QM Standards

The Seventh Edition of the QM Rubric contains 44 specific standards that are known measures of quality course design in eight general standard categories.

  1. Course Overview and Introduction
  2. Learning Objectives (Competencies)
  3. Assessment and Measurement
  4. Instructional Materials
  5. Learning Activities and Learner Interaction
  6. Course Technology
  7. Learner Support
  8. Accessibility and Usability

The information on this page is related to standards commonly “not met” from Penn State internal course reviews. You are welcome to use this sample language in your courses.​

 

General Standard 1: Course Overview and Introduction​

QM Standard 1.3

Communication guidelines for the course are clearly stated.

Sample language that can be used in your course. You may choose to use it as is or modify it for your purposes.

Communicating online is an everyday activity for most of us; so much so that the tone and form of our communications oftentimes becomes highly informal and abbreviated. A breezy, informal communication style is fine with our friends but can become problematic when we’re trying to communicate with formal acquaintances (i.e., class instructors) or in situations (such as in online course discussions) where we might be trying to convey or discuss complex ideas with relative strangers.

As online communications are considered part of a college course, your writing style should conform to the rules of Standard English. Accordingly, you should introduce yourself, clearly state your reason for making contact, and use the spell-check feature before sending or posting. Please refrain from using emoticons, slang, or instant texting terms, and never resort to using vulgar language. Don’t use all capital letters as it gives the impression you’re SHOUTING! Finally- be professional and respectful.

Here are some suggestions for contributing to online discussions:

    • Ask Nicely. If you are not certain about the meaning of a comment, ask the original poster to elaborate or clarify what they’ve written.
    • Be respectful. Recognize and value the experiences, abilities, and knowledge each person brings to class. Acknowledge the diverse perspectives and viewpoints of class members.
    • Disagree with ideas, not classmates. When disagreeing with the ideas of another, be sure that your comments are directed toward his or her ideas and not the actual person. Never use personal attacks to express your disagreement.
    • Use humor carefully. Be cautious about injecting humor into your comments and remember that it’s easy to misinterpret humor in written language.
    • Be calm. If you’re upset, compose a letter or message and save it for 24 hours before you send it.
    • Reread messages. Reread any messages before you send them. You’ll catch any errors and notice areas for revision.

QM Standard 1.5

Minimum technology requirements for the course are clearly stated, and information on how to obtain the technologies is provided. The word “technologies” covers a wide range of technology which includes: hardware, software, subscriptions, plug-ins, and mobile applications (apps).

Sample Technical Requirements Table
Operating System Penn State’s LMS, Canvas, supports most recent versions of Microsoft Windows and Apple Mac operating systems.
To determine if your operating system is supported, please review the Canvas Computer Specifications.
Hardware For a list of required computer hardware specifications and internet speed, please review the Canvas Computer Specifications.
Browser Canvas supports the last two versions of every major browser release. We highly recommend updating to the newest version of whatever browser you are using.
To determine if your browser is supported, please review the list of Canvas Supported Browsers.
Please note that due to Instructure’s reduction of support for Internet Explorer, students and instructors should choose another browser to use such as Firefox, Chrome, Edge, or Safari.

Note: Cookies must be enabled, and pop-up blockers should be configured to permit new windows from Penn State websites.
Additional Software All Penn State students have access to Microsoft Office 365, including Microsoft Office applications such as Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.

Students will need Adobe Acrobat, available through Adobe Creative Cloud.

Additional software can be found at Software @ Penn State
Sound Card, Microphone, and Speakers Students will need to have access to a headset with microphone.  A suggested headset is the Logitech USB Headset H390 with Noise Cancelling Mic, which can be purchased at a vendor of your choice.

Students also must have access to webcam and recording capability.
Monitor Capable of at least 1024 x 768 resolution
Mobile Device The Canvas mobile app is available for versions of iOS and Android. To determine if your device is capable of using the Canvas Mobile App, please review the Canvas Mobile App Requirements.

QM Standard 1.6

Technical skills and digital information literacy skills expected of the learner are clearly stated.

Sample language that can be used in your course. You may choose to use it as is or modify it for your purposes.

