IU Online Course Quality Checklist
Course Orientation & Policies
- Instructors and students introduce themselves at the beginning of the course.
- Course title and number.
- Semester, year, and course section.
- Credit hours.
- Name(s) of instructor(s) and contact information for the instructor (e.g. email address, phone, Zoom room, office location, etc.).
- Office hours – indicate when and how you will grade/provide feedback, respond to student questions, meet with students online, etc.
- Course description from the catalog.
- Demonstrate alignment between course & module learning outcomes and course assessments. A table is one method of demonstrating alignment.
- Link or reference with the specific department, program, general education, or program outcomes, if applicable.
- Required and optional course materials (e.g. textbooks, webcam, microphone, software, etc.).
- Grading policy (the breakdown of all assignments with point/percentage value for each, grading scale, expected instructor response time to grading assignments and providing feedback, and late work/makeup exam policy).
- Student participation and etiquette expectations (e.g. netiquette policy).
- Link to IT Helpdesk for student technology support.
- Minimum technology requirements for the course.
- Links to accessibility statements and privacy policies for course technologies.
- Links to campus-specific policies, including academic integrity, grade appeal, etc.
- Links to academic support services, such as a writing center or math tutoring.
- Link or statement regarding students with disabilities and acquiring accommodations.
Organization
- Explicit and consistent organization and pace of the course (e.g., use of modules with a weekly landing page and assignments located in modules). You can find examples of modules in Canvas Studio.
- Include estimated time students should spend on course material each week.
Alignment
- Course learning outcomes are measurable, specific, stated from the student’s perspective, and align with the course description. You can learn more about measurable learning outcomes in the Course Design module within the Teaching for Student Success course.
- Module/unit-level learning outcomes are measurable, specific, and align with the course-level learning outcomes.
- Assignments in each module align with the module-level learning outcomes. You can learn more about alignment in the Course Design module – What is course alignment? in the Teaching for Student Success course.
- Grading criteria (e.g., rubrics) for each assignment are clearly stated. You can learn more about rubrics in the Assessment module within the Teaching for Student Success course.
- Instructional materials and learning activities in each module align with the module-level learning outcomes. You can learn more about alignment in the Course Design module within the Teaching for Student Success course.
- Technology tools support student achievement of stated learning outcomes and promote active learning. You can use the Technology Tool Finder to locate tools that support your learning outcomes.
Universal Design for Learning & Interaction
- Course design reflects Universal Design for Learning principles (e.g. heading styles used to create structure in pages and documents, accessible tables, alt-text or transcripts for images, closed captions or transcripts for videos, scripts for narrated PowerPoints). You can learn how to incorporate accessible course design in the How do I Make my Class Accessible? document. Also, see the Course Design module within the Teaching for Student Success course to learn more about Universal Design for Learning.
- A variety of instructional materials and technology tools are used in the course (e.g. textbook, scholarly articles, videos, podcasts, simulations/games, etc.).
- An interaction statement that describes how and when the instructor will regularly interact with students in the course, including response time to emails and other communications. You can learn more about IU interaction requirements in the IU Interaction Standard document.
- Include a description of faculty-initiated interaction that will be substantive (relating to the course content) and regular (weekly). You can learn more about IU interaction requirements in the IU Interaction Standard document.
- Student-to-student interactions support active learning (e.g. discussions, group work, etc.). You can learn more about creating engaging interaction in the Effective Student-to-Student Interaction module within the Teaching for Student Success course.