Southeastern Community College (SCC) has been working hard to meet Quality Matters Standards for Higher Education. The North Carolina Community College System released data on August 27 that shows SCC leading the state in Quality Matters certified courses offered out of all 58 community colleges in North Carolina.

Quality Matters is a certification that has guided SCC through the successful implementation and sustainable delivery of online and hybrid courses.

Quality Matters certified courses must meet the following:

1. Course overview and introduction
2. Learning Objectives
3. Assessment and Measurement
4. Instructional Materials
5. Learning Activities and Learner Interaction
6. Course Technology
7. Learner Support
8. Accessibility and Usability

All SCC faculty are working to ensure high quality of online and hybrid course delivery.

“Quality Matters is for our students,” says Dr. Sylvia Cox, Chief Academic Officer. “It ensures that our online courses are easy to navigate for students and greatly improves success in our online course. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, SCC was enrolling a record number of students in online courses and improving online courses became more pertinent than ever.”

With funding from the Higher Education Emergency Relief fund (HEERF I and II), all NC colleges were directed to use the funds specifically to improve online learning. SCC immediately implemented a process to provide Quality Matters training to online faculty.

“In 2019, a steering committee was assembled to develop a timeline for implementation of Quality Matters, an international, U.S.-based non-profit organization specializing in quality assurance in online and blended learning, into all online courses,” said Cristian Wood, Quality Matters Coordinator, and Instructor. “The work to continuously strengthen online learning will remain through the continued application of the Quality Matters standards and faculty professional development.