Quality Matters 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 language and practical framework for strengthening course design, improving alignment among learning objectives, activities, and assessments, and making course expectations and navigation clearer for students. Beginning in Fall 2026, the standards will guide the development and revision of SPS online and hybrid courses.
At a Glance
- Online and hybrid MS/MPS courses must meet the QM Essential Standards.
- Instructional design support is available to help faculty apply the standards during course development and revision.
- SPS is implementing faculty training, peer support, and a formal course-review process in phases.
What This Means for Faculty
If you teach or design an online (synchronous or asynchronous) or hybrid MS/MPS course at SPS, your course must meet the QM Essential Standards. The standards do not apply as requirements to fully face-to-face courses.
Beginning in Fall 2026, faculty developing new online or hybrid courses or making substantive revisions to existing ones must apply the standards during development or revision.
Instructional design support is available to help faculty understand and apply the QM Essential Standards. SPS instructional designers are QM-Certified Peer Reviewers with expertise in online and hybrid course design. Faculty who are assigned an instructional designer for their course development or revision should use that support throughout the process. Faculty who are not currently working with an instructional designer may schedule an instructional design consultation.
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 SPS Committee on Instruction (COI) for review and approval before the course may be offered. During this initial implementation phase, COI will review these courses against the QM Essential Standards while developing a formal course-review process.
SPS is also developing SPS Course Quality Essentials, an internal training course for faculty; additional resources and guidance; and opportunities for faculty peer support. Additional information about faculty participation, review expectations, and timelines will be shared as these efforts are finalized.
Access the QM Essential Standards
SPS faculty and staff may access the full Quality Matters (QM) Higher Education Rubric through a UNI-protected page. The QM Essential Standards are the three-point standards identified in the rubric.
Access the QM Higher Education Rubric
What Happens Next
SPS will implement the QM Essential Standards in phases.
Fall 2026
- QM Essential Standards begin guiding online and hybrid course development and revision.
- SPS pilots SPS Course Quality Essentials, an internal training course, with a small group of full-time and part-time faculty.
- COI begins developing a broader framework for formal course review while conducting reviews required during the initial implementation phase.
Spring 2027
- SPS Course Quality Essentials is expected to launch more broadly following revisions informed by pilot feedback.
- Academic Affairs will communicate expectations for faculty participation and share additional resources and guidance.
Future Phase
- SPS will establish expectations and timelines for faculty to complete SPS Course Quality Essentials.
- The SPS Committee on Instruction (COI) will finalize and implement the formal course review process. Additional 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. They identify the course design elements considered essential to supporting a strong online learning experience and are used to guide the design, review, and continuous improvement of online and hybrid courses. The standards apply to the course as a whole, including both the syllabus and the Canvas course site, rather than to the syllabus alone.
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 you are developing a new online or hybrid course, or making substantive revisions to an existing course, instructional design support is available to help you apply the QM Essential Standards throughout the process.
If you are already working with an instructional designer, continue using that support. If you are not currently working with an instructional designer, you should schedule an instructional design consultation.
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 SPS Committee on Instruction (COI) for review and approval before the course may be offered.
No. The SPS Committee on Instruction (COI) will guide the process for determining how courses will be reviewed against the standards. Additional guidance will be shared as that process develops.
No. SPS Course Quality Essentials 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 SPS Course Quality Essentials 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. SPS’s broader Canvas-use initiative supports consistent course organization, communication, and student access across instructional modalities. It is related to but distinct from the QM implementation. Using the SPS Canvas template does not automatically mean a course meets the QM Essential Standards.
Faculty who are already working with an instructional designer 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 with expertise in online and hybrid course design. They can help faculty interpret and apply the QM Essential Standards, strengthen alignment among learning objectives, activities, and assessments, and identify opportunities to improve accessibility, clarity, and the student learning experience.
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].
Implementation updates: This page will be updated as SPS implementation progresses and as additional guidance, resources, training expectations, and course review processes are finalized