As a student choosing to study through an online learning environment, it is anticipated that you have a basic knowledge and experience with the standard digital tools used in online courses. These include the use of a learning management system, Microsoft Office (Word, PowerPoint, Excel), and communication tools. In addition to these basic requirements, the instructor of your course may require the use of subject-topic-specific tools (e.g. Accounting software, Statistical software, etc.).

QM Standard 1.7

Required prior knowledge in the discipline and/or any specific competencies are clearly stated in the course site. This can be provided as a list of prerequisite courses, supporting documents, or material provided by other means.

QM Standard 1.8

The self-introduction by the instructor is welcoming and is available in the course site. To meet this standard faculty can:

  • Place an introduction in the course orientation module
  • Post an introduction in the course “Getting to Know You” discussion board or the “Class Introduction” discussion board
  • Update the profile in Canvas
  • Create a Canvas page with a welcome video/introduction

 

General Standard 2: Learning Objectives (Competencies)​

QM Standard 2.4

The relationship between learning objectives, learning activities, and assessments is made clear.  It is recommended that you put the following statement at the end of the assignment or discussion instructions:

  • Completing this assignment will help you meet lesson objectives X, X, & X. 

Other ways this standard can be achieved:

  • Create a student-facing course map.
  • List any course objectives that align with lesson objectives after the lesson objectives
    • Example:  Calculate the value of a variable required to maintain a degree certainty of using normal and the standard normal (z) distributions. (CO: 3)
  • Provide a separate document that shows the alignment of the course objectives, learning objectives, activities, and assessment.
  • Other examples of course mapping can be found in the Course Mapping Resources section on this page

Other Learning Objectives and Course Mapping Resources

Learning Objectives Strategies

Course Mapping Resources

The Quality Matters website holds several examples of course mapping tools and strategies to achieve alignment in online courses.

 

General Standard 3: Assessment and Measurement​

Standard 3.2

The course grading policy is stated clearly, available at the beginning of the course, and consistent throughout the course. A clear written statement is included in the course that explains how course grades are calculated, including an explanation of how the final course grade is determined. How late submissions will be addressed should also be included.

ANSC 107: Introduction to Equine Science and the Equine Industry provides a good example of a clear grading policy.

Standard 3.3

Specific and descriptive criteria are provided for the evaluation of the learners’ work, and their connection to the course grading policy is clearly explained. Specific evaluation criteria are provided to the learner prior to an assessment.  The criteria should include information that gives the students a clear understanding of how an assignment grade will be calculated.

Criteria can be in the form of a checklist or rubric.

The Penn State Canvas Learning Path found within Canvas provides a plethora of information on how to Create Rubrics.

 

General Standard 4: Instructional Materials

Copyright Portal: Fair Use Checklist

The Office of Scholarly Communications and Copyright at PSU Libraries provides a copyright checklist.

Video: Copyright Training (Recorded October 2017)

This video is provided as a supplement to the Applying the QM Rubric Workshop and discusses examples and resources specific to Penn State.

Meeting Quality Standard 4

Northern Illinois University Center for Innovative Teaching and Learning created a Checklist for Meeting Quality Matters Standard 4.

 

Standard 4.2

The relationship between the use of the instructional materials in the course and the completion of learning activities and assessments is clearly explained. The relationship between instructional materials and learning activities is clearly stated.  A list of assigned required readings is accompanied by an explanation of how those readings will be used in the course.  Optional readings are clearly labeled as optional.

Additionally, any links to external websites explain how the information provided on the site will be used in the assessment/activity.

To meet this standard, faculty can place the following information in the syllabus, course schedule, or lesson overview:

  • a list of readings with an explanation of how the materials will be used in the assessment
  • how information obtained from links to websites will be utilized in activities/assessments.

 

General Standard 5: Learning Activities and Learner Interaction​

QM Standard 5.3

The instructor’s plan for regular interaction with learners in substantive ways during the course is clearly stated.

Sample language that can be used in your course.

Your instructor will routinely respond to e-mails from students as soon as possible, but in no case more than 24 hours after receipt of the student’s e-mail. All assignments will be graded and returned to students, with significant feedback no later than three days after the submission deadline.

 

 

General Standard 6: Course Technology​

QM Standard 6.4

The course provides learners with information on protecting their data and privacy.

Sample language that can be used in your course.

The university takes issues related to student privacy very seriously. As such, all approved third-party tools used in our courses are vetted by the university to ensure that student data will be protected and secure. For more information on privacy or accessibility please visit the following web sites.

