Quality Assurance and Standards at SPS
Strengthening Online and Hybrid Learning
Online and hybrid courses are central to the SPS student experience. They expand access to a Columbia education, support flexibility for working professionals, and help students pursue rigorous academic work while balancing professional and personal commitments.
To support clear, accessible, and engaging learning experiences, Columbia University School of Professional Studies has adopted the Quality Matters (QM) Essential Standards as school-level requirements for all online and hybrid MS/MPS courses.
The QM Essential Standards provide a shared framework for advancing academic quality, accessibility, course design, and the student learning experience in online and hybrid learning environments. Beginning in Fall 2026, these standards will formally guide the development and revision of SPS online and hybrid courses, including the design and presentation of course expectations, learning activities, assessments, accessibility, and student-support information in syllabi and Canvas course sites.
Academic Affairs will support faculty in this work through instructional design consultations, practical resources, ongoing guidance, faculty peer support, and a self-paced internal QM Essential Standards course developed by the SPS Instructional Design department.
Faculty participating in a formal SPS course design or redesign cycle will be partnered with an instructional designer who is a QM Certified Peer Reviewer and can support the application of the QM Essential Standards throughout the course design process.
Faculty developing a new online or hybrid course, or making substantive revisions to an existing course, outside of a formal design cycle, should schedule an instructional design consultation to receive support in applying the standards to their course.
The internal course will be piloted in Fall 2026 with a small group of full-time and part-time faculty before a broader launch, anticipated in Spring 2027. Following the pilot, Academic Affairs will share additional guidance about broader faculty participation and expectations for completing the course.
The QM Essential Standards apply to:
- online MS/MPS courses (synchronous and asynchronous);
- hybrid MS courses;
- new online and hybrid course development;
- substantive revisions to existing online and hybrid courses.
The standards do not apply as requirements to fully face-to-face courses.
Beginning in Fall 2026, faculty teaching or designing online and hybrid courses must:
- familiarize themselves with the QM Essential Standards;
- apply the standards when developing new online or hybrid courses;
- apply the standards when making substantive revisions to existing online or hybrid courses;
- work with their assigned instructional designer when participating in a formal SPS design or redesign cycle;
- schedule an instructional design consultation when developing or substantially revising an online or hybrid course outside of a formal design cycle.
Faculty who elect not to work with an instructional designer when developing or substantially revising an online or hybrid course must submit the course syllabus and Canvas course site to the Committee on Instruction for review and approval before the course may be offered. The review will determine whether the course meets the SPS QM Essential Standards.
Fall 2026 represents the initial phase of SPS implementation. Expectations for subsequent phases, including faculty participation in the internal QM Essential Standards course, will be communicated as implementation plans are finalized.
The SPS Committee on Instruction will guide the process for determining how courses will be reviewed against the standards. Additional guidance will be shared as that process develops.
SPS’s broader Canvas-use initiative supports consistent course organization, communication, and student access across instructional modalities.
The QM Essential Standards are related to that work but are distinct from it. Consistent use of Canvas can support effective course design, but using a Canvas template does not automatically mean a course meets the QM Essential Standards.
Academic Affairs will provide support through:
- instructional design consultations;
- dedicated instructional design support for faculty participating in formal course design and redesign cycles;
- practical resources and examples;
- ongoing guidance;
- a self-paced internal QM Essential Standards course, beginning with a Fall 2026 pilot;
- future communications about the course-review process as it is developed through COI.
Faculty who are already partnered with an instructional designer through a formal design or redesign cycle should work with that individual, who is a QM Certified Peer Reviewer, to apply the QM Essential Standards throughout the development or revision process.
Faculty who are developing or substantially revising an online or hybrid course and are not currently working with an instructional designer should schedule an instructional design consultation.
What Happens Next: SPS will implement the QM Essential Standards in phases.
- QM Essential Standards formally begin guiding online and hybrid course development and revision.
- SPS pilots the new internal QM Essential Standards course with a small group of full-time and part-time faculty.
- Faculty and programs receive initial guidance and support.
- The SPS Committee on Instruction continues to develop the process for reviewing courses against the standards.
- The internal QM Essential Standards course is expected to launch more broadly following revisions informed by pilot feedback.
- The SPS Office of Academic Affairs will communicate expectations for faculty participation in the course as those expectations are finalized.
- Additional resources and guidance will be shared.
- SPS will establish expectations and timelines for faculty completion of the internal QM Essential Standards course.
- The SPS Committee on Instruction will develop the formal process for reviewing courses against the QM Essential Standards.
- Details about review expectations, timelines, and procedures will be communicated separately.
Frequently Asked Questions
The QM Essential Standards are research-based course design standards that support quality, accessibility, alignment, clarity, and student success in online and hybrid courses.
Yes, as of Fall 2026, SPS has adopted the QM Essential Standards as school-level requirements for all online and hybrid MS/MPS courses.
No. The QM Essential Standards are requirements for online and hybrid courses. SPS’s broader Canvas-use expectations apply across instructional modalities, including face-to-face courses, but they are separate from QM implementation.
If your course is participating in a formal SPS design or redesign cycle, you will work with an instructional designer who is a QM Certified Peer Reviewer and can support you in applying the QM Essential Standards throughout the process.
If you are developing a new online or hybrid course, or making substantive revisions to an existing course, outside of a formal design cycle, you should schedule an instructional design consultation for guidance on applying the standards.
No. The SPS Committee on Instruction will guide the process for determining how courses will be reviewed against the standards. Additional guidance will be shared as that process develops.
No. The internal QM Essential Standards course will be piloted in Fall 2026 with a small group of full-time and part-time faculty. A broader launch is anticipated in Spring 2027. Following the pilot, Academic Affairs will communicate expectations for broader faculty participation and the timing of any requirement to complete the course.
SPS is implementing the QM Essential Standards in phases. Expectations regarding when faculty must complete the internal QM Essential Standards course relative to developing or teaching an online or hybrid course are still being finalized. Academic Affairs will communicate those requirements before they take effect.
No. The Canvas template supports course organization and student access, but it does not automatically mean a course meets the QM Essential Standards.
Faculty who are already working with an instructional designer through a formal SPS design or redesign cycle should continue using that support as they apply the QM Essential Standards to online or hybrid course development and revision. SPS instructional designers are QM-Certified Peer Reviewers.
Faculty who are not currently working with an instructional designer and are developing or substantially revising an online or hybrid course should schedule an instructional design consultation.
For all other questions, please contact the SPS Office of Academic Affairs at [email protected].