Quality Quest: Crafting Quality Online Courses

Your Quest Is Complete. Your Course Is Ready.

What You Have Accomplished in The Quality Quest

If you engaged in every step of the Quality Quest, you have done something significant. You did not just learn about quality online course design. You built it.

Through every Quest you made real decisions, created real content, and built a real course that is designed to serve your students. You established a clear course foundation, built instructor presence into every module, designed assessments that require genuine learning, created meaningful opportunities for reflection and interaction, and confirmed that your course is accessible to every student.

That is not a small thing. That is a transformed course.

Before you submit your course for peer review or publish it for students, take one final step: use the 2027 CVC Course Design Rubric to confirm that your course meets every element. The self-evaluation below walks you through each one.

Before You Begin Your Self-Evaluation

Two foundational checks must be complete before you evaluate your course against the rubric elements. A course is not ready for peer review until both are confirmed.

Accessibility

Check the accessibility of your entire course using Pope Tech and any other applicable accessibility review tools. Correct all identified accessibility issues, including issues in third-party, publisher, and OER materials, or provide an accessible alternative. Confirm that any educational technology tools in the course have been vetted through Palomar's accessibility review and approval process.

Check your Pope Tech Dashboard by selecting "Pope Tech Accessibility" from your Canvas course menu.

Links

Check all links throughout the course and correct any that are broken, outdated, or inaccessible. Canvas includes a link validator tool that will scan your course for broken links.

Review: How do I validate links in a course?

A course is not ready to be evaluated for alignment until these foundational checks are complete.

How to Use This Self-Evaluation

For each rubric element below:

Read the Aligned expectation.
Locate the specific evidence in your course. Do not assume it is there. Find it.
If the evidence is present, confirm it meets the Aligned description.
If the evidence is missing or incomplete, return to your course and address the gap before submitting for review.
After confirming Aligned, consider whether any Exceptional practices genuinely improve the learner experience in your course. Exceptional is not required for Aligned status. Only add Exceptional elements if they serve your students.

Each element name below links to the relevant page in the 2027 CVC Course Design Rubric Companion Guide where you can find implementation guidance, examples, and clarification of rubric intent.

You may also download and complete the official 2027 CVC Course Design Rubric as a formal self-evaluation document.

Section 1: Policies and Support

In Quest 2 you built your course foundation, including your Start Here module, syllabus, and communication page. These pages are where your Section 1 evidence lives.

1.1 Course Policies

Aligned: Course policies that support student success, such as academic honesty, withdrawal, work submission, communication, and participation, are clearly stated and located in multiple locations.

Where to look in your course: Your syllabus, your Start Here module, and any activity pages where relevant policies apply. Confirm policies appear in more than one location and are easy for students to find.

1.2 Equitable Use of Technology

Aligned: The instructor explains how the required technology supports learning and meets institutional accessibility requirements. The explanation provides guidance for accessing the tool and tech support.

Where to look in your course: Your Start Here module or technology page. Confirm you have explained what technology is required, why it is used, how students access it, and where to get support.

1.3 Artificial Intelligence (AI)

Aligned: A student-centered, course-specific AI policy is clearly stated, easy to find, and includes clear expectations for how AI may or may not be used in the course. The instructor explains if and how they will be using AI within the course.

Where to look in your course: Your AI Use and Expectations page in the Start Here module and the embedded AI guidance in individual assignment and discussion instructions throughout your modules.

1.4 Data Privacy and Security

Aligned: The course links to institutional privacy and security policies and provides students with guidance on safe technology use and protecting their data when using course-related tools or platforms.

Where to look in your course: Your Start Here module. Confirm links to institutional privacy policies are present and students have guidance on data protection.

1.5 Student Resources and Support

Aligned: Links to institutional support services, including disability services, counseling, tutoring, library, basic needs, and technology help, are clearly labeled and easy for students to find.

Where to look in your course: Your Start Here module or a dedicated student resources page. Confirm all major support services are linked and clearly labeled.

