Quality Matters (QM) is a nationally recognized, faculty-centered, peer review process designed to improve online and blended course quality to benefit online learners. The Applying the Quality Matters Rubric (APPQMR) workshop is QM's flagship workshop on the QM Rubric and the process of using the QM Rubric to review online and hybrid courses. It is intended for a broad audience, including but not limited to faculty, instructional designers, administrators, and adjunct instructors who wish to understand more about the QM Rubric and process of course review. The APPQMR is also the prerequisite for the Peer Reviewer Course, which is required to become a QM Peer Reviewer.

Both online and face-to-face training opportunities are available to UMBC faculty as in person or online workshops through our sister USM institutions.

Face-to-Face Option

Towson University has scheduled three hands-on Applying the Quality Matters Rubric (APPQMR) workshops:

• Wednesday, April 6, 2016- Session 2
• Tuesday, May 3, 2016- Session 3
• Tuesday, August 9, 2016- Session 4

All workshops are held in the Cook Library, Room 404B from 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.

The cost of the workshop will be $30 and will include a continental breakfast and lunch along with a Quality Matters booklet and other course materials. Payment can be made by transfer of funds. Please request that your department send the funds to Academic Innovation (15470) at Towson via the R*Stars system, the interagency transfer program. In the description field, enter a notation for the APPQMR training, and send it to the attention of Jessica Loetz in Accounts Payable (jloetz@towson.edu).

Parking is available on campus in the Towsontown Garage (across from the Liberal Arts Visitor parking spots are available so please when parking go to the visitors kiosk and follow the directions to obtain a ticket for displaying clearly on the dashboard of your vehicle.

Registration is limited so please RSVP. Look USM-Applying Quality Matters Rubric Workshop and then choose the Session # that you wish to attend. Since there will be food available, please make sure you register for the session you wish to attend at least a week before the session.

Online Option

Salisbury University has scheduled two online Applying the Quality Matters Rubric (APPQMR) workshops:

• April 12 – 26, 2016
• July 5 – 19, 2016

The cost associated with the dedicated online APPQMR is $25. 

To register for the workshop, open an RT ticket with the individual’s name and department.

Take our instant runoff voting system survey here!

The Legislative Branch of SGA is considering a new voting system and would like student input!

SGA Senator Evan Leiter-Mason is working on an initiative to reform the voting system here at UMBC. The goal of this initiative is to foster a more democratic, civil voting environment for all students.

In order to ensure that Executive officers (President/Executive Vice President, Vice President of Student Organizations, Treasurer) are only elected by a majority of student votes, Evan is proposing that SGA use an instant runoff voting system.

Instant-runoff voting is an electoral system used to elect a single winner from a field of more than two candidates. It is a preferential voting system in which voters rank the candidates in order of preference rather than voting for a single candidate. This system will conveniently require only a single round of voting.

Ballots are initially distributed based on each voter’s first preference. If a candidate secures a majority of votes cast, that candidate wins. Otherwise, the candidate with the fewest votes is eliminated. Ballots assigned to the eliminated candidate are recounted and added to the totals of the remaining candidates based on who is ranked next on each ballot. This process continues until one candidate wins by obtaining a majority of the votes. (from Wikipedia)

For a visual example, click on this link: http://bit.ly/1q346bU

Try the ranked voting system system below!

Take our instant runoff voting system survey here!