After developing a course for online delivery, or prior to the start of a new semester, you should consider taking some time to reflect on the quality of your course and to make any necessary changes. A course evaluation rubric is a useful tool for assessing the effectiveness of your course design and organization. GSE Instructional Design and Development recommends using the Open SUNY COTE Quality Review rubric, also known as OSCQR (pronounced “Oscar”). “COTE” is an acronym for the Center for Online Teaching Excellence.
From the COTE website:
“To enable campuses to ensure that their online courses are learner-centric and well designed, a team of Open SUNY Center for Online Teaching Excellence staff and campus stakeholders has designed the OSCQR Rubric, a customizable and flexible tool for measurement. The 37 incorporated standards focus on course design from the perspective of the Community of Inquiry (CoI) model, and help reviewers assess opportunities for social presence, cognitive presence, and teaching presence in addition to the overall online course educational experience. The OSCQR Rubric is intended to be used for assessing course design rather than the actual course delivery.”
Go to the OSCQR – Self-Assessment Rubric Request form, to request a copy of the rubric, and enter your email and title to generate your own self-serve rubric. Be sure your email address is correct or you will not receive a link to the rubric.
Set aside an hour or two to look closely at your course in relation to each of the criteria outlined in the rubric. If you see any missing elements consider making changes to your course as soon as possible. If you need ideas for improving your course please contact a GSE Instructional Designer.
To learn more about the OSCQR rubric, how it was developed, the research it is based upon, or how to make suggestions to improve the rubric, please visit the SUNY COTE site which describes the rubric in more detail. The Open SUNY COTE Quality Review (OSCQR) Process.
