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On October 7, 2019, Hassan Costello led an enlightening workshop titled 'Introduction to Building Quality Online Courses'. Organized jointly by the E-Learning Unit at the Faculty of Languages and Translation (clt) and the Deanship of E-Learning, the workshop initially targeted English teachers at the clt. However, under the supervision of Dr. Abdulrahman Almosa, Vice Dean of Academic Development and Quality, and the guidance of E-Learning Unit Supervisor, Mohsin Khan, it was decided that the material's applicability stretched beyond a single faculty. Thus, the program was opened to all faculty members across the university, drawing attendees from the clt and the College of Medicine.

Mr. Costello's workshop focused on the paramount importance of quality in online courses, underpinned by the eight general standards of Quality Matters (QM). He emphasized the nuanced relationship between effective course design and meaningful student interaction in online teaching contexts.

Course design, according to Mr. Costello, must resonate with a sense of purpose. Every element of an online course should propel students towards defined learning outcomes. The design must be intuitive, logical, and easy to navigate, allowing for a level of student autonomy due to the remote nature of interactions. Using the QM Rubric in the design process can help ensure that course objectives are met.

Mr. Costello also highlighted the distinction between online and traditional classroom interactions. Given that students often work at irregular hours or at their own pace, instructors might not always be readily available to address their queries. Thus, the course design must carefully consider this altered dynamic of student-teacher interaction.

During his presentation, Mr. Costello walked attendees through each QM Rubric standard, providing a summary of best practices for compliance. He stressed the importance of 'alignment' in online courses, where every lecture, assignment, and activity should contribute towards achieving the desired learning outcomes. The QM Rubric, in its current form (6th edition, revised in 2018), features 42 specific standards to evaluate the design of online and blended courses.

Mr. Costello's discussion covered general standards such as:

• The Course Overview and Introduction
• Learning Objectives (Competencies)
• Assessment and Measurement
• Instruction Materials
• Course Activities and Learner Interaction
• Course Technology
• Learner Support
• Accessibility and Usability

Significantly, he emphasized the importance of accessibility in course design, aligning with the global educational focus on inclusive learning. Accessibility is considered a critical component of the QM Rubric, and King Khalid University is proud to be the first university in the Kingdom to subscribe to the tenets of QM.

While Mr. Costello's presentation was brimming with insights, he encouraged attendees to view it as a primer to the more extensive 'Applying the Quality Rubric (APPQMR) Workshop', provided free of charge by the Deanship of E-Learning. The APPQMR workshop, QM's flagship presentation on the QM Rubric, revisits many of the concepts introduced in Mr. Costello's session.

The workshop received enthusiastic feedback from attendees, particularly faculty members from the College of Medicine, who were keen on implementing the strategies outlined in Mr. Costello's presentation. The college currently offers an online course taught by 20 faculty members and is eager to utilize the strategies from the workshop for course enhancement.

The clt is dedicated to providing world-class language education and plans to host similar workshops in the future to benefit an even larger segment of the faculty.