A Holistic Approach to Defining Excellence in Online Education: Challenges and the Way Forward
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Transcript of A Holistic Approach to Defining Excellence in Online Education: Challenges and the Way Forward
Dr. Narimane Hadj-HamouAssistant Chancellor for Academic Development. HBMEU, DubaiPresident of the Middle East e-Learning Association
The 6th EDEN Workshop: User Generated Content Assessment –Enhancing Transparency and Quality
24th - 27th of October, 2010Budapest, Hungary
A Holistic Approach to Defining Excellence in Online Education: Challenges and the Way Forward
Key Points:
This Presentation Covers:
What is Excellence?
Who defines Excellence?
Pillars of Excellence
Challenges and the Way Forward
The MeLQ Framework
Defining Excellence in Online Education
What is Excellence?
Excellence is the state or quality of excelling.
It is superiority, or the state of being good to a high
degree.
It describes the furthest end of the quality spectrum.
When we think of excellence, we think of an outstanding
aspect, a model of its kind - the very best there is
Excellence is perceived to be a value.
Conceptualisation
Contextualisation
Competence
Communication
Confirmation
Constancy of Purpose
Defining Excellence
Driving Excellence
Impacting Excellence
Sustaining the Path of Excellence
Learner Centric Culture
A
O
I
S
D
I
R
E Assessing Excellence
P
D
C
A
PDCAPlanDoCheckAct
DIREDevelopingImplementingRenewingEnhancing
AOISAdoptingOptimisingInnovatingSustaining
P
D
C
A
Plan
Do
Check
Act
D
I
R
E
Developing
Renewing
Enhancing
Implementing
A
O
I
S
Adopting
Optimising
Innovating
Sustaining
Driving Quality Improvement
Growing Quality Capability
Attaining Excellence Standards
Road to Excellence The Triple Loop Approach
Who Defines Excellence?
Governmental bodies (i.e. education departments, MOE, MOHE)
Academic Institutions (senior management)
Learners Parents Employers Faculty and Staff members
What are the Pillars of Excellence?
Curriculum/ Content & Materials Virtual Learning Environments Learners’ Engagement Learners’ Assessment Learners’ Support Faculty and Staff Qualification Institutional Leadership Resources Allocations
Approaches to Address the Excellence in eLearning
Plan
DoCheck
Act
(Generic) approaches to plan
quality
Best- and good practise
examples/guidelinesbenchmarking
Quality certificationand accreditation
Meeting Excellence (competitions)Quality awards
Dieter Euler, 2010
Selection of Quality SchemesPlan
DoCheck
Act
HolisticIntegrated
SpecificUnintegrated
TQM
Medida Prix
AACSB
EQUIS
A-MBA
ASTD
ISO 9001ff.
PAS 1032
Quality on the line
Digita
Sloan-C™ Awards
ZfU
ODLQC
NIeL
Institute for IT Training
ADEC
QAA
CEL
"Someday, in the distant future, our
grandchildren's grandchildren will
develop a new equivalent of our
classrooms. They will spend many
hours in front of boxes with fires
glowing within. May they have the
wisdom to know the difference
between light and knowledge."
(427-347 BC) Plato
Educational Institutions – As Open System
An open system is a system
that regularly exchanges
feedback with its external
environment. Open systems are
systems, so inputs, processes,
outputs, goals, assessment and
evaluation, and learning are all
important.
Adapted from “Field Guide to Consulting and Organizational Development”
A modern university, or
"multiversity," has to operate as a
part of society, no longer as an
ivory tower apart from it.
1911-2003
Former UC Berkeley President Clark Kerr
training is something that is
done to someone. learning is
something that one does
Paradigm-shift to Learning
Being told
Deductive(linear)
Don’t know:won’t try
Discovery, experimentation
Bricolage & judgment (lateral)
Don’t know: link, lurk, try
~John Seely Brown
Paradigm-shift from Teaching to Learning
Paradigm-shift from Teaching to Learning
teaching delivering answers directed learning instruction conveying knowledge educating technical
problem-solver creating instructional media
learning facilitating problem-solving self-regulated learning collaboration sharing ideas educating
reflective practioners creating social spaces
Traditional society … Knowledge society …
What Makes up High-quality Learning?
