The Quality Matters Rubric

About QM Rubrics and Standards

QM Rubrics and Standards were created to help course developers, faculty, entire organizations, and — most importantly — students. The General Standards and Specific Review Standards in each Rubric guide course designers as they build, review, and improve online and blended courses. The Rubric and its notes are based on proven practices that support student learning and strong course design. It is grounded in research and updated often to include new ideas and technologies.

The QM Higher Education Rubric

The Quality Matters Rubric and review process change over time to reflect current research and national best practices in online learning. At Texas A&M International University, the latest QM Higher Education Rubric standards are used to design and review online and hybrid courses. These standards include the following:

Course Overview and Introduction – The course design is explained to the learner at the start of the course.
Learning Objectives (Competencies) – Learning objectives or competencies describe what learners will be able to do by the end of the course.
Assessment and Measurement – Assessments are part of the learning process and show how well learners meet the objectives or competencies.
Instructional Materials – Course materials help learners reach the stated objectives or competencies.
Course Activities and Learner Interaction – Course activities encourage and support learner participation and engagement.
Course Technology – Course technologies help learners meet course objectives or competencies.
Learner Support – The course connects learners with support services that are key to their success.
Accessibility and Usability – The course design shows a clear effort to be accessible and usable for all learners.