The Quality Matters Ohio Consortium

We are consortium of Ohio higher education institutions that strive for excellence in online learning. Quality assurance is our goal, and Quality Matters is our tool. Through our collaboration, we are able to share ideas that improve outcomes for learners throughout the State of Ohio and beyond. By providing a mechanism for community, professional development, scholarship, research and recognition, we can support faculty in their development of successful online courses and programs.

How does it work?

Institutions can always subscribe to Quality Matters individually. This allows for access to all of the resources that the larger QM organization provides. However, subscribing to QM through a consortium/system has additional benefits. For example, system members enjoy additional access to free professional development hosted by the consortium. In Ohio, we are able to offer unlimited face-to-face, virtual, and online Applying the QM Rubric (APPQMR) workshops in addition to Improving Your Online Course (IYOC) workshops.

QM Ohio also offers something unique to our system, which is a course review bartering system. Instead of paying for each official course review, institutions can initiate what’s referred to as a “subscriber-managed” review. This is an official review in every sense, except that we manage the staffing of the review amongst our certified master and peer reviewers instead of relying on QM National to organize and manage the review. Our bartering system allows for institutions to trade “review credits” instead of having to pay for reviewers.

There have been numerous opportunities for members to have their Peer Reviewer Certification, Master Reviewer Certification, or Facilitator Certification covered by QM Ohio. In exchange, we ask for service back to the consortium, and thus, serving on a course review or providing a workshop can meet that service requirement.

This system has allowed for exponential growth in the number of QM certified online courses within the State of Ohio. We have removed the financial barrier that can hold online program growth back from receiving the quality assurance review it deserves.

Any additional benefits?

Yes! Joining the QM Ohio Consortium boasts an incredible return on investment. Throughout the year, we offer a monthly QM Coordinator (QMC) webinar series that highlights the QM accomplishments of faculty and staff throughout our membership. We share consortium news and updates, and also provide focused discussions on relevant topics across the state.

Some of our past topics include:

  • The Impact of AI in Higher Ed

  • Addressing the New Regular and Substantive Interaction (RSI) Guidelines

  • Utilizing QM Metrics as a Part of Accreditation Reports

  • Microcredtialing and Competency Based Education

  • Humanizing the Online Experience

  • How to Apply Specific Review Standards

We have cultivated an incredible community of faculty, instructional designers, online support staff, and administrators that are dedicated to helping solve the challenges associated with online learning. By joining QM Ohio, members will also receive access to our statewide Slack online community. Within Slack, you can join conversations on everything from learning management specific questions, course-review related questions, research on a variety of topics, accessibility, and more.

The Annual Member Meeting

Each year, we meet as a consortium for our one-day membership meeting. Think of this as a one-day conference where we celebrate all things Quality Matters Ohio. This meeting is free for all members to attend, and is the highlight of our year. Members will be recognized for their impact on online learning, and the executive committee provides reports on the various undertakings from the past year. In addition, the Annual Member Meeting (AMM) travels from institution to institution. This brings focus to your campus and garners welcome attention from administrators and faculty to your quality assurance efforts. It’s a great way to “reboot” the conversation around online learning. Best of all, QM Ohio picks up the tab for the entire event! We would just need your institution to host!

Past QM Ohio AMM Hosts:

  • University of Akron (2013)

  • Columbus State Community College (2014)

  • University of Toledo (2015)

  • Ohio University (2016)

  • Cincinnati State Community College (2017)

  • Kent State University (2018)

  • Cleveland State University (2019)

  • Stark State Community College (2020) - Virtual

  • Ashland University (2021) - Virtual

  • Ashland University (2022) - Virtual

  • Walsh University (2023)

  • Ohio Dominican University (2024)

Hey! Here’s a downloadable/printable infographic all about QM Ohio! Check it out!

Community & Scholarship

Above all, QM Ohio has an incredible community. We want members to be involved, and we have a myriad of ways in which to do so. Members can apply for one of our QM Connect Scholarships, where we pay for you to virtually attend the QM National Conference. It is so important to get connected and to be exposed to the best and brightest in the field of online learning. We choose to invest our members because we know those ideas will come back and benefit the whole of our consortium.

You can participate in one of our research studies, where we look at everything from the course design process, to overcoming implementation challenges, to tracking the efficacy rates for courses that have been QM certified.

We share ideas, we build collaborations, and most of all, we “lift all boats.” Are mantra has always been that “when one of us succeeds, we all succeed.” Are goal is to create the best online learning experiences anywhere. Right here… in Ohio. Together, we can do it.