The Applying Course Essentials (ACE) Workshop Series is a professional development opportunity for instructors who seek to improve one of their online or hybrid courses.
The ACE series consists of seven (7) asynchronous, self-paced but also time-bound workshops, designed to be completed within a 12-month period. It is intended to serve a broad audience of instructors who desire to improve their course but vary widely in their levels of course design experience, teaching experience, and time availability for professional development.
Workshop resources and activities are designed to help participants apply the Essential Standards in the research-based and education-driven Quality Matters (QM) Rubric for Higher Education, 7th edition, to their course. Incentives for participation and completion include digital badges and the opportunity to receive QM course certification.
ACE Objectives
After completing the ACE Workshop Series, participants will be able to:
- Recognize the foundational concepts of Quality Matters.
- Apply the 22 essential Specific Review Standards of the QM Rubric to an online or hybrid course.
- Communicate alignment among critical components of a course.
- Improve an online or hybrid course according to research-based best practices in course design.
Who should participate?
NC State instructors (faculty, staff, or graduate students) who teach or plan to teach an eligible online or hybrid course for which they are the instructor of record are welcome to apply to ACE.
Participation is limited and priority consideration is given to applications that:
- Benefit an online or hybrid course
- Benefit an online program or certificate
- Seek to improve student success as defined by the NC State Strategic Plan
What courses are eligible?
Each participant will choose a specific course to work on throughout the workshop series. Eligible courses include any credit-bearing NC State course that has been offered in an online or hybrid format at least twice.
- Definition of “online”: 76% or more of the content and instruction is provided in an asynchronous online format and is mediated by technology.
- Definition of “blended” and “hybrid”: Approximately 25-75% of the course takes place in a face-to-face or online synchronous environment. Seat time is reduced proportionately to the percentage of the course delivered online.
Prerequisite
All participants are required to successfully complete the Applying the Quality Matters Rubric (APPQMR) workshop prior to being enrolled in the first ACE workshop.
Delivery
The ACE Workshop Series is delivered as a series of seven (7) online Moodle workshops containing resources and activities to help participants apply the 22 Essential Specific Review Standards from the QM Rubric to their course. Each workshop is fully asynchronous, self-paced, time-bound, and facilitated by a member of the Course Quality Team. Participants are expected to submit evidence of their course improvements through workshop assignments. Workshop facilitators will provide feedback and answer questions to help participants succeed.
| ACE Workshop | Description |
|---|---|
| Part 1: Writing and Aligning Learning Objectives | Participants will be able to compose and align measurable course-level and module-level learning objectives. |
| Part 2: Aligning Course Components | Participants will be able to align assessments, instructional materials, and learning activities with learning objectives. (Prerequisite: Part 1) |
| Part 3: Organizing the Course Layout | Participants will be able to apply consistent structure and clear organization to the layout of their Moodle course. (Prerequisite: Part 2) |
| Part 4: Clarifying Assessments | Participants will be able to clearly communicate the grading policy and criteria by which student work will be evaluated. (Prerequisite: Part 3) |
| Part 5: Promoting Engagement and Active Learning | Participants will be able to incorporate active learning in the course and clearly explain expectations for participation and communication. (Prerequisite: Part 4) |
| Part 6: Supporting Learner Success | Participants will be able to provide resources for student services and clearly communicate how to be successful in the course. (Prerequisite: Part 5) |
| Part 7: Improving Usability and Accessibility | Participants will be able to improve the accessibility of text and images in the course. (Prerequisite: Part 6) |
Duration
Workshops
While individual workshops are self-paced, they are also time-bound. Participants must successfully complete each workshop within a window of six weeks. Participants who do not complete the workshop within that window will be un-enrolled and their work may not be saved. Extension requests will be considered on a case-by-case basis.
ACE Series
Completion of the entire ACE Workshop Series is expected within 12 months.
Requirements
Pre-Enrollment Consultation
After acceptance to ACE, each participant will meet via Zoom with a Course Quality facilitator to go over expectations and answer questions prior to enrollment in the first workshop.
Workshop Completion
To successfully complete a workshop, each participant must:
- Submit evidence that they have applied QM-based improvements in their course.
- Receive a passing score on their submission(s), indicating that they have met the minimum expectations.
- Complete all required activities in Moodle.
Pre-Review Consultation
After a participant completes all seven ACE workshops, they will meet with a QM Coordinator via Zoom to discuss submitting their course for an official course review to receive QM Certification.
Completion Incentives
Badges
Participants will earn digital badges through Credly for each completed workshop as recognition for their application of course design best practices.
QM Certification
Participants who complete the series are able to get their course reviewed and certified through an official external course review process managed by the Quality Matters organization. They will receive:
- The cost of an official QM review covered by DELTA.
- At least one pre-review consultation with a QM Coordinator.
- QM Coordinator management and support throughout the review process.
How to Apply
Applications will be available each Fall semester. For more information about the ACE Workshop Series, please contact Arlene Mendoza-Moran.