Paula McDougald from Virtual Arkansas and Dr. Brandie Benton (Virtual Arkansas) presented a QM session I watched tonight entitled “My Circus and My Monkeys: Sharing What We’ve Learned Through Simultaneous QM Reviews.” Virtual Arkansas is funded through the Department of Education to provide supplemental instruction in the state. They have 130 teachers and students from different school districts. They have almost 200 courses available. Benton explained that the rest of their funding comes from per-enrollment fees. Benton mentioned supporting thousands of students and partnering with QM. McDougald was the slide creator, and the presentation was circus-themed and amazing. They explained that they obtained grant funding to review 50 courses for QM review. In the end, Virtual Arkansas submitted 50 courses simultaneously. All of their Virtual Arkansas teachers are required to complete the QM Rubric training (K-12). Course representatives had to complete a synchronous course review refresher. The internal review of courses followed a set of tasks/steps. The course representatives confirm course objectives, alignments, and measurability of objectives. They also review accessibility of the site. McDougald explained that template documents were really important, and they provided a course worksheet template and an amendment response form. I am currently taking the QM Peer Reviewer Course and think that having a course worksheet is really useful. McDougald spoke about the importance of considering the timing of submissions and the academic calendar. They also encouraged course reps to be flexible. McDougald shared that having an “FAQs” document preparing course representatives are important ways to address the inevitable challenges that arise. McDougald explained that reflecting on each review is important for continual improvement. Benton concluded by describing the work that the design team does with instructors to design and improve courses.