1.6 Learning Support

Aligned: The course includes support resources to assist students in successfully completing assignments and activities, such as tips, reminders, or helpful resource links.

Where to look in your course: Your module pages. Confirm that optional resources are clearly labeled, that tips and guidance are embedded where students need them, and that no essential information is buried in optional materials.

Section 2: Course Structure

In Quests 3, 4, and 5 you built, reviewed, and refined your learning modules. Section 2 evidence lives across your entire module structure.

2.1 Structure and Navigation

Aligned: Canvas tools and modules are used in a consistent way to organize content and help students move through the course. The course has a clear structure that is easy to navigate and uses accessible navigation and formatting practices.

Where to look in your course: Open Student View and Next-button through the entire course. Confirm the navigation is consistent, logical, and accessible across every module.

2.2 Module Objectives

Aligned: Module learning objectives are consistently placed and describe specific, measurable outcomes that align to the course-level objectives.

Where to look in your course: The Module Overview page of every module. Confirm objectives are present, measurable, and aligned to course-level outcomes in every module.

2.3 Module Alignment

Aligned: Module content and assessments align with the module objectives and are adequate to support achievement.

Where to look in your course: Every module. For each module, confirm that the required content, learning activities, and assessment all connect directly to the stated module objectives.

2.4 Canvas Tools and Apps

Aligned: Canvas tools and institutionally approved apps are used to ensure accessibility, reduce the labor intensity of learning, and streamline access to the materials and activities for students.

Where to look in your course: Review the tools and apps used throughout the course. Confirm all are institutionally approved and accessible. Confirm no bare links or files are added directly to module item lists without a Canvas page providing context and instructions.

2.5 Use of Multimedia

Aligned: The course consistently uses different types of media that meet accessibility standards, such as text, audio, video, and images, to support student learning. Visuals and examples represent diverse cultural identities, lived experiences, and social contexts.

Where to look in your course: Your required learning content pages. Confirm media variety is present, all media meets accessibility standards, and the resources you chose represent diverse voices and perspectives where appropriate to your discipline.

2.6 Guidance for Working with Content

Aligned: The course provides clear instructions that guide students in engaging with content, such as prompts for note-taking during videos or guidance on what to focus on in readings.

Where to look in your course: Your required learning content pages. Confirm that every required resource includes guidance on what it is, what to focus on, how long it will take, and how it connects to the module objectives and activities.

Section 3: Regular and Substantive Interaction

In Quest 1 you planned your instructor presence and interaction approach. In Quests 3, 4, and 5 you implemented it throughout every module. Section 3 evidence is distributed across your entire course.

3.1 Initial Course Contact

Aligned: The instructor provides a welcome message that gives students the key information they need to start the course, including first-week requirements, a brief overview of any technology used in addition to Canvas, alternative access options if needed, and links to Canvas support.

Where to look in your course: Your Start Here module and course welcome. Confirm a clear, student-centered welcome message is present and gives students everything they need to begin confidently.

3.2 Instructor-Initiated Interaction

Aligned: The course includes a clear explanation of when and how the instructor will initiate regular interaction with students and this is evident throughout the course design.

Where to look in your course: Your RSI plan page in the Start Here module and the evidence of instructor-initiated interaction throughout your learning modules: module introduction videos or messages, discussion facilitation plans, feedback commitments, and closing notes.

3.3 Student-Initiated Interaction

Aligned: Students can easily locate instructor contact information and details about regular opportunities for interaction during the course and expected response times.

Where to look in your course: Your Instructor and Communication page. Confirm contact information, office hours, response time expectations, and interaction opportunities are clearly stated and easy to find.

3.4 Facilitation of Student Interaction

Aligned: The course includes opportunities for student-to-student interaction focused on course content. The instructor's role in facilitating these interactions is explained.

Where to look in your course: Your discussion activities. Confirm each discussion has a clear, application-level prompt, specific participation expectations, and a description of how you will facilitate the discussion. Confirm your facilitation role is written into the discussion instructions.

