Clarkson University's Course in Research Ethics Receives Quality Matters Certification for Course Design Quality

Clarkson University’s Research Ethics course earned the Quality Matters (QM) Certification Mark following a rigorous review process. The QM Certification Mark is the internationally recognized symbol of online and blended course design quality and represents Clarkson’s ongoing commitment to creating learning environments that provide learners with a clear pathway to success.

The certification is the result of Clarkson’s dedication to continuous improvement, including the professional direction by Senior Instructional Designer Loretta Driskel and Course Instructors. BIE 555 Research Ethics I is the first Clarkson University course to achieve certification in 2023 and is listed on the QM directory of certified courses.

BIE 555 is part of the Caribbean Research Ethics Education Initiative (CREEii), which is funded by a National Institutes of Health Fogarty International Center (NIH FIC) grant. The funding aims to build research ethics capacity in the English- and Spanish-speaking Caribbean basin and provides a MS Bioethics degree education at Clarkson University to three cohorts of 15 CREEii fellows.

The cohorts of fellows are mixed language - Spanish and English, with some bilingual, some of limited English proficiency, and some monolingual. This course has a Spanish-language and an English-language faculty member, who share teaching responsibilities while teaching in their native language. The course uses artificial intelligence translation from Google to allow web pages to be automatically translated into whatever language the user - faculty or student - wishes.

Reading assignments are translated using the Google translate site and made available to students or, when not possible, equivalent content is made available from native language texts. The design of the curriculum to incorporate simultaneous bilingual instruction is intended to allow for the development of courses that are responsive to the unique research ethics needs of the Caribbean basin countries while fostering cross-cultural understanding and relationships.

Clarkson’s institutional participation in Quality Matters is vital to achieving adherence to online learning quality standards. By encouraging courses to meet quality standards, Clarkson is making important strides to keep pace with a third of other institutions. Nearly all other institutions require all or at least some of their online courses to meet quality assurance standards according to CHLOE 2021, a survey of chief online officers (Garrett 2021). Instructors who are interested in pursuing QM certification for their online or blended learning course are encouraged to contact the Clarkson’s Teaching & Learning Corner at tlc@clarkson.edu to learn more.

Clarkson University has been recognized by Quality Matters for the following courses:

• BIE555 - Research Ethics, Sharmella R Martin Bernardo Garcia Camino Feb 02, 2023
• OM680 Strategic Project Management, Michael Bissonette Dec 12, 2022
• OM650 Operations Strategy and International Competitiveness, Jon Brink Oct 18, 2022
• ED571 Middle Adolescence Literacy, Judy Morley Apr 20, 2022
• TE540 Foundations of Teaching TESOL, Karen Gregory & Gretchen Oliver Feb 17, 2022
• BIE573 Interpersonal Skills and Communication, Ellen Tobin Ballato Dec 08, 2021
• ED573 Virtual Learning in the P-12 Classroom, Erin Blauvelt Mar 12, 2021
• EE603/ME578/BOE620 Statistical Methods for Reliability and Life Data Analysis, Daniel Eno Dec 03, 2020
• OM603 Decision Analysis & Supply Chain Modeling, William MacKinnon Mar 19, 2020
• BIE 577 Managerial Epidemiology - Managerial Epidemiology, Jane Oppenlander May 03, 2019
• EM680 Decision Analysis and Risk Management, William MacKinnon Oct 26, 2018
• HC602 Advanced Statistics and Data Visualization, Jane Oppenlander Jun 22, 2018

Clarkson University uses the Quality Matters Rubric as a guideline in all course development and revision. The QM Rubric and process fit perfectly into our mission of providing quality online courses to students.

Grounded in research. Driven by best practices. A community that puts learners first. Quality Matters (QM) is the global organization leading quality assurance in online and innovative digital teaching and learning environments. It provides a scalable quality assurance system for online and blended learning used within and across organizations. When you see QM Certification Marks on courses or programs, it means they have met QM Course Design Standards or QM Program Review Criteria in a rigorous review process.