Quality Matters

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QM Peer Reviews

The QM process is continuous, collegial, and collaborative and cultivates a culture of quality assurance through the QM Higher Education Rubric. The QM Higher Education Rubric consists of 8 General Standards and 44 Specific Review Standards that outline evidence-based practices for online and blended course design.

Peer Review Process

There are two types of peer reviews: UMMC Review (internal review) and QM Review (official review).

The primary purpose of a UMMC internal review is for continuous improvement.

  • Internal reviews are self-reviews that may be conducted using the QM Higher Education Rubric and a scoring sheet.
  • Internal reviews may also be conducted by UMMC QM Certified Peer Reviewers using the QM Higher Education Rubric and the QM Course Review Management System (CRMS).
    A chart of the QM Review Process. Read the image long description for details.
    Read the image long description.
The primary purpose of an official review is to obtain QM Certification. The official review is a rigorous, structured process.
  • A course is eligible to undergo official QM review after it has been offered at least twice in its current state.
  • Official QM reviews are conducted by a team of three QM Certified Peer Reviewers (Master Reviewer, Subject Matter Expert, and External Reviewer) using the QM Higher Education Rubric and the CRMS.
  • To obtain QM Certification, a course must meet all the Essential Standards and achieve an overall score of 86 out of 101 points.

Faculty interested in having their course reviewed for QM certification or interested in becoming a QM Peer Reviewer must visit the QM web pages on the UMMC Intranet.