Quality Matters Spotlight: Tarik Dogru

The Office of Digital Learning congratulates Dr. Tarik Dogru for the high-quality certification of his online courses, ENT 5417: Accounting and Finance for Entrepreneurs and HFT 3431: Hospitality Managerial Accounting. Dogru, an associate professor in the Dedman College of Hospitality, received his PhD in Hospitality Management from the University of South Carolina and has been teaching at Dedman since 2018. He participated in the FSU Online Quality Initiative, where online courses undergo a rigorous peer-review process based on the nationally recognized Quality Matters rubric. In the following Q&A, Dogru shares his insights about the certification process.

How do you think the Quality Matters (QM) review process has improved your course?
Going through QM helped me tighten up my course by making sure every assignment was connected back to a specific learning goal. QM made a significant difference for students, because they don’t have to guess why they’re doing an assignment. Rather, they can clearly see how it helps them learn the material.

What did you value most about the instructional design support you received from your ODL faculty liaison?
The support team was great at helping me see the course from a student’s perspective, providing useful suggestions based on their prior experiences and ensuring the course layout didn’t get in the way of the actual learning.

What did you value most about the accessibility support you received from your ODL course design specialist?
I deeply appreciated learning how to make sure the course design itself doesn’t become a hurdle between the student and their work, so nothing blocks a student from achieving the learning outcomes.

If you were to encourage a peer to participate in the QM review process, how would you communicate its value?
I’d tell anyone who is thinking about, or has not yet thought about, participating in the QM review process, just do it. This process is amazing. It helps ensure your assignments actually measure what you’re trying to teach and improves how you deliver the material. Even in a complex subject like accounting, the whole course feels like a cohesive story rather than random tasks.

Would you be willing to share any positive feedback you received from your students about your certified course(s)?
These are some notes from my students since completing QM certification:

• “I really liked how the homework assignments and quizzes were set up. Everything in this course is very applicable to a future career in hospitality."
• “The lecture videos and posted PowerPoints on Canvas are a great aid! [Professor Dogru] provides clear explanation videos that help both visual and audio learners, and [he] responds quickly to students in need of help.”

For information about online course design and the FSU Online Quality Initiative, visit odl.fsu.edu/quality.