Internet Learning Volume 5, Number 1, Fall 2016/Winter 2017 | Page 8

Internet Learning Volume 5 Number 1 - Fall 2016/Winter 2017
Online Graduate Course Evaluation from Both
Students’ and Peer Instructors’ Perspectives
Utilizing Quality Matters TM
Kyungbin Kwon, Frank R. DiSilvestro, and Marjorie E. Treff
Indiana University-Bloomington
Abstract
The main purpose of this study was to improve the quality of online
courses in Indiana University’s adult education graduate program.
Researchers utilized Quality Matters™ (QM) standards to evaluate
the courses. A total of 24 students from five courses participated
in the evaluation process. Three peer instructors also evaluated the
courses based on the QM standards. The evaluations of both cohorts
suggested the following: (1) the adult online graduate courses fulfilled
the key components of QM standards in general; (2) students’ evaluations
of the courses were quite consistent with the peer instructors’
evaluations; (3) areas identified as needing improvement were: to
provide sufficient information about accessibility, technical support,
and course orientation, and descriptions of instructional materials.
Suggestions for improvement were discussed.
Keywords: Online course evaluation, Quality Matters, Course design,
Online learning
Introduction
Improving the quality of online
courses is a pressing need in higher
education. Distance education
enrollments continue to increase, and
the number of distance programs and
courses online continue to grow. However,
according to Allen and Seaman
(2016), chief academic officers report
that faculty acceptance of online learning
has not improved and state: “A continuing
failure of online education has
been the inability to convince its most
important audience-higher education
faculty members-of its worth” (p. 26).
The chief academic officers contend
that many faculty members just do not
accept the value and legitimacy of online
education.
The purpose of this study was to
improve the quality of graduate online
adult education courses in the School of
Education at Indiana University based
on our assumption that we can always
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