Marilyn Bender's take on the Rubric for Online Instruction

One very obvious way to implement this rubric for an online course is up front in the design and development phase. By beginning with the end in mind, one can ensure all appropriate course components are inplace, such as learner support and resources, good structure, organization and accessibility, good interaction, appropriate design of instructional activities and materials, a plan for assessing and evaluating learning, gathering feedback from learners and the appropriate selection and use of technology.

A second way to use the rubric is for the ongoing evaluation and improvement of new courses or repurposed courses or peer review of course designs. Technology changes rather quickly. Ongoing evaluation and revisions are critical to ensuring long-term effectiveness of, and learner satisfaction with distance programs.