Put your best course forward.
The Superior Course Program (SCP) began in 2020 with the goal of identifying and disseminating best practices for designing high-quality courses.
The core of the program is the Superior Course Rubric that defines key characteristics of high-quality courses within the framework of Course Design, Interaction and Collaboration, Assessment, and Learner Support.
SCORES AND VALUES IN THE SUPERIOR COURSE PROGRAM RUBRIC
The Superior Course Program Rubric uses numerical point values for each standard. These point values (from 1 to 5) have been assigned to indicate the relative importance of that standard, with values of 5 representing compulsory standards. Compulsory standards must be met in order to receive an Superior course award. The 14 compulsory standards are as follows: The Superior Course Program recognizes instructors and course designers whose courses demonstrate best practices in four major areas: Course Design, Interaction & Collaboration, Assessment, and Learner Support.
Compulsory Standards:
› Goals and objectives are clearly written, appropriate for the course level, and aligned to desired outcomes
› Content is made available or “chunked” in manageable segments (i.e., presented in distinct learning units or modules)
› It is clear how the instructional strategies will enable learners to reach course goals and objectives (e.g., instructions or overview of course activities is provided and aligned to course objectives)
› Course design includes guidance for learners to work with content in meaningful ways (e.g., clear instructions, content outline, video, course orientation) and how to proceed
› The design and delivery of content integrate alternative resources (e.g., transcripts) or enable assistive processes (e.g., voice recognition) for those needing accommodation
› Course files (e.g., documents, PDFs, presentations) are easily readable by assistive technologies (e.g., screen readers, screen magnification)
› A rubric or equivalent grading document is included to explain how participation will be evaluated
› It is clear to students how performance in an assessment(s) will be evaluated (e.g. rubric, equivalent grading document, section in syllabus)
› Assessment activities occur frequently throughout the duration of the course
› Multiple types of assessments are used (e.g., research project, objective test, discussions, etc.) › Orientation materials explain how to navigate both the LMS and the course
› Contact information for the instructor is easy to find
› Course/instructor policies (e.g., decorum, behavior, netiquette) are included and easy to find
› Learners have the opportunity to give feedback to the instructor regarding course design and course content both during course delivery and after course completion.
COURSE DESIGN
Course Design addresses elements of instructional design. For the purpose of this rubric, course design includes such elements as structure of the course, learning objectives, organization of content, and instructional strategies.
INTERACTION AND COLLABORATION
Interaction and Collaboration can take many forms. The SCP criteria place emphasis on the type and amount of interaction and collaboration within an online environment. Interaction denotes communication between and among learners and instructors, synchronously or asynchronously. Collaboration is a subset of interaction and refers specifically to those activities in which groups are working interdependently toward a shared result. This differs from group activities that can be completed by students working independently of one another and then combining the results, much as one would when assembling a jigsaw puzzle with parts of the puzzle worked out separately then assembled together. A learning community is defined here as the sense of belonging to a group, rather than each student perceiving himself/herself studying independently.
ASSESSMENT
Assessment focuses on instructional activities designed to measure progress toward learning outcomes, provide feedback to students and instructors, and/or enable grading or evaluation. This section addresses the quality and type of student assessments within the course.
LEARNER SUPPORT
Learner Support addresses the support resources made available to students taking the course. Such resources may be accessible within or external to the course environment. Learner support resources address a variety of student services.
Blackboard Superior Course Program Rubric
Complete Your Assessment
After you are added to a course, you will have two weeks to review and submit this assessment.
