Recognizes institutions or groups exemplifying QM’s focus on learners. The recipient has implemented QM Standards, practices and processes and demonstrated impacts on learner outcomes.

The implementation should be either broadly transformative in impacting learners' experiences or significantly and directly meaningful for a specific subset of learners. Evidence of success – statistical and/or anecdotal – should clearly demonstrate positive outcomes.

2024 Recipient: North Carolina State University (See NC State's acceptance video)
2023 Recipient: University of Cincinnati Clermont (See UC Clermont's acceptance video)
2022 Recipient: University of Toledo (OH) (See Toledo's acceptance video)
2021 Recipient: Cleveland Community College (See Cleveland CC's acceptance video)
2020 Recipient: Mount Carmel College of Nursing (See MCCN's acceptance video)
2019 Recipient: Cal State East Bay Online Campus (See Cal State East Bay's acceptance video)
2018 Recipient: Southeast Missouri State University
2017 Recipient: SPC St. Petersburg College, Florida (See SPC's acceptance video)
2016 Recipient: California State University Office of the Chancellor
2015 Recipient: The College of Westchester
2014 Recipient: New Mexico State University at Alamogordo
2013 Recipients: Kenai Peninsula College, University of the Rockies and Texas A&M University-Central Texas
2012 Recipient: Indiana Wesleyan University and Tidewater Community College

Recognizes Non-U.S. based institutions or groups exemplifying QM’s focus on learners. The recipient has implemented QM Standards, practices and processes and demonstrated impacts on learner outcomes.

The implementation should be either broadly transformative in impacting learners' experiences or significantly and directly meaningful for a specific subset of learners. Evidence of success – statistical and/or anecdotal – should clearly demonstrate positive outcomes.

A new award category beginning 2021

2024 Recipient: United States International University-Africa (See USIU Africa's acceptance video)
2023 Recipient: Ho Chi Minh City Open University (See HCMCOU's acceptance video)
2022 Recipient: Instituto Tecnológico de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey (See Monterrey's acceptance video)
2021 Recipient: King Khalid University (KKU), Saudi Arabia (See KKU's acceptance video)

Recognizes a K-12 Organization or Individual that has implemented QM Standards and processes, demonstrated impacts on learner outcomes and/or made significant contributions to learners’ experiences through instructional design, faculty professional development or related initiatives. Implementation should be either broadly transformative or significantly and directly meaningful for learners.

Evidence of success – qualitative or quantitative – should clearly demonstrate positive outcomes.

2024 Recipient: Idaho Digital Learning Alliance
2022 Recipient: North Carolina Virtual Public School  (See NCVP's acceptance video)
2021 Recipient: Graduation Alliance (See Graduation Alliance's acceptance video)
2020 Recipient: Virtual Arkansas (See Virtual Arkansas' acceptance video)
2019 Recipient: LAUNCH, Springfield Public Schools
2017 Recipient: Michigan Virtual
2016 Recipient: Florida Virtual School
2015 Recipient: Dan Badea from the Ohio Department of Education and Sandy Paxton from the Ohio Department of Higher Education

Every poster accepted for display at the conference is automatically nominated for the "Outstanding Poster at the Conference" award, which recognizes a poster that clearly illustrates QM’s implementation, individual or institutional impact.

Three factors are taken into account with equal weight:

1. Design of Poster: The originality and design of the poster will be evaluated. The poster design should effectively exploit the potential of the poster medium. How does the poster look and how is the information conveyed to the viewer
2. Relevance to Online/Blended Learning: The impact on online/blended learning will be gauged. Does the poster provide information as to how it relates to quality assurance in online/blended learning?
3. Presentation: The poster presenter is assessed for their ability to convey the topic of the poster and its results to the poster audience. The presenter’s quality of communication will also be an important consideration. Did the presentation have an effective impact on the audience?

2024 Recipient:  Jackie Pica, Columbia Southern University
2023 Recipient:  Elena Guel, University of Texas Rio Grande Valley
2022 Recipients:  Jessica Handley and Elena Guel, University of Texas Rio Grande Valley
2019 Recipient: David Becker, Indiana University Office of Collaborative Academic Programs
2018 Recipient: Jessica Handley, University of Texas Rio Grande Valley
2017 Recipients: Patrick Dempsey and Veena Radhakrishnan, Johns Hopkins Carey Business School
2016 Recipients: Sherrell Wheeler and Kim Gallagher, New Mexico State University Alamogordo
2015 Recipient: Tahnja Wilson, Arizona State University

The Directors' Award for Exceptional Service will be presented to members of the QM community who have gone above and beyond common service to the organization. These people have made extraordinary contributions to QM’s quality assurance efforts with online and/or blended education at institutions, and for learners. It is presented at the discretion of the Quality Matters Directors Group and may not necessarily be awarded every year.

2024 Recipient: Amanda Hardman, Senior Learning Designer and Lead QM Coordinator for the Colorado Community College System; and Dr. Morris Thomas, Assistant Provost for Digital and Online Learning, Director of the Center for Excellence in Teaching, Learning and Assessment and the Associate Professor of Educational Leadership & Policy Studies at Howard University
2023 Recipient: Mary Wells, Co-Principal Investigator of the FIPSE grant that led to the founding of Quality Matters (see Mary's acceptance video)
2022 Recipient: Amy M. Grincewicz, Kent State University
2021 Recipients: Barbara Frey, Point Park University and Stephen Kaufman, University of Akron
2020 Recipients: Racheal Brooks, North Carolina Central University; Steven Crawford, Maricopa Community Colleges; Megan Ash, Educational Service Center of Central Ohio; CJ Bracken, J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College; and Kathy Bright, Olympic College
2019 Recipients: Bethany Simunich, Kent State University and Clay Ham, Virtual SC
2018 Recipient: Eddie Andreo, Cowley College
2017 Recipient: Penny Ralston-Berg, Penn State - World Campus
2016 Recipients: JJ Johnson, Pierce College; Ray Lum, Drexel University; and Elizabeth McMahon, Minnesota Online Quality Initiative and Northland Community & Technical College
2015 Recipient: Carol Parenteau, University of the Rockies

This award seeks to recognize individuals — from the QM member community — whose leadership efforts have substantively improved digital education and, in particular, have changed the online education quality assurance paradigm for the betterment of students and educators.

In honor of the extraordinary leadership and innovative ideas of Dr. Ron Legon, Executive Director Emeritus of Quality Matters, Inc., the Ron Legon Leadership Award for Quality Digital Education, jointly sponsored by Quality Matters and MarylandOnline (MOL), is to recognize leaders whose conceptual, policy, and/or operational contributions to quality assurance in digital education have advanced practice within a QM system level with demonstrable success. The call for nomination is open to all for nominations that meet eligibility criteria. Awards will be decided by the QM and MOL Award Selection Committee. The award will be presented at the QM Connect Conference.

The award and recognition include an invitation to be a featured presenter, financial support to attend the QM Connect Conference, and recognition in news releases and other QM communication channels.

2023 Recipient: Dr. Kathy Chatfield, Clark College
2022 Recipient: Dr. Enoch Park
2019 Recipient: Dr. Roxann Humbert
2018 Recipient: Dr. Michael J. Offerman
2017 Recipient: Larry Ragan
2016 Recipient: (Inaugural Award) Dr. Ron Legon