Course Rapid Review
Why a Course Rapid Review (CRR)?
A Course Rapid Review (CRR) is that proverbial “second set of eyes” for course development. It is a narrow, structured quality review of course content based on the Quality Matters (QM) standards commonly “not met” from Penn State internal QM reviews. Faculty can request a CRR for any course they have developed and are teaching or plan to teach, and the confidential review is completed by instructional designers in the Center for eLearning Initiatives. Whereas a complete QM review can take up to 4 weeks, a CRR can typically provide course design feedback within 3-5 business days.
What does a CRR Look For?
Of the 42 specific QM Specific Review Standards (SRS) on the QM rubric, Penn State identifies 19 across all 8 General Standards that are commonly “not met” in an internal course review. To develop a truncated rubric for CRR review, we first considered that a Penn State Course is not an isolated event. Rather, it is a system situated across a technology medium, guided by behavioral norms, within a support network, toward a specific educational purpose. Thus, we developed a framework for reviewing courses across these activities to answer the following questions:
- Can all students find and use what they need?
- Do students understand what is expected and required of them?
- Do students know where to go for help if they need it?
- Do students understand the “why” of pedagogical decisions?
For a complete discussion of the rationale and rubric for the course rapid review, see Course Rapid Review (CRR) from the Center for Learning Initiatives at Penn State Behrend.
For more information on Quality Matters at the university, see Quality Matters at Penn State.
How Can I Request a CRR?
To request a CRR, please click the Requestion a Course Rapid Review button on this page to access, complete, and submit the CRR Request Form.
