Center for eLearning

Pedagogy Tools

CSU Course Template

Request a CSU Course Template Shell for your course in Blackboard. The Center for eLearning staff designed this template to help faculty ensure that important Quality Matters standards are met during the course design process.

Quality Matters (QM) Rubric

The Quality Matters Rubric is a set of standards used to address the design of online and blended courses. It is used in QM formal course reviews and self-reviews. Many faculty find it helpful to use the rubric as a guide when designing their course. The rubric is based on alignment of critical core components to ensure that students meet learning goals and objectives. See the Quality Matters website for more information on the QM rubric.

Online Course Assessment Tool (OCAT)

The OCAT was first developed at Western Carolina University in 2007. During the 2012-2013 academic year, the CSU eLearning Faculty Senate committee recommended the use of a modified OCAT for the purposes of faculty peer review of courses. The OCAT is designed to give faculty comprehensive feedback on the design and instruction of online courses. The use of this tool is encouraged by the Faculty Senate eLearning committee. Faculty may also find it helpful to review the OCAT while designing online courses.

Modified OCAT for Cleveland State University


Faculty Checklist for Designing Courses

This document is a tool for instructional designers and faculty developers to use during the course development process. It is a conceptual exercise intended to assist developers in moving through the process of developing a course for online delivery.

 Course Quality Checklist


Tips for Teaching Online

We think the articles below are excellent resources for faculty that highlight the importance of communication, as well as some course design ideas for online courses!

          J. V. Boettcher, Ph.D. Designing for eLearning, 2006 - 2013.