Quality Measures In Online Distance Education At A Small Comprehensive University

Quality assurance (QA) in open and distance learning (ODL) can be a contentious issue. Some argue that it should be judged by the same criteria and methods as face-to-face education, while others claim that it is so different in its organization, enrolments and operations that conventional QA mechanisms cannot apply. Some advocate the use of specific guidelines and standards for e-learning; others believe that, regardless of the technology, the basic principles of quality teaching and learning should apply. Providers who have enjoyed freedom from external scrutiny may resist attempts at external regulation and auditing and look upon QA as yet another imposition of corporatization and bureaucracy on education. Others see it as a means of establishing a culture of quality, self-reflection and self-improvement. There is little research-based literature to guide policy-makers, managers and practitioners in applying QA in education and training to ensure the right balance is found between accountability and autonomy, as well as assuring quality for the time and costs involved. In this respect, Quality Assurance and Accreditation in Distance Education and e-Learning is a book that is long overdue. It explains what is involved in QA and accreditation in education. It describes and analyzes applications of these practices in open, distance, dual-mode and conventional universities throughout Europe, North America, Africa, and the Asia-Pacific, looking at open schooling, e-learning in conventional schools, non-formal adult and community education, and corporate and small-to-medium enterprises. Quality Assurance and Accreditation in Distance Education and e-Learning is edited and authored by experts with extensive international experience in ODL, e-learning and QA who give careful consideration to the possibilities and challenges involved. The book will be an invaluable guide for all policy-makers, managers, practitioners and researchers in the field.

Learn to assess and assure the quality of university-level distance education classes! Now that many colleges and universities have embarked on significant distance education curricula, an overview of the state of the art is necessary. This valuable collection looks at distance education through a varied set of critical lenses to examine how distance education classrooms can affect students' attitudes and behaviors, the use of—and attitudes toward—group projects in online courses, the effects that the use of technology has on the relationship between student and teacher, and a great deal more! Distance Education: Issues and Concerns: provides concrete recommendations for enhancing the distance education experience shows the relationship between learning styles, enrollment, and retention in Internet-based courses, and makes recommendations to help ensure student success highlights the importance of conducting small-scale usability studies for instructional Web sites examines the advantages of using handheld computers and mobile phones in teacher education emphasizes the importance of good teaching, no matter what kind of technology is in use provides an overview of the drawbacks and benefits of distance education and a plan for quality control examines the steps taken by one graduate program to ensure continuing improvement of its online courses offers a number of ways to develop a comprehensive quality control system that addresses development, delivery, and evaluation presents a basic cost-income model for electronically delivered instruction provides a social constructionist framework for online learning looks at the challenges that laboratory experience courses present in a distance education context, and shows how remote lab use could work in several engineering disciplines describes a successful hybrid online graduate class designed to help administrators increase their technical competencies and more!

This book provides successful, evidence-based approaches and practices for quality assurance related to various aspects of online programs that can be adopted or adapted by faculty, leaders, and institutions looking to create, improve, and evaluate online programs in higher education.

Online distance education continues to grow at a fast pace, even outpacing the overall growth of U.S. higher education. Demands for quality are coming from all shareholders involved. As if caught by surprise, a patchwork response to quality is often the typical organizational response. The result can be inconsistent and uncoordinated levels of value to those invested in online learning. This often promotes negative images of the educational experience and institution.Comprised of highly regarded experts in the field, this edited volume provides a comprehensive overview of quality assurance, a snapshot of current practices and proven recommendations for raising standards of quality in online education.Topics discussed include:* Improving practices for teaching online* Using educational analytics for quality assurance and improvement* Accessibility: An important dimension of quality assurance* Assuring quality in online course design* Assuring quality in learner support, academic resources, advising and counseling* The role and realities of accreditationThis text clearly answers the call for addressing quality from a broad, deep and coordinated understanding. It addresses the complexities of quality assurance in higher education and offers professionals top-shelf advice and support. *This text is also appropriate for students enrolled in Educational Technology and Higher Education Administration Masters and PhD programs

The Quarterly Review of Distance Education is a rigorously refereed journal publishing articles, research briefs, reviews, and editorials dealing with the theories, research, and practices of distance education. The Quarterly Review publishes articles that utilize various methodologies that permit generalizable results which help guide the practice of the field of distance education in the public and private sectors. The Quarterly Review publishes full-length manuscripts as well as research briefs, editorials, reviews of programs and scholarly works, and columns. The Quarterly Review defines distance education as institutionally-based formal education in which the learning group is separated and interactive technologies are used to unite the learning group.

Though in the past online learning was considered of poorer professional quality than classroom learning, it has become a useful and, in some cases, vital tool for promoting the inclusivity of education. Some of its benefits include allowing greater accessibility to educational resources previously unattainable by those in rural areas, and in current times, it has proven to be a critical asset as universities shut down due to natural disasters and pandemics. Examining the current state of distance learning and determining online assessment tools and processes that can enhance the online learning experience are clearly crucial for the advancement of modern education. The Handbook of Research on Determining the Reliability of Online Assessment and Distance Learning is a collection of pioneering investigations on the methods and applications of digital technologies in the realm of education. It provides a clear and extensive analysis of issues regarding online learning while also offering frameworks to solve these addressed problems. Moreover, the book reviews and evaluates the present and intended future of distance learning, focusing on the societal and employer perspective versus the academic proposals. While highlighting topics including hybrid teaching, blended learning, and telelearning, this book is ideally designed for teachers, academicians, researchers, educational administrators, and students.

A Guide to Administering Online Learning provides an overview of tasks to be accomplished in order to direct dynamic online initiatives. Experienced distance learning teachers and administrators share their insights regarding what must be done to administer effective online learning.