The Sorrell College of Business’s Principles of Marketing course has received certification as a Quality Matters (QM) Certified course.

The certification is an assurance of excellence from an external reviewing body that the course meets the highest standards in online instruction. QM Peer Reviewers applied eight general standards and 42 specific review standards in the determination.

“The Quality Matters certification is a great achievement for the Department of Marketing and the Sorrell College of Business,” said Dr. Ayesha Tariq, who teaches the course. “We are continuously striving to deliver the best educational experience to our students, and we make a special effort to ensure that the standard of our online courses is as rigorous and high as face-to-face courses.”

Tariq is an assistant professor of marketing and teaches Principles of Marketing and Marketing Research in both online and face-to-face formats.

“Working towards achieving the certification has been an intense yet interesting learning experience. We already find ourselves applying QM principles to the other online courses we are teaching,” she said.

Senior Instructional Designer Inga Oberst said achieving the certification was a “huge accomplishment.”

“It signifies the Sorrell College’s commitment to quality, and we are extremely proud of Dr. Tariq,” she said.

Oberst, Tariq and Department Chair William Foxx teamed to develop the course in order to meet the QM standards, something that can now be duplicated for other courses.

“This was truly a team effort that took several years to achieve,” said Sorrell College Dean Judson Edwards. “I applaud then efforts by Dr. Tariq, Dr. Foxx and Ms. Oberst to achieve this distinction.”

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