Quality Matters Cohort
Instructors: are you interested in making your online or hybrid course more effective and accessible?
Apply for the AY '26-'27 QM Cohort!
ODLT is proud to announce its third Quality Matters Cohort for Academic Year 2026. This program will guide instructors through the process of online course improvement using the QM Rubric, culminating in an internal review of their course. Participants will also receive $500 upon completion of all requirements and have the opportunity to become a Certified Peer Reviewer for QM and submit their course for an official review.
The Quality Matters review process at Clemson is available to all instructors who teach online or hybrid courses; it's an excellent way to demonstrate evidence of teaching effectiveness and improvement. This program will take cohort participants through the process of learning about the QM Rubric, effective online teaching practices, and a review of a course of their choosing.
"Students have commented on how well organized my Canvas courses are, and I know this is due in part to my experiences with the QM rubric. All courses benefit from QM training, not just those that are certified." ~Carrie Lee, Cohort Member AY '25-26
"I highly recommend the Clemson QM cohort experience to faculty who teach online and want to be more effective instructors."~Katrina Okerstrom-Jezewski, Cohort Member AY '25-26
Program Details
- Application opens on August 12, 2026, and closes at midnight on August 28, 2026. Note: Applicants must have already taught the course they intend to submit for review.
- Cohort participants will be notified by August 31, 2026, and all responsibilities must be completed by May 30, 2027.
- Instructors should be seeking to improve a Fall or Summer course, not a Spring ‘27 course. There will not be sufficient time to complete the process to teach the revised course in the Spring.
- Cohort responsibilities will include:
- Attending a virtual orientation session.
- Completing the asynchronous online Applying the QM Rubric Workshop (APPQMR) with certified facilitators.
- Meeting with the Clemson Online review team for a pre-review and post-review call.
- Two meetings with the entire cohort to check in and discuss progress (also virtual).
- Completing an end-of-program survey.
Application Process
Click the link provided to go to the application page and provide some basic information:
You will need to include the name of the course you are interested in working on during the cohort, as well as a short narrative about why you'd like to participate. If you have any questions about the Cohort or the application, please contact the Cohort facilitator, Sharyn Emery.
About QM at Clemson
Quality Matters is a nationally recognized non-profit organization “specializing in standards, processes and professional development for quality assurance in online and blended learning.” The QM Team at ODLT has over 50 years of combined higher-ed teaching experience and is certified by Quality Matters to review online courses.
