Two Reich College of Education (RCOE) faculty were recognized by Quality Matters, an initiative supported by the Center for Academic Excellence (CAE). Quality Matters (QM) is a global organization leading quality assurance in online and innovative digital teaching and learning environments.
Quality Matters Course Development Program
Two faculty members participated in the Quality Matters (QM) Course Development program and had their courses certified by Quality Matters:
- Dr. Jason DeHart, assistant professor in the Department of Reading Education and Special Education - RE 4620 Reading Instruction in the Middle/Junior and Senior High School
- Dr. Jennifer McGee, associate professor in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction - RES 5080 Data Driven School Leadership
For DeHart, this was a “very supportive experience”, which included working with a fellow faculty member who had been through the process previously, as well as with Emory Maiden, Interim Director for Learning Technology Services and Associate Director for Online Learning and Quality Assurance in the CAE.
“I enjoyed having the chance to intentionally reflect on a course,” said DeHart.
“I'm always interested in improving my pedagogy,” he added. “Online instruction has many challenges and I wanted to take advantage of an opportunity to collaborate and revisit my content and approach. I know that I'm taking another step to offer my students the best course possible.”
McGee completed the QM review of her course during the early days of quarantine. “It was challenging at that point to have to think about QM on top of everything else,” she noted. “Luckily I had a lot of help and support from Emory, and we were able to reformat the course to fit the standards.”
“Having credentials for teaching online - both course design and also teaching - seems to be something that will continue to hold value in higher education,” she added. “I think it's important to continue to learn and improve so that we can best serve students and support new initiatives for online learning.”
This certification is earned by meeting the standards in the QM rubric through an official course review by Quality Matters reviewers.
Jason DeHart and Jennifer McGee
