It’s Quality Matters Monday! Each Monday, we will highlight a Quality Matters standard and review its importance in an online course and how we evaluate this standard.

Today, we are reviewing Quality Matters Standard 1.7.

Click here to view Quality Matters Standard 1.7 in the Quality Matters Rubric. This standard addresses the inclusion of information regarding technical skills expected of the learner.

In addition to including technology requirements (See: Standard 1.5), QM states that it is important to include general as well as course-specific technical skills learners must have to succeed in the course.

For example, listing “using spreadsheets” as a minimum requirement lets students know they need to have spreadsheet software, and if they are not familiar, they need to take the initiative to brush up on Excel or give themselves more time on assignments requiring spreadsheet software.

More examples of technical skills might include:

• Using the learning management system
• Using email with attachments

· Creating and submitting files in commonly used word processing program formats

• Copying and pasting
• Downloading and installing software
• Using presentation and graphics programs

The best locations for this information are in the syllabus and/or the “Start Here” section of the course.

In our demo course, BUSN 7000 Start-Ups: Venturing into Entrepreneurship, you can find examples of how to meet QM Standard 1.7 by looking at the “Technical Requirements” page in the “Start Here” section.

Click here to access Quality Matters eLearning Marketplace. The Quality Matters eLearning Marketplace is a free, searchable database built to serve the broad QM community with an easy-to-use eLearning product/service directory organized within the 8 general standards of the rubric as well as by user and product categories.