Section 4: Assessments

In Quests 3, 4, and 5 you built and refined your learning activities, assessments, reflections, and feedback survey. Section 4 evidence lives across every module and in your course conclusion.

4.1 Variety and Frequency

Aligned: The course provides relevant formative and summative assessments throughout the term, offering different ways for students to show what they know and stay engaged.

Where to look in your course: Your full course assessment plan. Confirm both formative and summative assessments are present throughout the term and that the course does not rely exclusively on one assessment type.

4.2 Scoring Criteria

Aligned: Assessments include a clear explanation of how student work will be evaluated, such as rubrics or defined expectations.

Where to look in your course: Every graded assignment and discussion. Confirm scoring criteria or a rubric is attached to every graded item and is visible to students before they submit.

4.3 Assessment Instructions

Aligned: Accessible instructions clearly explain what students need to do to complete the assignment successfully and provide relevant resources.

Where to look in your course: Every assignment, discussion, and quiz. Confirm instructions are clear, complete, on the assessment page itself, and accessible. Confirm no essential instructions are located only in announcements or other external locations.

4.4 Assessment Feedback

Aligned: Assessments clearly explain how and when students will receive feedback on both formative and summative assessments.

Where to look in your course: Every graded item. Confirm students are told when they will receive feedback and where they will find it in Canvas. Confirm this information is on the assessment page itself.

4.5 Learner Self-Reflection

Aligned: The course provides multiple opportunities for students to reflect on their learning and receive formative feedback from the instructor as appropriate.

Where to look in your course: Every module conclusion and your course conclusion. Confirm a reflection opportunity is present in every module, that the prompts ask students to look inward at their own learning, and that you have a plan for providing formative feedback on each one. A single end-of-course reflection does not meet this requirement.

4.6 Learner Feedback Survey

Aligned: At the end of the course, learners have the opportunity to give anonymous feedback to the instructor regarding course design and/or course content.

Where to look in your course: Your course conclusion. Confirm an anonymous end-of-course feedback survey is present, linked from the course conclusion, and set to allow anonymous submissions.

Accessibility Verification

Accessibility is not a rubric section with a score. It is a foundational requirement that must be confirmed before your course can be peer reviewed.

Both you as the course author and the POCR Lead reviewer must confirm the following:

The course has been checked using Pope Tech and any other applicable accessibility tools and all identified issues have been addressed.
Any educational technology tools present in the course have been vetted through Palomar's accessibility review and approval process.

If you have not yet completed a full accessibility review of your course, do that now before submitting for peer review. Return to the accessibility pages in Quest 1 and Quest 4 if you need a refresher on the process.

What Comes Next

Once you have confirmed that your course meets every Aligned element and your accessibility verification is complete, you have three options for next steps:

Submit for Peer Review

If your course is ready for formal POCR peer review, contact your Distance Education Coordinator to begin the review process. Visit the Distance Education Committee page for information about the review process at Palomar.

Continue Refining

If your self-evaluation identified gaps or areas for improvement, address them before submitting for review. Quality course design is an iterative process. The goal is a course that genuinely serves your students, not a course that passes a checklist.

Get Support

If you have questions about the rubric, your course design, or the review process, reach out for support:

Palomar Instructional Designer: course design support and consultation
Distance Education Coordinator: POCR process and review questions
ATRC: Canvas and technology support
2027 CVC Course Design Rubric Companion Guide: implementation guidance and examples for every rubric element

You Did This.

You came to Quality Quest to build a better online course. You did the work. You made the decisions. You built something your students will benefit from every time they open it.

Quality online course design is not a one-time event. Every time you teach this course you will learn something new about what works, what needs adjustment, and what your students need. The learner feedback survey you built, the reflection opportunities you designed, and the design standards you established give you the tools to keep improving.

Your course is ready. Your students are waiting. Go teach something great.