Course Review Process: A Course Reviewer Guide
Faculty and instructional designers who have received the Applying the QM Rubric (APPQMR) training may volunteer to review Penn State online courses. There are five steps in the course review process. Reviewers use the Course Review Management System (CRMS) to record their findings and submit reports. Time commitment may vary by course based on review findings. However, estimates for time required are included below. The entire review process usually takes 3 to 6 weeks.
Step 1: Review Team Meeting
This a first chance for the team of three course reviewers to meet, discuss roles and responsibilities, review the overall process, and set a timeline. One member of the review team is designated as the lead reviewer and is responsible for submitting the final report. This meeting also serves as an opportunity to review the functions of the CRMS and be sure that all review members can find the documents needed to perform the review.
Step 2: Kick-off Meeting with Faculty
This meeting introduces the review team to faculty and familiarizes faculty with the review process. All review team members should have access to the course to be reviewed and also read the Course Worksheet completed by faculty prior to the kick-off meeting. The review team can then raise any questions with the course faculty prior to starting the review.
Step 3: Individual Review
After the initial meetings and planning, the review team members work to review the course individually and record their ratings and comments in the online Course Review Management System. Ideally individual reviews take around 20 hours and are completed within 2-3 weeks.
Step 4: Review Team Debrief
After individual reviews are complete, the review team reconvenes to discuss the Final Report and any inconsistencies in review findings. The Final Report is then submitted through the CRMS.
Step 5: Faculty Debrief (Optional)
Some faculty and/or designers may have questions about the review findings and recommendations in the final report. In this case faculty may request to meet with the lead reviewer and/or the QM Coordinator to answer questions about the findings.
