Quality Matters Spotlight: Julie Baisden

The Office of Digital Learning congratulates Dr. Julie Baisden on the high-quality certification of her online course, EDG 5339: Making Sense of Data to Inform Instruction. Baisden, an assistant clinical professor at Anne’s College, received her Master of Science from FSU and her Doctor of Education from Nova Southeastern University, both times with a major in Reading Education. She worked as an assistant in research for FSU’s Florida Center for Reading Research. Baisden 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, Yang shares her insights about the certification process. 

How do you think the Quality Matters (QM) review process has improved your course?
The process allowed me to take a deep look into my course’s modules, objectives, standards, and assignments. It also allowed me to make sure all those course elements aligned and allowed students to have a learning experience where they could use theory and research in assignments and, ultimately, in the classroom.

What did you value most about the instructional design support you received from your ODL faculty liaison?
I learned so much through this process: how to design the most effective pages for communicating content and how to use valuable Canvas tools such as TidyUP, Ally, and Kaltura. Being able to talk to ODL experts about my goals for the course was helpful; they took what I had in mind and made it work!

What did you value most about the accessibility support you received from your ODL course design specialist?
Learning about accessibility was a new concept. I learned about the “Why?” behind many of the accessibility features, and I was also able to apply this learning to making my other courses more accessible.

If you were to encourage a peer to participate in the QM review process, how would you communicate its value?
The value is excellent! The team works with you every step of the way, and they are there to help your course be as effective as possible. The QM training helped me understand the big picture before we started.

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