Criteria & Review Process
The Online Course Quality Review Rubric is the core of the Eagle Online Excellence (EOE) initiative. This nationally recognized rubric for course design quality reflects research-based best practices in online course design. It can be used both to guide course design for brand new courses and to review established online courses. The EOE initiative uses the Online Course Quality Review Rubric (OSCQR), developed by State University System of New York (2013).
The OSCQR Rubric includes criteria in the following course design areas:
- Course Overview & Introduction
- Learning Objectives
- Assessment
- Instructional Materials
- Learning Activities & Learner Interaction
- Course Technology
- Learner Support & Accessibility
Faculty may submit the EOE Quality Assurance review request form to schedule a consultation for a formal course review. During the consultation, an instructional designer will evaluate the course using the EOE QA checklist and provide tailored recommendations to enhance course design.
To recognize the accomplishment of designing or revising a course to meet the EOE standards, an online course that successfully aligns with the standards of the EOE initiative will earn a Digital Badge of Eagle Online Excellence. There are two options for distinction available to AU faculty as part of the EOE initiative:
- Silver (meeting all OSCQR “essential” criteria)
- Gold (meeting all OSCQR criteria at a threshold of 80%).
This badge is a signal to your students and others in the AU community that your course meets the standard for a high-quality online course and follows best practices in online course design. The badge can be posted directly into a course’s syllabus, on your Canvas course site, and on your AU faculty profile.
Benefits
High-quality course design results in engaging and effective online learning experiences that directly impact students, faculty, and programs. By aligning courses to EOE standards, faculty support intentional design choices and think of the course from a student’s perspective. In this manner, faculty can create an evidence-based process for building, maintaining, and guaranteeing course and learning quality. When courses meet the standards set out by the EOE initiative, faculty and programs can easily showcase the consistent quality they are providing for their students online.
For more information about how the standards in EOE and similar quality design rubrics can impact teaching and student success, please take a look at our literature review.