Dr. Penelope Schmidt was recently honored with attaining the Quality Matters (QM) certification for a Political Science course – POLS 4860.  QM provides an opportunity for faculty to be part of a review process which gives feedback and recommendations for course design improvements to meet quality expectations based on National Standards. It allows for the continuous improvement of online and hybrid courses and provides certification of quality course design. This is truly an outstanding achievement by Dr. Schmidt and displays her commitment to her learners.
The Center for eLearning interviewed Dr. Schmidt recently about her accomplishment and her thoughts on online learning. Below are excerpts from the interview.
Would you please talk a bit about your position at VSU and how long you have been here?
I started at VSU as a graduate teaching assistant in 2010 and upon earning my Doctor of Public Administration degree in 2011, I began as an adjunct instructor. I teach undergraduate political science courses within the Organizational Leadership major such as Nonprofit Management, Introduction to Public Administration, and Public Relations in the Public Sector. I also teach graduate courses within the Public Administration major such as Quantitative Methods, Public Sector Planning, Policy Analysis, and Grant Writing and Management.
Why did you seek out QM certification?
When I began teaching under the leadership of Dr. Jerry Merwin, he introduced me to the Quality Matters (QM) standards. Those standards provide guidance on designing high quality online courses, which is very important for students’ academic success, so I incorporated the standards into the course designs. Others also contributed to the designs and that team approach helped maintain a consistent level of quality across the courses. When Dr. Merwin asked me to participate in the QM certification review of one of the courses, I gladly agreed because of the value it would bring to the students and university. (more…)
