Quality & Learning: How Meeting QM Standards Impacts Student Learning
Primary Presenter: Julie Frese
Organization: University of the Rockies
Role: Director of Assessment and Academic Quality
Track: Research Presentation
Topic: Recent research on teaching and learning with technology
Level: For Mere Mortals
Abstract: This research project builds on previous QM-related research conducted at our institution. We sharpened the focus on the impact of course design on student performance and learning outcomes. To that end, we compared student performance scores on major assignments in five QM-certified courses and five non-QM-certified courses. The results of this data analysis will indicate whether the quality of course design directly impacts student learning.
Bio: Julie Frese is the Director of Assessment and Academic Quality and teaches courses at University of the Rockies. As a certified Quality Matters Peer Reviewer, she has received approval of her courses by these standards and participated in reviews of courses at other universities. For the past 3 years Julie attended the Higher Learning Commission Academy, and presented at annual Higher Learning Commission Conference. Julie received a B.S. in Special Education and an M.S. in Curriculum and Instruction-Reading from the University of Wisconsin, and completed a Ph.D. in Curriculum Leadership with an Instructional Technology cognate at the University of Denver.
Description: Our study builds on a previous research project at our institution: Student and Faculty Perceptions Before a Course Meets QM Standards, conducted by Tina Parscal, Ph.D., Provost, University of the Rockies, and presented at the Quality Matters Conference in 2013. In Dr. Parscal’s study, no significant difference was found related to user satisfaction between pre-and post-QM certified courses.
The above-mentioned study focused on students’ perceptions. To better understand whether the quality of course design directly impacts student performance, we examined the relationship between scores and quality of course design. We selected five QM-certified courses and five non-QM certified courses, and gathered and analyzed data to determine whether students performed better in QM-certified courses than non QM-certified courses.