This is a review of one of my own online courses using Towson’s Gold Review Standards evaluation criteria. This set of standards is used to ensure high quality online instruction at Towson, and is a modified version of the widely used Quality Matters standards. I reviewed my online course “Beyond A Game of Thrones: Modern Medievalism in Popular Culture.” The audience for this course is juniors and seniors at the University of Maryland. However, in a way, I served as my own client for this project, evaluating my own course and making recommendations for change based on the Gold Review Standards. While the course was already strong according to many of the standards, I was able to identify areas that needed improvements, such as standard 8, Accessibility and Usability.
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​This exercise was extremely helpful for me in two ways. I had not learned about Universal Design for Learning yet when I undertook the review, and I was unaware of how much I needed to improve my course in this regard. I have since incorporated UDL principles in all my designs. Secondly, evaluating existing courses is a necessary skill for an instructional designer, and this was the first time that I had the opportunity to practice the procedure. This is a skill I have used to help my colleagues in the history department, and one that I will undoubtedly need to use as I transition to a full-time design role.