Essential Quality Standards:
for Courses and Workshops

In 2016, I created a quality standards review rubric to help educators develop learning-centered, inclusive, motivating, and effective learning. 

These quality standards for in-person, online, or blended course development have been updated and adapted from best practices sourced from NSCC Online Learning, University of Alberta and SUNY. 
​
Why create this rubric? Over the years, I have observed many courses, workshops, and other learning events being delivered without proper quality reviews. This omission creates many barriers to learning, including:
  • ​incorrect content
  • missing links
  • spelling errors
  • non-inclusive practices
  • forgetting to caption videos
  • lack of clarity in instructions
  • errors in the gradebook
  • missing documents and materials
  • incorrect dates
  • unscheduled meeting events
  • student confusion about expectations
  • lack of of communication and direction
  • the list can go on and on...
These learning barriers can be prevented with a thorough review of the course or learning event BEFORE the delivery begins. And so, here is a15-page spreadsheet rubric (don't be alarmed, it's a rubric with a lot of suggestions so it looks bigger than it really is), you can use to address most learning design considerations, including:
  • Format
  • Legibility and Readability
  • Navigation
  • Course Outline/Syllabus
  • Faculty Communication
  • Learning Outcomes/Objectives
  • Grading Information
  • Role of Faculty and Learners
  • Bias
  • Tone
  • Citations
  • Clear Language
  • Mechanics of Writing
  • Currency
  • Authority
  • Varied Content Resources
  • Student Support
  • Learning Path
  • Learning Material
  • Time commitment
  • Instructions
  • Marking Criteria/Evaluation
  • Interactivity
  • Instructional Strategies
  • Review
  • Feedback
  • Multimedia
  • Orientation
Sample page in the rubric
A link to the most recent 2023 complete rubric is below.

Please note that this rubric is meant for online and blended courses but many of the suggestions can apply to in-person teaching. I recommend completing the quality review at least 1-week before the delivery so you have time to make any necessary adjustments and corrections.

There are three levels of standards in the spreadsheet:
  1. Essential Standards (orange): This level is the base standard for any blended or online course. All essential standards must be met.
  2. Excellent Standards (grey): This level indicates that the course meets essential standards and is designed with UDL principles in mind.
  3. Exemplary Standard (green): This level indicates that the course exceeds essential standards with UDL principles and human-focused (LX) design.

​As you design your course, through iterations and development, set a goal to meet exemplary standards!