SUNY Canton has a course peer review process that all new online and flex courses have to go through before they are approved for instruction. All previously approved courses must be re-approved every three years. Faculty serve as peer reviewers for courses. The campus uses an adapted OSCQR rubric for course evaluation. While the program was running relatively smoothly, we were seeing that many courses were not approved on the first attempt, sometimes not even on a second attempt. Faculty course developers also voiced their opinion that the faculty reviewers were not evaluating courses objectively, or in a standardized manner.

In an effort to provide clear explanations of every standard from the OSCQR rubric the way we use it on SUNY Canton campus, the Center for Learning Design, Innovation, and Online Instruction (CLDIOI) in collaboration with our Online Learning Committee created a SUNY Canton OSCQR Certification Program. The program consisted of six one-hour-long live day-time sessions and six evening-time sessions. Both day time and ‘after dark’ sessions covered the same topics; an alternative evening timing was provided to accommodate adjunct faculty and others with busy day-time schedules.

The session topics corresponded with the standard groupings in the OSCQR rubric (Course overview and information, Course technology and tools, Design and layout, Content and activities, Interaction, Assessment and feedback). In the program, all standards were analyzed from the course developer’s, as well as from the course reviewer’s, standpoints. This double-angled approach helped us provide standardization in training and clearing up expectations with both developers and reviewers present in the same room.

In order to become OSCQR Certified, faculty were required to attend all six sessions either live online or watch a recording. They were also enrolled in a course where they were required to complete a quiz per each standard group. The quizzes contained at least one question that was only mentioned in webinars so the participants were motivated to watch recordings if they were not able to attend live sessions. The participants were required to obtain a minimum score of 80% on all quizzes. Once they successfully completed all modules, the participants became SUNY Canton OSCQR Certified, they received a certificate, and were featured on the CLDIOI website.

Twelve faculty members spanning across all three schools at SUNY Canton completed the SUNY Canton OSCQR Certification Program.