The following links to privacy statements for third-party tools may also be added to your syllabus technology section:

Due to ever-changing websites, you are encouraged to check each semester that the links to the privacy policies are correct.

 

 

General Standard 7: Learner Support​

QM Standard 7.1

The course instructions articulate or link to a clear description of the technical support offered and how to obtain it.

Sample language that can be used in your course. You may choose to use it as is or modify it for your purposes.

For online courses at Penn State, there are a number of technical support services. If you are within Canvas you can use the Help link to connect with the central university support desk or with the World Campus HelpDesk. If you are not within the Canvas environment you can access these resources through the following links.

Penn State World Campus Technical Support
Penn State IT Service Desk

QM Standard 7.2

Course instructions articulate or link to the institution’s accessibility policies and accommodation services.

Sample language that can be used in your course.

Accommodating Disabilities: Penn State welcomes students with disabilities into the University’s educational programs. Every Penn State campus has resources for students with disabilities. The Student Disability Resources (SDR) website (Links to an external site.). provides contacts for disability services (Links to an external site.). at every Penn State campus. For further information, please visit the SDR website (Links to an external site.).

In order to apply for reasonable accommodations (Links to an external site.), you must contact the appropriate disability resources office at the campus where you are officially enrolled, participate in an intake interview, and provide documentation based on the documentation guidelines (Links to an external site.). If the documentation supports your request for reasonable accommodations, your campus’s disability resources office will provide you with an accommodation letter. Please share this letter with your instructors and discuss the accommodations with them as early in your courses as possible. You must follow this process for every semester that you request accommodations.

QM Standard 7.3

Course instructions articulate or link to the institution’s academic support services and resources that can help learners succeed in the course.

QM Standard 7.4

Course instructions articulate or link to the institution’s student services and resources that can help learners succeed.

For 7.3 and 7.4

Sample language that can be used in your course.

The university has a range and academic and student support services available to its students. To find information on these services please click on one of the links below.

For undergraduate students please visit Penn State’s page for current students.

For graduate students please visit the Graduate School page for current students.

For students enrolled in World Campus courses please visit World Campus Student Services.

 

General Standard 8: Accessibility and Usability​

QM Standard 8.1

Course navigation facilitates ease of use.

The course layout is consistent, intuitive, and user-friendly. Design elements are used repetitively to increase predictability and intuitiveness.  Course pages with links, external and internal, are all working properly and link names are self-describing and meaningful.

This article, Online Course Design Structure and Interface, (Ralston-Berg & Braatz, 2021) examines the design structure and interface of online courses and explains how program-wide design standards can benefit the learner, educator, and organization as a whole. Standards in program design can help support learner success, and these examples serve as a guide when designing, updating, or improving online adult and continuing education courses.

QM Standard 8.3

Text in the course is accessible. The course provides accessible text in files, documents, LMS pages, and web pages to meet the needs of diverse learners.

QM Standard 8.4

Images in the course are accessible. The course provides accessible images in files, documents, LMS pages, and web pages to meet the needs of diverse learners.

These standards are met if the text and images presented in the course use accessibility principles in their design.  The course or website should be fully accessible and the use of Universal Design for Learning guidelines regarding text and images reduces barriers so all learners can interact with course content.

QM Standard 8.5

Video and audio content in the course is accessible. Textual representations of multimedia content should be located or linked within the course.

Resources for Standard 8.3, 8.4, and 8.5

Accessibility and Usability site for Penn State is meant to help faculty and staff who want to develop or modify Web-based course material, lectures, and assignments in an accessible way.

Video: Accessibility Review Training (October 2018)

The video is provided as a supplement to the Applying the QM Rubric Workshop and discusses examples and resources specific to Penn State.

QM Standard 8.7

Vendor accessibility statements are provided for the technologies used in the course.

The university takes the accessibility of our courses and websites very seriously. As such, all approved tools used in our courses are vetted by the university to ensure that the technology tools adhere to the current ADA standards. For more information on privacy or accessibility please visit the following web sites.

The following links to accessibility statements for third-party tools may also be added to your syllabus technology section:

Due to ever-changing websites, you are encouraged to check each semester that the links to the privacy policies are correct.