Quality Guideline

Created by IU Online, Centers for Teaching and Learning, eLearning Design Services

Course Quality Guidelines

Instructors teaching online or hybrid courses, instructional designers, deans, chairs, and program coordinators at Indiana University are encouraged to ensure that the online/hybrid courses they have responsibility for address four essential aspects of high-quality, impactful online course design.

IU Online recommends that, before a course is published and visible to students, the following aspects be reviewed to ensure they meet expectations:

Course Orientation and Policies

• The course provides clear instructions on how to get started in the course, locating key course components like the syllabus and course schedule. You can find course homepage templates in Canvas Studio.
• Instructor and students introduce themselves at the beginning of the course.
• Syllabus posted in Canvas two weeks prior to beginning of the term with the following information. Your campus teaching and learning center maintains syllabus templates that may be useful.
  • Course title and number.
  • Semester, year, and course section.
  • Credit hours.
  • Name(s) of instructor(s) and contact information for instructor (e.g. email address, phone, Zoom room, office location, etc.).
  • Office hours – indicate when and how you will grade/provide feedback, respond to student questions, meet with students online, etc.
  • Course description from catalog.
  • Articulation of the alignment between course & module learning outcomes and course assessments. A table is one method of demonstrating alignment.
    • Link or reference with specific department, program, general education, or program outcomes, if applicable.
  • Required and optional course materials (e.g. textbooks, webcam, microphone, software, etc.).
  • Grading policy (breakdown of all assignments with point/percentage value for each, grading scale, expected instructor response time to grading assignments and providing feedback, and late work/makeup exam policy).
  • Student participation and etiquette expectations (e.g. netiquette policy).
  • Link to IT Helpdesk for student technology support.
  • Minimum technology requirements for the course.
  • Links to accessibility statements and privacy policies for course technologies.
  • Links to campus-specific policies, including academic integrity, grade appeal, etc. 
  • Links to academic support services, such as a writing center or math tutoring. 
  • Link or statement regarding students with disabilities and acquiring accommodations. 

Course Organization

• Explicit and consistent organization and pace of the course (e.g., use of modules with a weekly landing page and assignments located in modules). You can find examples of modules in Canvas Studio.
  • Include estimated time students should spend on course material each week. 
• Refer to A Canvas Semester Checklist for IU Instructors (Jeani Young) for additional information about best practices in course organization in Canvas. 

• Course learning outcomes are measurable, specific, stated from the student’s perspective, and align with the course description. You can learn more about creating measurable learning outcomes in the Course Design module within the Teaching for Student Success course. 
• Module/unit-level learning outcomes are measurable, specific, and align with the course-level learning outcomes. 
• Assignments in each module align with the module-level learning outcomes. You can learn more about alignment in the Course Design module – What is course alignment? in the Teaching for Student Success course. 
• Grading criteria (e.g., rubrics) for each assignment are clearly stated. You can learn more about rubrics in the Assessment module within the Teaching for Student Success course. 
• Instructional materials and learning activities in each module align with the module-level learning outcomes. You can learn more about alignment in the Course Design module within the Teaching for Student Success course. 
• Technology tools support student achievement of stated learning outcomes and promote active learning. You can use the Technology Tool Finder to locate tools that support your learning outcomes. 

Universal Design for Learning and Interaction

• Course design reflects Universal Design for Learning principles (e.g. heading styles used to create structure in pages and documents, accessible tables, alt-text or transcripts for images, closed captions or transcripts for videos, scripts for narrated PowerPoints). You can learn how to incorporate accessible course design by referring to the How do I Make my Class Accessible? page. Also, see the Course Design module within the Teaching for Student Success course to learn more about Universal Design for Learning. 
• A variety of instructional materials and technology tools used in the course (e.g.textbook, scholarly articles, videos, podcasts, simulations/games, etc.). 
• Interaction statement that describes how and when the instructor will regularly interact with students in the course, including response time to emails and other communications.  
• Description of faculty-initiated interaction that will be substantive (e.g.relating to the course content) and regular (e.g.weekly).  
• Student-to-student interactions support active learning (e.g. discussions, group work, etc.). You can learn more about creating engaging interaction in the Active Learning module within the Teaching for Student Success course.

These guidelines are not comprehensive. They are intended as a minimum benchmark for a high-quality, accessible online/hybrid course, and as a starting point for discussion regarding quality assurance between you and your campus Center for Teaching and Learning. We encourage you reference this page as you prepare your online/hybrid courses and hope that it will be a stepping-stone as you consider taking your online course through the QM-certification process. 

Course Quality Resources

IU Online recommends the resources below to assist you in your work towards assure high quality online/hybrid courses for your students:

• Canvas Studio 
  • Canvas Studio is a resource filled with templates, ideas, and pro tips for creating online Canvas courses. 
• Making Your Course Pop with DesignPlus 
  • This IU Expand course covers the basics of CidiLabs DesignPlus, an advanced editor for the Canvas learning management system. 
• Technology Tool Finder 
  • This is a comprehensive, searchable, database of learning tools available through IU. 
• QM Advantage 
  • The QM Advantage custom self-review tool in Canvas enables instructors to examine the quality of their online courses using the standards from the QM Higher Education Rubric, Seventh Edition. 
• Best Practices in Online Course Design 
  • This IU Expand course is for the instructor who is comfortable in Canvas, but wants to level up their design work.  
• Teaching for Student Success: An Evidence-Based Approach, 2e 
  • This IU Expand course provides a framework for teaching and learning grounded in empirical research. 
• Accessibility and Universal Design for Learning 
  • 7 Simple Steps for Creating More Inclusive Digital Content 
  • Improving Course Accessibility 
  • ADA Basics for Faculty 
  • Accessibility and UDL Best Practices Guide 
  • Anthology Ally 

Do you have additional questions? Are you looking for more information? We can help! Contact the IU Online Quality Assurance team at IUOasmt@iu.edu. Or contact the staff at your campus teaching and learning center.