Quality Matters at UAB

Quality Matters (QM)™ is a faculty-centered, peer review process that is designed to certify the quality of online and hybrid/blended courses. QM is a leader in quality assurance for online education and has received international recognition for its peer-based approach and continuous improvement in online education and student learning.

In direct alignment with UAB’s Forging the Future Strategic Plan and direction regarding education, a Quality Matters (QM) Strategic Investment Fund (SIF) has been approved for three (3) years, and it will run Fall 2022 through Summer 2025. As a result, a stipend of $3,000 per course designed and officially QM-certified will be distributed for each instructor. Beginning in Fall 2022, the stipend will be disbursed to the school/college for faculty professional development in two (2) phases as follows:

  • Phase One: $1,500 upon submission of the course for a QM official review certification
  • Phase Two: $1,500 upon QM official review certification

Twenty (20) online courses will be selected each academic year to receive a stipend. While emphasis will be placed on online courses within the new Blazer Core Curriculum and courses with high enrollments, everyone teaching online courses is encouraged to submit a request for a QM official course certification. Please note that while only twenty (20) online courses will be selected each academic year to receive a stipend, additional online/blended courses can be submitted for QM official review certification at no cost to the school/department/faculty.

Course reviews submitted to QM prior to August 1, 2022 are not eligible for the stipend.

What should you do next?

  1. Work with an Instructional Designer

    An Instructional Designer will help you prepare your online course for a QM official review. Schedule a consultation with an Instructional Designer.

  2. Attend the Applying the Quality Matters Rubric (APPQMR) Workshop

    Learn how to apply the Quality Matters (QM) Rubric for the design of online and blended courses. Attending the workshop will help you to prepare your course for a QM official review as well as incorporate the feedback you will receive from the reviewers. Register for the APPQMR workshop or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. At least six (6) registrants are required in order to facilitate the workshop.

  3. Submit a Request for QM Official Course Review

    To get started, please review the QM Official Review Process and submit a request for a QM Official Review when ready. If you have any questions, please email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

QM Rubric

Based on research and best practices, the QM Rubric is a set of standards used to evaluate the design of online and/or hybrid courses. The Rubric explains the application of the standards and the relationship among them. A scoring system and set of online tools facilitate the evaluation by a team of reviewers.

Learn about QM Rubric

Course Review Process

Quality Matters promotes peer review process and provides a database of Certified QM Peer Reviewers eligible for assignment to a peer review team. Any subscribing institution may conduct internal or informal peer reviews.

Learn about the Course Review Process

QM Certified Courses and Reviewers

UAB has several QM certified courses and QM certified course reviewers. See a list of certified courses or reviewers by school/college below.

See Certified Courses and Reviewers at UAB

QM Professional Development

QM provides on-site, online, and web conferencing opportunities to a broad audience that includes, but is not limited to, instructional designers, faculty, instructors, teachers, and administrators.

Learn more about QM Professional Development

 

  • UAB QM Utilization Implementation Plan

    The UAB Quality Matters (QM) Utilization Implementation Plan (QmUIP) task force members have developed the UAB QM Utilization Implementation Plan for 2018-2021. The overall objective for the plan is to improve the quality of online and blended/hybrid education, in support of the Education pillar of the UAB Strategic Plan.

  • Benefits for QM Subscribers

    As a subscriber, UAB offers faculty and staff the following benefits:

    • A fully annotated, web-based HE QM Rubric for evaluating course design.
    • On campus and online Applying the Quality Matters Rubric (APPQMR) workshops.
    • Informal/internal and formal/official QM course reviews.
    • Discounts on Official QM-managed course reviews, conferences, and professional development.
    • Custom reports accessible by the instruction’s QM coordinators.
    • QM IDA Membership, which connects instructional designers to resources that support their QM efforts.
    • The QM Research Library helps you create a culture of quality assurance within your organization.
    • Exclusive QM Success Stories webinars from other members.
  • Create a QM Account

    To start taking advantage of these benefits, please create an account.

  • The QM review process helped me focus on the course objectives and the pedagogy I use to reach the objectives. The instructional designer and media support provided the technical know-how to develop my course around measurable outcomes without awkward technological errors. My overall experience with the QM process was positive and produced a course with which I am very pleased.

    Martha Earwood, MSCJ

    Teaching Assistant Professor J. Frank Barefield, Jr. Department of Criminal Justice
  • I would suggest that the faculty should remember that this is a process. The QM rubric provides a framework to enhance online courses. The review process is positive. Reviewers are dedicated to your course and providing you with feedback to meet the QM standards.

    Beth Barstow, Ph.D.

    Associate Professor School of Health Professions
  • Before the QM review process, I thought it was just a window dressing process to meet their standard requirements. However, I found that their staff actually provided a lot of constructive and concrete suggestions to improve the course content. These suggestions largely helped improve the design, structure, and content of the course. For example, there are a lot of subjective assignments in my course, the feedback from QM staff helped me develop more objective and workable rubrics to grade these assignments. It is worth the time and effort to go through the QM recognition process.

    Simon Sheng, Ph.D.

    Marketing Professor Collat School of Business

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