Volunteer for Peer Reviews

SU’s QM internal course review process is all volunteer based. A call for volunteers is posted three times a year seeking course reviewers. A team of three reviewers works to review each course submitted. To participate in the process, reviewers must have completed the Applying the QM Rubric (APPQMR) Workshop.

Review Cycle Schedule

An open call for volunteers to serve on review teams will occur three times a year on August 1, November 1, and April 1.

Volunteer Call is Open

Why volunteer?​

Individuals who volunteer to review courses have an opportunity to see online, remote and hybrid courses from other units or campuses. Reviewers may glean design strategies or ideas from other courses. The review also makes reviewers more aware of QM standards and hones the reviewer’s ability to recognize and meet standards in their own courses.

Be A Reviewer: Guide for Volunteer Course Reviewers

Faculty and staff who have successfully completed the Applying the QM Rubric (APPQMR) training may volunteer to review SU courses. There are three main steps in the course review process, detailed below. Reviewers use the My Custom Review (MyCR) system to record their findings and submit review worksheets. Time commitment may vary by course based on review findings; however, estimates for time required are included below. The entire review process usually takes 3 to 6 weeks. A full description of all roles associated with an internal review is available in the SU QM Course Review Roles document.

Step 1: Pre-Review Team Meeting
Time: ~30 minutes

This meeting introduces the review team to the course representative and familiarizes everyone with the review process. All review team members should have access to the course to be reviewed and also read the Course Worksheet completed by faculty prior to the kick-off meeting. The review team can then raise any questions with the course faculty prior to starting the review. After questions have been discussed, the course representative can leave the meeting.

The remainder of the meeting provides the three peer reviewers to meet, discuss roles and responsibilities, and clarify anything on the timeline. This meeting also serves as an opportunity to review the functions of the MyCR and be sure that all review members have the resources needed to perform the review.

Step 2: Individual Review

After the initial meetings and planning, the review team members work to review the course individually and record their ratings and comments in the online Review Worksheet in MyCR. Ideally, individual reviews are completed within 2-3 weeks.

Step 3: Post-Review Team Meeting
Time: ~30 minutes

After individual reviews are complete, the review team reconvenes to discuss the Final Report and any inconsistencies in review findings. The Final Report is then submitted through MyCR.

Step 4: Faculty Debrief (Optional)

Some course representatives or instructional designers may have questions about the review findings and recommendations in the final report. In this case, individuals may request to meet with the Team Chair and/or the SU QM Coordinator to answer questions about the findings.

Information regarding QM was adapted with permission from our colleagues at Pennsylvania State University.