The Ohio Quality Matters Consortium’s Fourth Annual Member Meeting will be hosted by UT Online at The University of Toledo Thursday, May 12, from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
The meeting will be held in the Student Union Ingman Room and will kick off with a continental breakfast and welcome by UT President Sharon L. Gaber.
Hosting the event on UT’s campus serves as a way for the University to support the Ohio Consortium and Quality Matters’ continued implementation throughout the state, said Dr. Barbara Kopp Miller, associate provost for online education.
“We felt that the event would make for a unique and engaging way to showcase the benefits of the Quality Matters program to UT faculty,” she said.
Quality Matters, a faculty-centered, peer review process designed to ensure quality in online and blended courses, was first adopted by the University in 2011. Since then, 12 UT courses have received official Quality Matters recognition, and 16 UT faculty members have become certified to serve as Quality Matters peer reviewers.
Throughout each academic year, UT Online awards professional development grants for experienced online instructors to complete the Peer Reviewer Course and serve on official Quality Matters review teams.
This year’s meeting theme is “QM: The Heart of It All,” and the event will include hands-on sessions and opportunities to network with colleagues and peers from across the state.
Quality Matters-related research opportunities, faculty development initiatives, online accessibility, instructional strategies for learner interaction and engagement, and competency-based education will be topics of discussion at the meeting.
The Annual Member Meeting is free to attend for all Ohio QM Consortium members, including UT faculty.
“Attending the annual member meeting is a great way to connect with faculty and staff from other institutions and gain fresh, innovative ideas for online course design,” said Rachel Barnes, instructional designer and planning committee member. “It’s also an ideal place for those who are not familiar with Quality Matters to learn more about the peer review process, research and professional development opportunities that are available.”
Event registration is open through Monday, May 2, and can be accessed online at https://ohioqm2016.eventbrite.com.
For more information about the event, the course review process, or the professional development grant, contact Phoebe Ballard, director of instructional design and development, at phoebe.ballard@utoledo.edu or 419.530.4379.
