Certification recognizes commitment to distinctive and progressive healthcare education

Maryland University of Integrative Health (MUIH), a national leader in the education and practice of natural medicine, announced today that it has been awarded the nationally recognized Quality Matters (QM) certification for 3 of its online courses:

• HRB 641 Safety of Botanical Medicine
• ISCI 631 Introduction to Complementary and Integrative Health
• NUTR 612 Human Nutrition II: Micronutrients

Quality Matters is a faculty-centered peer review process that certifies the quality of online courses using a widely respected set of standards for online course design. QM standards reflect current research on effective learning strategies and the insights of experienced online instructors and instructional designers. A QM certification indicates a course that has successfully met the QM rubric and standards for course design in an official course review.

QM rubric is central to the development and revision of online courses

The QM rubric is central to the development and revision of online courses at MUIH, and its standards provide the foundation for the University’s mindful and discerning course development process. This achievement in three courses across three academic departments—herbal medicine, integrative health sciences, and nutrition—not only affirms the high quality of course design at the University as a whole, it also communicates a University-wide commitment to delivering valuable, distinctive, and progressive healthcare education.

“MUIH has invested substantially in infrastructure, personnel, and other resources in support of superior online education,” said Witt Salley, Ed.D., associate provost of academic innovation and support at MUIH. “These course certifications by Quality Matters demonstrate that the University has succeeded in meeting rigorous, research-based national standards of excellence in online course design.”

The Quality Matters process is focused on improving the student experience by increasing learner engagement, retention, satisfaction, and achievement.

“As a faculty member, I know my content area well but I find course design is always an evolution,” said Bevin Clare, M.S., associate professor in the herbal medicine department. “I know my course is a better course after going through the QM process.”

“Paying attention to quality course design made it easier for students to spend less time trying to navigate the course and more time on the course content,” said Marybeth Missenda, M.S., course developer and instructor in the integrative health sciences department. “The students are able to see how everything fits together to achieve the course objectives.”

Reviewers of all 3 Courses Had This to Say of MUIH’s Course Design

Reviewers of all 3 courses commended MUIH’s course design for its great “diversity of learning resources” that allows students to acquire a strong and wide base of knowledge.

HRB 641: The reviewers commended MUIH’s course design for its “dynamic and creative” assessments that allow students to apply knowledge in a variety of ways.

ISCI 631: The reviewers noted that MUIH’s course design creates “a welcoming learning environment and a sense of community among the students” in addition to facilitating a “very good relationship” between the learners and instructor.

NUTR 612: The reviewers commended MUIH for its “very attractive” and clear organization of course content, facilitating “readability and usability for the learner.”

“I am delighted in MUIH’s continued progression towards academic excellence with the adoption of in-depth Quality Matters reviews of their core courses,” said Mary Fry, N.D., associate professor in the nutrition department and master reviewer with Quality Matters. “Partnering with Quality Matters promotes high-quality curriculum design and encourages us to deliver an exceptional learning experience to our students.”

Maryland University of Integrative Health is committed to developing the highest quality online course design, and to continuously improving the online student experience. The University plans to submit additional courses to Quality Matters for review in the coming year.

About Maryland University of Integrative Health (MUIH)

Maryland University of Integrative Health is one of the nation’s leading academic institutions for natural medicine. For nearly 40 years, MUIH has educated and informed practitioners and leaders in health and wellness through transformative and relationship-centered programs that draw from traditional wisdom and contemporary science. Progressive graduate degrees in a wide range of disciplines are offered both on campus and online. In the on-campus Natural Care Center and community outreach settings, MUIH provides compassionate and affordable healthcare from student interns and professional practitioners, and delivers more than 30,000 clinical treatments and consultations each year. For staff and faculty, MUIH offers a collaborative and vibrant work environment that is mission and values-driven. For more, please visit www.muih.edu.

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