Online Course Quality

In conjunction with the Online Course Quality Rubric, this page will support the evaluation of all new online courses to ensure high-quality, equity-driven, and student-focused courses at Durham College (DC), supported by evidence-based practices. The rubric consists of three components of course development:

  • course foundation
  • assessment
  • content and instruction

Important

New or redeveloped online, hybrid, HyFlex, or flexible courses are required to meet a minimum quality standard of Meets Expectations (80-100%) overall. Courses that score Approaching Expectations (between 70-80%) should promptly make necessary adjustments or reach out to CTL for assistance. Any courses scoring Does Not Meet (below 70%) must be resolved prior to the beginning of the semester and should consult CTL for support.

Using the Online Course Quality Rubric

The rubric is intended to:

  • Guide faculty as they design, develop, and deliver online learning experiences.
  • Provide faculty opportunities for self-reflection.
  • Support DC's quality assurance mechanisms as part of online classroom observations.

This page provides a series of guiding questions for consideration and examples to support complex concepts.

Online Course Quality Rubric (Excel)

Vision

Photo of a smartphone with "DC Vision" appearing on the screen.

DC programs and learning spaces offer flexible, accessible, high quality, and digital-by-design educational experiences to support the development of 21st century skills.

Development of the Online Course Quality Rubric

In September 2023, the Digital Learning Steering Committee Pedagogy and Quality Working Group was tasked with developing an online course quality framework. To collect feedback from faculty members, the Digital Learning Steering Committee was invited to the Program Coordinators’ Meeting in October 2023 to determine what factors we should consider as part of DC's digital learning quality standards for online, hybrid, or flexible courses and how we should implement these standards. Along with feedback from Program Coordinators, we reviewed quality frameworks from other institutions for best practices.

Guiding Principles

The Online Course Quality Rubric aligns with the guiding principles of our Digital Learning Strategy. In an online learning environment, these guiding principles are applied in the following ways:

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Foster Belonging
and Equity

Creating a sense of belonging through accessible, equitable design, and diverse, interactive collaborative online learning environments for students and faculty members.

Icon of head with microchip appearing in place of brain.

Advance Digital Innovation

Leverages new purposeful technologies to enhance learning, ensuring seamless, consistent, easy-to-use technology is available.

Icon of laptop with a rocketship leaving the screen.

Cultivate Transformational Learning

Apply an intentional approach to the achievement of learning outcomes, through a high-quality, engaging, active learning environment, focused on ensuring effective, successful, and transformational online education.

Icon of a globe with circle representing connections and three people standing in front.

Foster Belonging and Equity

Creating a sense of belonging through accessible, equitable design, and diverse, interactive collaborative online learning environments for students and faculty members.

Icon of head with microchip appearing in place of brain.

Advance Digital Innovation

Leverages new purposeful technologies to enhance learning, ensuring seamless, consistent, easy-to-use technology is available.

Icon of laptop with a rocketship leaving the screen.

Cultivate Transformational Learning

Apply an intentional approach to the achievement of learning outcomes, through a high-quality, engaging, active learning environment, focused on ensuring effective, successful, and transformational online education.

Impact of the Guiding Principles on the Rubric

With the guiding principles established, the use of the Online Course Quality Rubric can enhance the following elements of course design:

Course Foundation

  • Introduce students to the course
  • Build an engaging learning community
  • Set students up for success
  • Use technology to promote engagement and support learning

Assessment

  • Provide valuable assessments and timely feedback
  • Use technology to promote assessment for learning

Content Design and Instructional Strategies

  • Organize the course to have logical flow
  • Chunk course content and practice activities
  • Foster learning for all students
  • Use technology to promote engagement and support learning

Guiding Principles: Inclusion; Innovation; Transformation

Course Foundation

The Course Foundation section focuses on simplifying course design, enhancing navigation, fostering student engagement and ensuring strong faculty presence.

Benefits for Faculty

  • Simplify course design and structure.
  • Improve course navigation.
  • Set clear communication expectations.
  • Enhance connection with students.

Advantages for Students

  • Create a welcoming atmosphere.
  • Ensure consistent experiences across courses.
  • Strengthen support for learning.
  • Build a community feeling.

Guiding questions

  • How can course navigation be made easy and intuitive for students?
  • What essential information should be included in the Welcome module?
  • What strategies are effective for fostering a learning community and facilitating student introductions?
  • Where can students find support for queries and clarifications?
  • What methods encourage social engagement within the course?
  • How can expectations for active participation be communicated and encouraged?
  • What approaches integrate Indigenous and culturally aware pedagogies into the course?
  • How can students connect with the wider DC community events and related opportunities?
  • How can weekly announcements be utilized to engage students and promote faculty presence?
  • What methods can be built in for obtaining continuous student feedback, such as a Start-Start-Continue survey?
  • What are the strategies for monitoring and addressing student engagement can be implemented?
  • How can students be informed about available campus resources and supports (e.g. ASC, CHWC, DCSA, SALS)?

Examples by delivery mode

Assessment

The Assessments section focuses on measuring student success with clearly defined rubrics, intentional assignment creation, and providing constructive and supportive feedback.

Benefits for Faculty

  • Allows meaningful measurement of student performance.
  • Scaffolding enhances quality of final assignments.
  • Use of rubrics minimizes subjectivity, streamlines evaluation.

Advantages for Students

  • Clearly demonstrate achievement of learning outcomes and retention.
  • Rubrics clarify assignment expectations, aiding in assessment.

Guiding questions

  • How will assessments align with and measure learning outcomes at an appropriate level?
  • Will there be options for assignment formats (e.g. written, presentation, video/audio, etc) to support UDL?
  • How can use of technology facilitate authentic assessment?
  • How will understanding be checked regularly through diagnostic and formative assessments?
  • What methods will be used for timely, meaningful feedback?
  • How will academic integrity be promoted and integrated into assessments?
  • How will industry perspectives be incorporated into assessments? Generative AI?

Examples by delivery mode

Content Design and Instructional Strategies

The Content Design and Instructional Strategies section focuses on structuring course content to best support student learning.

Benefits for Faculty

  • Saves time in development and feedback.
  • Facilitates tracking of student progress/engagement.
  • Identifies course gaps.

Advantages for Students

  • Clarifies learning objectives and assessments.
  • Simplifies information location and reduces cognitive load.
  • Enhances information processing and engagement.
  • Supports accessibility and personalized learning.
  • Promotes digital literacy skills.

Guiding questions

  • How can students see how and when learning will take place?
  • What materials are essential for course familiarization?
  • How are synchronous, in-person, and asynchronous components clearly differentiated?
  • What strategies will be used to engage students and recall prior learning?
  • How will learning be consolidated with weekly or module summaries?
  • How will content be represented in multiple formats?
  • What activities will be included for student engagement and collaboration?
  • How can technology be used for active learning participation?
  • How will equitable and accessible learning activities be conducted?
  • How will compliance with copyright and terms of use for materials be managed?
  • Are third-party tools approved by DC’s IT Services, and do they meet privacy standards?
  • Will students have virtual spaces for collaboration outside of class? Is this required?

Examples by delivery mode