Aug. 4, 2009

NDSU offers free Webinar about improving quality of online courses

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A free Webinar, titled "How Quality Matters' Updated Standards Improve Online Courses," for NDSU faculty, staff and information technology professionals, is planned for Wednesday, Sept. 2, from noon to 1:30 p.m. at the SGC building, room D104. The event, sponsored by NDSU Distance and Continuing Education, is free, but registration is required due to limited seating.

Participants are welcome to bring their own lunch. Beverages and a dessert will be provided.

According to Lyn DeLorme, instructional designer for Distance and Continuing Education, design can make or break online-only or blended courses. "The pitfalls of a poorly designed course can stymie interaction, impede learning and ruin the experience for students and faculty," she said. "And with their increasing popularity, getting courses right the first time is more important than ever."

The Quality Matters Rubric is a peer-reviewed standard for online course design. After this 90-minute video online seminar, participants will be able to apply proven, nationally-respected techniques to online courses. This Webinar provides concrete design strategies from the latest 2008-2010 Rubric, immediately applicable to existing or future courses.

Ronald Legon, executive director of The Quality Matters Program, will present the Webinar. The Quality Matters Program is a faculty-centered peer review process designed to certify the quality of online courses. Legon is experienced as an administrator, serving as provost at the University of Baltimore for more than a decade. He also is a pioneer in the field of online courses, helping to launch the first Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business-accredited online MBA program.

Participants in this seminar will learn to:
• Design courses according to nationally-recognized standards,
• Create course components that encourage interactivity,
• Generate measureable course objectives,
• Use resources to continue updating and improving courses,
• Improve accessibility and alignment and
• Gain peace of mind knowing your institution’s courses stack up with the best.

For more information, contact DeLorme at 1-6371 or lyn.delorme@ndsu.edu.

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