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DOTS Course Review Process
Participants in the DePaul Online Teaching Series (DOTS) program commit to develop at least one hybrid/online course after completing the program’s core activities. Although faculty members work closely with an instructional designer, the course development process is faculty-driven and the final product is intellectual property of the faculty member, according to DePaul policy.
Why a review process for online and hybrid courses?
We established the DOTS course review process in order to confirm and improve the quality of the online/hybrid courses developed by DOTS participants. The course review is exclusively formative in nature, as its primary goal is to give faculty participants extensive feedback aimed at enhancing the design of their courses. The process is also aligned with vision Twenty12 goal 1, objective d, which states that DePaul will become “a model provider for quality distance learning.”
Which courses will be reviewed?
As indicated in the Course Development Agreement for DOTS, the online/ hybrid courses developed by faculty as a result of their participation of the DOTS program are subject to the review.
What is the primary focus of the review?
The review will focus solely on the design of the course, offering observations and suggestions on, for example, how well the course is structured, how easy it is for students to navigate, whether the teaching and learning activities are well aligned with learning objectives, how appropriately the instructional strategies and technologies are being used, and the extent to which materials are made accessible for students with different learning needs.
This review process is not intended to evaluate course content, nor will it review faculty performance during the delivery of the course.
What criteria will be used for the review?
Course review will be conducted using the Quality Matters rubric, which provides quality standards in the following eight areas:
- Course Overview and Introduction
- Learning Objectives (Competencies)
- Assessment and Measurement
- Resources and Materials
- Learner Engagement
- Course Technology
- Learner Support
- Accessibility
Above and beyond the review of these individual areas, the review examines the alignment of the critical course components - Learning Objectives (II), Assessment and Measurement (III), Resources and Materials (IV), Learner Engagement (V), and Course Technology (VI) to assure that these elements work together and enable students to achieve the desired learning outcomes.
Who will conduct the review?
The review team for DOTS courses consists of instructional designers, teaching and learning experts, and faculty members who have been through Quality Matters course review training. Although the review doesn’t include content area, faculty from related disciplines and subject areas may be selected to participate in the review because of their discipline-specific instructional knowledge.
When will the review be conducted?
While the course will be ideally reviewed upon completion of program or three weeks prior to the official offering date, individual faculty can arrange for the review process to take place at a different time. This will require consent from DOTS administrators and the cooperating instructional designer.
How will the review be conducted?
The review process consists of the following steps:
- Faculty are notified by the DOTS administrator via email when time is approaching for the review. In the email, a Quality Matters account is provided for faculty to fill in the Instructor Worksheet on http://www.qmrubric.org
This worksheet represents the self-reporting component of the course review process. It is designed for the faculty to provide initial and supplemental information about the course that will assist the course review team.
- Upon receiving the Instructor Worksheet, the review team will be given access to the course site and the online rubric and reviewer worksheet.
- The DOTS administrator will collect all reviewer reports and share them with the faculty member and the cooperating instructional designer.
What are faculty expected to do with the review report?
Faculty should carefully review the report and work with their assigned instructional designer to make revisions based on the reviewers’ feedback. After the revision process is completed, faculty may request the final course development stipend from AVP for Academic Technology and Online Learning (gbesana@depaul.edu ).
Who will access the review report?
The review is a formative, feedback-gathering process. The report will only be made available to the faculty member and the DOTS administrator.
How long will the process be?
Depending on the availability of the reviewers, the process may take one to three weeks.
