More than five years in the making, South Texas College Digital Learning has become the only online program in the state of Texas to earn an “Exemplary Program” designation indicating the highest level of achievement for all its online courses.

The designation awarded by Quality Matters, an international leader for quality assurance in online and digital environments, came about through a college-wide effort where STC met rigorous standards of online course design, instructional quality and learner outcomes.

Rachel Sale, Ph.D., STC dean of Digital Learning, said the process was a five-year effort that started when the program was looking for ways to accommodate students in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.

“This actually began in the spring of 2020 when we started redesigning classes due to the pandemic lockdown. We had to look at the way we garnered feedback from our users and track that … but then the second step of the certification went beyond supporting learners, but how do we support faculty,” Sale said. “I believe our entire campus community pulled together, which indicates a true commitment to continual improvement across the campus and proves without a doubt that we earned this certification.”

The Exemplary Program designation acknowledges STC’s excellence in all its online programs, essentially grading the college through an intensive peer-reviewed process in four key areas including online program design, online teaching support, online learner support and online learner success by Quality Matters.

“Another part about the Quality Matters certification process is that it is not done by an administrator in an office somewhere, it is performed by working professionals in the field. The people who were looking at the data were people that work in those fields so they could recognize what is everyday business and what’s going above and beyond to a level of excellence,” Sale said.

STC President Ricardo J. Solis said this distinction is an example of campus unity and the college’s innovative approaches to make learning accessible for all.

“Together we are fulfilling our mission to those students who have opted to earn their degrees in a virtual setting while doing everything we can to ensure our programs remain world-class,” Solis said. “This designation confirms that the college is well-equipped to meet the challenges of technology in the years and even decades to come.”