Online Spanish course receives first QM certification

Hilda Benton, our department's only remote online instructor, received the ‘Quality Matters’ (QM) certification her online Spanish course . This was one of the first three online courses submitted by the University of Arkansas to Quality Matters. Benton's course was the only one to receive the certification from this reputable institution.

Donald Judges, interim vice provost for distance education, said the recent certification marks a milestone in a strategic, ongoing process designed to validate the quality of U of A online courses.

This is great stuff. Online courses in higher education is growing rapidly and we're proud to be on the cutting edge of this trend. Recently, Benton's achievement was featured in the campus Newswire.


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“I have always been interested in improving the quality of my courses... I thought [this certification] would change my course in a lot of ways, and it did. I think that I can offer a better organized and more engaging course."

Hilda Benton - Instructor of Spanish

In addition to the QM certification, she also received an Instructional Enhancement Grant from the provost's office to travel from her home in Maine to the Fayetteville campus to offer a presentation about her Quality Matters review experience.

Although the Spanish course is taught online, students are able to interact with Benton and their peers through various features. Students also have the advantage of completing their coursework from home, while gaining a skill they can use for the rest of their lives.

Through Benton’s language course and other programs offered by WLLC, students acquire proficiencies that may have once seemed inaccessible.