Checklist Features

Sections and Sub-Sections

For ease of navigation, the checklist is divided into multiple sections. Each section includes one or more sub-sections with a set of related criteria. In the Word versions of the checklist, you can navigate to different sections based on the headings through the navigation pane. In the Excel version of the checklist, each section is in its own tab.

Rating Options

Some checklist criteria may be represented in your course to varying degrees.

• Yes – Indicates that this criterion is fully satisfied in your current course.
• Not Yet – Quality Matters identifies each of the checklist criteria as essential for an effective digital learning experience. For that reason, we have adopted a not yet rating for the elements that may not currently exist in your course site. Not yet implies that while the criteria are not currently met, they should be at some point in the future.
• Somewhat – Select criteria may be partially met in your course. Where this is possible, we have included a somewhat rating. Again, the aim is to eventually arrive at yes for all criteria.

Notes

Each section of the checklist includes a notes area that you can use to record your thoughts and improvement ideas. You can use these notes as a reference to identify which aspects of your course could be changed and ideas you have for improvement.

Tips for Using the Checklist

• Give yourself enough time. In our pilot, faculty users reported that they needed approximately 1 hour to complete the checklist for a single course. In most cases, these were courses that they had already taught and with which they were already very familiar. The time spent will be well worth it, because our pilot group also reported that the checklist helped them arrive at concrete areas for improving their course sites and digital learning practices.
• Skim the entire checklist first. The checklist is quite lengthy and many of the sections and topics are interconnected. It might be helpful to get a sense of the checklist as a whole, by scanning it in its entirety first before starting your detailed assessment.
• Chunk your approach when using the checklist. Don’t have an hour per course? Feel overwhelmed by the whole checklist? That’s okay! Once you’ve skimmed the document, you might choose a single section to work through carefully. Are there improvements you can make based on that chunked analysis? Great, tackle those first and then come back to the checklist at a later date and continue to make your way through the other sections.
• Use the notes section! As you’re working through the checklist, use the notes section to record your thoughts and improvement ideas. You may not have time to implement them immediately, so your notes will become valuable reference points as you work through your course improvements.