Oregon State University’s commitment to designing high-quality online courses has been a decades-long endeavor that involves too many people to name. But here’s a name worth highlighting: Shannon Riggs, who has been at the forefront of Oregon State’s efforts for 15 years.
Earlier this month Riggs was elected as chair of the board of directors for the Quality Matters organization, the world’s leading evaluator of high-quality online teaching and learning experiences. QM counts more than 1,000 universities and colleges among its global membership, and its positive influence on online education is rooted in research-based standards for online course design.
Riggs was a senior instructional designer for Oregon State Ecampus — the university’s online education unit — when its QM membership began in 2013. She played a central role in launching the initiative at OSU. Since then, she has helped ensure that every newly developed and redeveloped course meets the highest standards in online course design.
Becoming the QM board chair is a reflection of Riggs’ impact on Oregon State’s ability to deliver the best learning experiences online as well as her leadership in the industry as a whole.
“I am honored to be elected as chair for QM’s Board of Directors,” said Riggs, who is now the associate vice provost for educational programs and learning innovation in Oregon State’s Division of Educational Ventures.
“The board is an amazing team of leaders in higher education, people I have known and respected for years as part of the QM community. I also consider it a privilege to support the work of the dedicated QM staff who work tirelessly to uphold QM’s mission to promote and improve the quality of online education and student learning.”
Riggs, who started at Oregon State in 2011, has served in various advisory and leadership roles with QM over the years, including as a board member since 2022. Her responsibilities as chair of the board will include general oversight of QM’s day-to-day affairs and leading all board meetings.
Oregon State’s online education enterprise has created a culture that prioritizes student-centered, research-informed online education. These efforts align with QM’s continuous improvement model and have contributed to Oregon State earning numerous honors from QM.
In 2024, the OSU Ecampus Online Teaching Principles received a first-of-its-kind endorsement based on the tool’s effectiveness in helping educators deliver courses aligned with QM’s research-supported Standards. That same year, Oregon State earned the QM Online Learner Success Certification for its ability to “demonstrate that their learners are achieving success at a high rate.”
And earlier this year, OSU received QM’s Online Learner Support Certification for the second time based on the university’s commitment to providing critical student and academic services.
“QM has made such a positive impact on higher education through its research-supported quality standards and tools, its work in fostering a culture of continuous improvement, its outstanding professional development offerings, and its peer review and certification processes,” Riggs said.
Learn more about Oregon State University’s Quality Matters-endorsed Online Teaching Principles and how they help to guide effective facilitation of online and hybrid courses.