Evaluating the Quality of Distance Education Programs

chillibreeze writer — Aparna Tiwari

Since the inception of online learning in the 1990s, distance learning has become a permeating and an emergent phenomenon. The innovative use of technology has created more effective techniques to distribute learning in non- traditional ways, and has broadened access to higher education.

Also known as e-learning, this type of virtual learning is typically part of a learning management system. Since distance learning is rapidly establishing itself as an alternative mode of education these days, it is required to address quality issues which can arise in this mode of learning. Emerging standards for quality are usually related to ensuring learning achievement, improved performance and cost-effectiveness.

As a result, new organizational structures and learning arrangements are appearing throughout higher education. Due to the pervasive nature of distance learning, it has become difficult to distinguish it from campus-based learning. Remote access to learning materials, databases and libraries, electronic communication, computer-connected workgroups, archived lectures, and other features of distance learning are increasingly being incorporated in campus-based instruction.

Advantages of distance education

University education becomes less expensive
Overcrowded campuses can be relieved
People are able to study while continuing to work
People are encouraged to gain further qualifications
New groups of students are formed
Lifelong learning has a greater chance of occurring
More people are able to take part in the cultural life
Greater democratization of society may occur

Distance learning programs can fundamentally change the way schools compete for students, especially part-time students. A school that develops distance learning programs usually increases the scale and scope of its offerings. But then, along with the advantages, there are some challenges which a distance learning institution faces.

Major Challenges in distance education

Curriculum and learning issues
Content issues
Individual and group learning
Technology strategy
Resource sufficiency
Delivery
Evaluation - How appropriate is it?

Quality Assurance in Distance Education

In the 1980s, the Open Universities used mainly ‘conventional’ methods to assure academic standards. These included the use of external examiners, accreditation by professional bodies and the use of rigorous appointment procedures for staff and the use of a third party opinion when generating the learning resources.

In this growing age of cut throat competition where online education is expanding in every area, monitoring quality standards can ensure that training is developed according to predefined specifications. These training programs can either be internally accredited, or the educational authorities can buy learning solutions endorsed by or affiliated with established reputable vendors. Ensuring that quality standards are met also ensures that the training achieves its intended purpose.

Quality Assurance Methods

Quality deliverables that should be monitored in distance education mode include policies, procedures and rules that define requirements, and tools and checklists to verify compliance. E-learning quality strategies typically use standards such as the International Organization for Standardization 9000 (the family of standards for quality management systems including procedures, processes, record keeping, defect checking, monitoring and improving) or Total Quality Management (TQM). TQM was developed by William Edward Deming in the 1950s.

Benefits of Quality Assurance

Holding multimedia and distance learning programs to quality standards ensures that programs are designed in the right context, for the right purpose, for the right people and in the right format. Without a formal methodology, programs will be developed without regard for the actual usage. Designing programs without a defined purpose is often a costly mistake which can be avoided.

Considerations for Implementing Quality

For standards to be accepted and adopted, they have to be measurable. If they intend to develop well-managed quality standards for multimedia and online education, an organization needs participation from all levels of the organization, ranging from sponsors down to actual students. Standards should be transparent, meaning that established requirements should be clearly communicated in a timely manner to program developers. These standards should be scalable - they should be applicable to more than one program.

Listed below are some Quality Criteria which can be followed for Online Courses from various points of view.

Academic Criteria
• Timely development of courses and course materials
• Timely design of assignments and examinations
• Quality of learning resources provided for students
• Online education and staff work loads

Administrative Criteria
• Proper communication amongst administrative centers
• Proper distribution of materials and examination papers
• Response time to applicant and student inquiries
• Response time to decisions made within institution

Technological Criteria
• Aptness of the technologies used
• Efficacy of the technologies used

Financial Criteria
• Clear understanding of the relationship between distance education and other aspects of institution
• Adequate funding
– for course and material development costs
– for course delivery, tutorials and evaluation
• Other student support
– for local centre staff

Over the past decade, distance learning activity has become pervasive in higher education. Even business schools have made attempts to enter this field, looking out for new avenues through distance learning, including expanding market reach, increasing revenues, and providing service to corporate employees and conventional student populations.

For providing effective and high quality distance learning offerings, developed programs need to be consistent with the school’s stated mission. It is observed that quality distance learning brings a shift in perspective from teaching-centered to learning-centered education. Effective distance learning encourages more concentration on student learning compared to teaching inputs. In this respect, it brings with it a change in the roles of students and faculty, as well as needed support services.

Quality issues often exhibit themselves as discussions on teaching effectiveness, faculty-to-student ratios, attrition rates, student satisfaction, and institutional resources invested in online delivery. Distance or online education programs must develop and maintain quality educational options to successfully compete with conventional academic offerings—institutions cannot maintain a competitive edge solely from innovation of the online delivery format. The quality of online programs is judged by the fact that more and more learners are attracted towards it; these people are provided with comparable—if not better—education quality than they could have got by attending classes on campus.

Learning-centered education necessitates students to anticipate an expanded responsibility for their learning. Learning comes about through interaction with faculty members and other students, sustained independent study, and the use of technology to produce substantive learning experiences.

Faculty members are responsible for developing a pedagogy that fits the delivery and technology chosen. To encourage the faculty to be more committed, a structured reward system should be introduced.

To sum it all, quality distance learning requires careful attention to learning design, effective faculty training, organizational commitment to adequate program support, selection of appropriate delivery technology and methodology, and last but not the least, it should be heavily focused on student learning.

Editor's note: Most articles submitted to Chillibreeze go through a selection process. Only 30 percent of submitted articles are accepted for publication on the Chillibreeze.com featured article list. All accepted articles are edited and proofread for glaring errors of punctuation and grammar. Sentence structure is changed in certain cases and sometimes, entire sections are rewritten. If you notice any errors that have slipped through the cracks, do let us know! (Email us at info at chillibreeze dot com).

Chillibreeze's disclaimer: This is a contributed article and was published on Chillibreeze in August, 2010. The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not reflect the views of Chillibreeze as a company. Chillibreeze has a strict anti-plagiarism policy. Please contact us to report any copyright issues related to this article. The relevance of the facts and figures cited (if any) could change after a period of time.

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—About our writer:

Aparna Tiwari has a doctorate in Electronics Engineering. She has a rich experience of about 6 years in the IT and semiconductor domain, and has worked with Tata Consultancy Services. She has also handled various Training and Development assignments, and has been developing training material in various IT areas for quite some time. She has experience in technical writing, report writing, article writing, developing e-learning resources and web content writing. She has recently taken to freelancing. Aparna is based out of Bangalore.

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