Source: Bransford, Brown & Cocking (1999)
Organizedknowledgestructure
Social embedded
ness(learning
community)
Formativeassessmen
t(feedback)
Focus onlearner(active
learning)
"If we don't focus on the experience
dimension of learning, we run the
risk of mistaking the publishing of
information for learning and
training"
Elliott Masie
Learner
Internet
Instructor
Classes
Learning Communities
Library
Other Universitie
s
Companies
Chat Videoconference
Email Website
OnlineDatabases
Web
WebsiteResources
ChatEmail
OnlineDatabases
Web Site
Chat
New Learning Paradigm...
Distance learning is a more
general term that includes e-
Learning.
It is any formal educational
process in which the majority of
instruction
and learning takes place with the
student and instructor physically
separate from one another. Distance Education in 1960s
From Distance to e- Learning
Re-defining the Learning Environment
E-learning is not just “e-Training – it is the
synergy of information-on demand, multimedia
communication, instruction, the discovery
and exploration that interactively engages the
learner with greater learning opportunity.
Richard OttoCognitive Design Solutions
“The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn.”
Alvin Toffler
“The illiterate of the future will not be the person who cannot read. It will be the person who does not know how to learn .”
Lack of recognition of e-learning in many countries= absence of standards
Lack of differentiation between quality standards in e-learning and conventional education
Global versus contextualized standards Difficulties in selecting appropriate quality
approaches Lack of research and exchange of practices in
some regions of the world
The Quality Dilemma
Limits of Quality Development
Sometimes what counts can't be
counted and what can be counted doesn't
count!
How can we Promote Excellence… the Way Forward?
Long term strategy and policy formulation Community interaction – raising awareness Effective practices organization and
dissemination Institutional competency building Collaborative research work around e-learning
quality framework Partnerships and Special Interest Groups –
Communities of Inquiry
What is MeLQ Framework?
A joint research project between HBMeU and scil.It addresses the distinctive needs of HE and Corporate sectorIt is built around quality improvement practices.It considers various stakeholders’ viewsIt considers the particularities and the context of the MENA region.It is multi-dimensional approach that covers educational, organisational, technological, and economic challenges that arise when implementing e-learning.
Quality DimensionsStr
ate
gic
D
imensi
on Institutional Mission &
StrategyTarget PopulationFaculty & Staff Development Le
arn
ing &
Te
ach
ing
Dim
ensi
on Teaching & Learning
ApproachesLearning OutcomesLearners’ InteractionLearners’ Assessment & FeedbackInstructional designProgram/ Course Review
Org
aniz
ati
onal
Dim
ensi
ons Information to prospect
learners’Intuitional effectivenessResponsiveness to needsLearners’ Services
Change
Dim
ensi
on Stakeholders’ perception
of changeWorkload, compensation mattersOwnership and IPPhilosophy of change
Eco
nom
ical
Dim
ensi
on Resources Availability
Cost Effectiveness/ROIsRisk Management
Tech
nolo
gic
al
Dim
ensi
ons E-Learning Tools and
InfrastructuresIT StrategiesAccessibility & Usability Content Reusability Information security & data discovery
MeLQ Governance Framework
Best Practices BoardProvide feedback on certification
process & quality framework
International Awarding Body
Awards the quality certification
Supervisory BoardSetup the certification process
and monitors the progress of the quality system
Research Unit Conduct Research Activities to further the development of the
quality framework
MeLQ Governance
Executive OfficePosition & promote the QA
framework MeLQ and manage the day to day operations of the
office
Dr. Narimane Hadj-HamouAssistant Chancellor for Academic Development. HBMEU, DubaiPresident of the Middle East e-Learning Association