Online Course Rubric
Online course rubric
May 2014
Online Course Rubric
The Department is providing this instrument to assist local school districts and other interested parties in
evaluating digital and blended courses used for instruction, credit recovery, or non-credit personal learning.
The rubric contains five domains: (1) content and standards, (2) instructional design, (3) assessment, (4)
technology and (5) policies that together comprise 17 criteria for evaluating the course. The criteria were
developed from a review of online courses rubrics and the Department’s standards for instruction and assessment.
•
A Course Developer’s Guide from RMC Research (RMC Research Corporation)
•
Center for Applied Special Technology (CAST)
•
International Associations for K-12 Online Learning (iNACOL)
•
Council of Regional Accrediting Commissions (C-RAC)
•
Quality Matters (QM)
•
Southern Regional Educational Board (SREB)
•
Western Cooperative for Educational Telecommunications (WCET)
Rating scale
Meets
Evidence of this criterion is clear, appropriate for this course, and demonstrates best practices in a
manner that models its use.
Partially
meets
Evidence of this criterion is clear and is appropriate for this course. More could possibly be added.
Not met
Not present, but should be, based on course design and content; or present, but not appropriate
for this course.
Online Course Rubric
Online course rubric
Content and standards
C1. Syllabus
The course syllabus includes:
•
title of the course
•
course description
•
course goals and objectives
•
student learning expectations
•
academic prerequisites
•
software and technology skills needed
•
instructor’s communication and response policies
•
expectations for student/group activities,
•
assignments, and due dates
•
course readings, required and recommended
•
grading rubrics with explanations
•
course assessment plan
•
instructional/teaching strategies (lecture, asynchronous discussions, real-time e.g. f2f or teleconference,
independent reading, etc.)
•
course policies including those for earning academic credit, disability services, attendance and participation,
academic misconduct, and acceptable use of technology.
Rating
Meets
Partially meets
Not met
Comments
Online Course Rubric
C2. Learning Outcomes
•
A clear description of the expected changes in skills, knowledge, attitude and/or behavior that the students
will be able to demonstrate upon completion of the course.
Rating
Meets
Partially meets
Not met
Comments
C3. Standards Alignment
•
Course topics reference specific standards from the Massachusetts curriculum frameworks and the Common
Core State Standards (CCSS). For subjects not covered in the Frameworks or the CCSS, applicable national or
industry-specific standards are referenced.
Rating
Meets
Partially meets
Not met
Comments
C4. Cultural Competency
•
The course content and presentation is designed to avoid perpetuating gender, cultural, ethnic, and racial or
disability stereotypes.
Rating
Meets
Partially meets
Not met
Comments
Online Course Rubric
Instructional design
C5. Representation
•
Students differ naturally in the ways that they process information (i.e., access, comprehension, retention).
The course content is organized and prioritized around concepts, ideas, principles, or heuristics that focus on
the most important aspects of the subject area. Assignments, activities, and assessments require inductive
reasoning from discrete skills to broader generalizations. The course includes multiple representations of
concepts that are both flexible in terms of their modality and examples (e.g., graphical vs. algebraic
representation of gravity).
Rating
Meets
Partially meets
Not met
Comments
C6. Expression:
•
Students differ naturally in the ways that they can effectively demonstrate knowledge about concepts or
processes. Assignments, activities, and assessments let students interact and practice with content in multiple
ways and on multiple levels of cognition (e.g., comprehension, application, analysis, evaluation, and
synthesis).
Rating
Meets
Partially meets
Not met
Comments
C7. Engagement:
•
Students differ naturally in the ways that they engage with content and concepts, and the level (and type) of
challenge that they need for optimal learning. The instructional design is tailored to account for learner
variability, background knowledge, and technology skills. Assignments, activities, and assessments include
multiple avenues that effectively capture interest, as well as sustain deep, meaningful interactions with core
material.
Rating
Meets
Partially meets
Not met
Comments
Online Course Rubric
C8. Learning process:
•
The course is grounded in an understanding of the learning process. Learning activities are grounded or
contextualized within real situations, provide connections between the learner's prior knowledge and the
course content, and offer opportunities for practice and feedback.
Rating
Meets
Partially meets
Not met
Comments
C9. Variety
•
The course uses a variety of evaluations to aid in determining student mastery of concepts/skills and the need
for additional support. Evaluations are formative and summative, contain clear instructions, enable student
self-monitoring, and, whenever possible, provide students with multiple options for demonstrating mastery.
Where appropriate, pre and post evaluations are implemented in order to ascertain the level of
understanding.
Rating
Meets
Partially meets
Not met
Comments
C10. Rubrics
•
Rubrics are provided for major assessments help students understand the performance criteria by which their
work will be evaluated.
Rating
Meets
Partially meets
Not met
Comments
Online Course Rubric
Assessment
C11. End-of-course assessment
•
Students take an end-of-course assessment in a setting that is proctored and/or requires proper legal
identification or parent/guardian accompaniment.
Rating
Meets
Partially meets
Not met
Comments
Technology
C12. Accessibility, navigation, and support
•
Navigation features are explicit and consistent throughout the course and program; all course elements
comply with U.S. Section 504, related Federal and State accessibility laws, W3Cs Web Accessibility Guidelines.
All technology requirements and technical support procedures are clearly provided.
Rating
Meets
Partially meets
Not met
Comments
C13. Varied media
•
Media elements promote and support student engagement and reflection, access to research, presents key
concepts, activities and interactions. A variety of media elements are used appropriately (e.g. video,
interactive elements, etc.) for instruction and for students to demonstrate learning. All media allows for easy
navigations and user control. Links to external sites should show “good faith” to limit commercial exposure to
advertising.
Rating
Meets
Partially meets
Not met
Comments
Online Course Rubric
C14. Copyright
•
All course elements meet one or more of the following conditions: the course provider is the copyright owner
of the material; the material is made available by linking rather than copying; the copyright owner of the
material grants permission; the material is in the public domain; the use is within “fair use” under the law; or
the use is within the TEACH Act. The course notifies participants of material that is copyrighted and institutes
measures for limiting copyright violations.
Rating
Meets
Partially meets
Not met
Comments
Policies
C15. Student confidentiality
•
The course has a policy statement regarding student confidentiality pertaining to federal law, including
compliance with student information under Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) and disclosure
of disability.
Rating
Meets
Partially meets
Not met
Comments
C16. Course facilitator competency
•
The course facilitator (instructor) possesses demonstrable online teaching experience, is knowledgeable
regarding online teaching pedagogy, and/or holds a valid online teaching credential. The course facilitator is
supported in effective use of the learning environment and digital tools.
Rating
Meets
Partially meets
Not met
Comments
Online Course Rubric
C17. Course evaluation
•
The course provides an anonymous student and parent/guardian survey to gauge the level of satisfaction with
the course presentation, technology, facilitator effectiveness and overall course experience.
Rating
Meets
Partially meets
Not met
Comments
Summary rating
Course is recommended
Course is not recommended at this time
Additional
comments
This work is licensed by the MA Department of Elementary & Secondary Educations under the Creative Commons
Attribution-Non-Commercial-Share Alike 3.0 Unported License. Educators may use, adapt, and/or share. Not for
commercial use. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/