Quality Matters Course Review

The DOTS course review process was established in order to confirm and improve the quality of the online/hybrid courses developed by DOTS participants. The primary goal of the course review is to give faculty participants detailed feedback aimed at enhancing the design of their courses.

Instructors who complete DOTS training are eligible to submit one online or hybrid course for review. The specific course selected for review may vary depending on whether or not the instructor has been contracted to develop a specific course by their department. 

The DOTS course review rubric is based on the Quality Matters standards, with added elements to address a high degree of student engagement and high level of instructor presence, which represent the distinctive pedagogical features of a DePaul online course. (Note: This is a DePaul internal review. Official Quality Matters reviews require a fee and must have reviewers external to the university.)

1. Syllabus Requirements

2. Course Outcomes

3. Course Structure and Alignment

4. Assessment

5. Instructional Materials

6. Instructor Presence and Student Engagement

7. Student Support

Please reference DePaul Guidelines for Online Course Review for a more detailed explanation of the standards.

The reviewer for DOTS courses will be selected from instructional designers, teaching and learning experts, and/or faculty members who have been through Quality Matters course review training. 

The course review can be conducted prior to the first offering of the newly designed course or after it has been taught. Depending on the availability of the reviewers, the process may take one to three weeks.

Prior to submitting a course for review, instructors should contact their instructional designer to ensure their course meets the DePaul Guidelines for Online Course Review. The review process consists of the following steps:

Step 1: Create an Account

First, please follow the Creating an Account instructions. Once your account has been set up, a course review application can be submitted. Please see Submitting a Course Review Application for instructions.

Step 2: Completing a Custom Worksheet

After the application has been submitted, users will receive an email titled "Quality Matters - MyCr Custom Worksheet Created." Please see Filling out the Custom Worksheet for instructions on what to do once the email is received. It is very important to fill out the worksheet as soon as possible because the review cannot begin until the worksheet is submitted. It is strongly advised to fill out the worksheet with an instructional designer.

Step 3: (Course Reviewers) Conducting the Review

Upon receiving the custom worksheet, the QM admin will assign reviewer(s) to conduct the review.

Step 4: Receiving a Review Report

As soon as the chair of the review team submits the final review report, users will receive an email notification with the report. If the course passes the review, the Office of Online Learning and Global Engagement sends a congratulatory message to the instructor and their chair or program director. Payments are then processed by the Office of Online Learning and Global Engagement.

Step 5: Conducting Course Revisions (for courses that did not pass the DePaul Internal QM Review)

In the case that a course does not meet the standards in the first review, users will be able to see reviewer comments and have the opportunity to make the appropriate changes to the course site. An Outcome Response Form will need to be completed, and the appropriate changes will need to be made to the course site. Then, an Amendment Form can be submitted. The revised course will be reviewed again and a new score will be issued to the items that did not pass the review during the first round. Please see Responding to a Course Review for instructions on submitting the faculty response form and the amendment form.

Faculty should carefully review the report, and if revision is needed, work with their assigned instructional designer to make revisions based on the reviewers’ feedback.

The report will only be made available to the faculty member and instructional support staff.