6. Title your review. It is recommended to include your last name, the course code, and the course number (for example, LastName ABC 123). You may also include the course title if desired.
7. Select “Save Self Review” to proceed to the evaluation.

Step Three: Evaluate Your Course Using QM’s Essential Standards

Evaluate your course based on each of the standards that QM provides as part of its Essential Standards. Annotations are provided to help you identify how each criterion may be met.

1. Mark each criteria as “Met” or “Not Met.”
2. In the “Evidence” text box, provide evidence of how you are meeting/not meeting a specific criterion.
3. If you do not meet one of the criteria, in the “Suggestions for Improvement” section, reflect on ways you could meet your criteria.

Completing the QM self review typically takes 1-2 hours depending on the amount of content in your course. Your review can be paused and returned to later by clicking the “Save Self Review” button and closing out the page.

Step Four: Save and Share Your QM Self-Review

Once finished, you will need to share your self review results with the FCTL to proceed to the next step. After your review is complete, print a copy and send it to the FCTL via email (fctl@MissouriState.edu).

Step Five: Schedule an Appointment with an FCTL Instructional Designer

The final step in the process involves meeting one-on-one with one of the FCTL’s instructional designers to discuss the results of your self review. During this meeting, you and the instructional designer will review your evaluation and discuss the strengths of your course and the areas of improvement that can be identified through the QM Essential Standards. You must only meet once with the instructional designer. Follow the links below to schedule an appointment with an instructional designer at the FCTL – Dr. Stacy Rice, Eric Taylor, or Dr. Tracy Gross.

Schedule an appointment with Stacy

Schedule an appointment with Eric

Schedule an appointment with Tracy

Step Six: Receive Your Stipend

Once all the above steps have been completed, you will receive your stipend! Note that you may review multiple of your online courses and receive one stipend for each that you review, but each course may only be reviewed once.

If you have questions about any step of the self review process, feel free to contact the FCTL with any inquiries at fctl@MissouriState.edu.

(QM Instructions developed and provided by Dr. Stacy Rice.)