Number 3 December 1, 2000	A publication of Project Eagle, St. Petersburg College

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Quality Assurance and Evaluation in E-Learning

"The distance from faculty to student must be measured in results achieved for our students."
(NEA President Bob Chase, News Release, March 21, 2000)

As e-learning plays an increasingly larger part in higher education, academic organizations and associations are moving ahead to set guidelines and policies for evaluating existing programs and assuring quality in those to come. Not unexpectedly, most of the work in this field is easily accessible on the Web, and the links in this issue connect to some noteworthy efforts.

Principles and Guidelines for Quality Assurance in E-Learning

(Outline of identified areas of importance in parentheses)

American Association of Higher Education. "Implementing the Seven Principles: Technology as Lever." Undated article by Arthur W. Chickering and Stephen C Ehrmann updating the association's Seven Principles of Good Practice (1987) to include electronic learning. (Student-faculty contact; cooperation among students; active learning; prompt feedback; emphasis on time on task; high expectations; respect for diverse talents and ways of learning.)
American Council on Education Center for Adult Learning. Guiding Principles, 2000
(Learning design, learner support; organizational commitment; learning outcomes; technology.)
Institute for Higher Education Policy. Quality on the Line: Benchmarks for Success in Internet-Based Distance Education (PDF file), March 2000. Study sponsored by the National Education Association and Blackboard, Inc. Institutions chosen and sampled for best practices are listed below. (Institutional support; course development; teaching/learning; course structure; student support; faculty support; evaluation and assessment.)
Missouri Coordinating Board of Higher Education. Principles of Good Practice for Distance Learning/Web-Based Courses, 2000. (High academic integrity; regular assessment and evaluation; adequate resources and services.)
Monash University, Australia. Policy and Procedures for Quality Assurance in Distance Education and Open Learning Programs, 1999. A comprehensive model of applied principles of evaluation arranged by university departments responsible for their administration.
NCA Commission on Institutions of Higher Education. Guidelines for the Evaluation of Electronically Offered Degree and Certificate Programs (Draft), 2000. (Institutional context and commitment; curriculum and instruction; faculty support; student support; evaluation and assessment.)
Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education, United Kingdom. Distance Learning Guidelines, no date. (System design; programme design, approval and review; programme delivery management; student development and support; student communication and representation; student assessment.)
Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. Distance Education: Definition and Principles, (PDF file), 2000. (An expansion of the Western Interstate Commission on Higher Education principles below with additions in the areas of curriculum and instruction; evaluation and assessment; library and learning resources; student services; facilities and finances.)
Southern Regional Education Board. Principles of Good Practice, 1999-2000. (Modeled after and identical with the Western Interstate Commission Principles of Good Practice below.)
Western Association of Schools and Colleges. Guidelines for Distance Education: Principles of Good Practice, 2000. (Curriculum and instruction; evaluation and assessment; library and learning resources; student services; facilities and finances.)
Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education. Principles of Good Practice, 1999. (Curriculum and instruction; institutional context and commitment that includes role and mission, faculty support, resources for learning, students and student services, and commitment to support; evaluation and assessment.)

Benchmark E-Learning Institutions

Selected/examined by the Institute for Higher Education Policy for Quality on the Line, March 2000

Brevard Community College (FL).
Regents College (NY).
University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.
University of Maryland University College.
Utah State University.
Weber State University (Utah).

Background Studies on Quality Assurance In E-Learning

Assuring Quality in Distance Learning. Council for Higher Education Accreditation, 1998.
Committee on Quality Assurance and Distance Education Findings and Recommendations. University of Maine System, 1998.
National Policy Recommendations. US Distance Learning Association, 1991,1997.
Quality Assessment and Evaluation - Basic Philosophies, Concepts and Practices... NKI, Norway, 1998.

Significant Difference Issues

Resources addressing the issues of e-learning singularity and effectiveness

"Scholar Concludes That Distance Ed Is As Effective As Traditional Instruction." Article by Jeffrey R. Young in Chronicle of Higher Education, 2/10/00.
Significant Difference Phenomenon. Year-by-year annotated bibliography of articles and reports on the significant difference issue, sponsored by TeleEducation NB.
What's the Difference? (PDF file). Controversial Institute for Higher Education Policy study on the effectiveness of distance learning in higher education sponsored by the American Federation of Teachers and the National Education Association, April 1999.
Why Must Distance Education Programs Be Treated Differently Than On-Campus Ones? Western Association of Schools and Colleges' answers to that question, undated.

Practical Applications of E-Learning Evaluation

Courseware Evaluation

Merlot. Peer-reviewed discipline-specific courseware.
Observing, Measuring or Evaluating Courseware. University of Glasgow.

Faculty Checklist for Course Evaluation

Evaluation for Distance Educators Guide #4. University of Idaho, College of Engineering.

Student Support Services Design

Putting Principles into Practice... Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education project funded by the Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education.

Student Survey Design

Project Adept. Overview of University of Wisconsin's Assessment of Distance Education Pedagogy and Technology Project.
Sample Web-Course Evaluation Form. Designed and validated at Ball State University.
Sample Telecourse Evaluation Form. Designed and validated at Ball State University.

Useful Links for Planning Quality Assurance and Evaluation

The Annenberg/CPB Project's Top 10 Distance Education Sites.
Center for Excellence in Distance Learning. Site sponsored by Lucent Technologies to enhance the quality of e-learning at institutions using its products.
Distance Learning at Postsecondary Institutions, 1997-98. National Center for Education Statistics, December 1999.
Distance Learning in Higher Education, CHEA Update Number 3. Detailed, periodic, update from the Council for Higher Education Accreditation, June 2000.

The contents of BEEP were developed under a grant from the U. S. Department of Education (DOE). However, those contents do not necessarily represent the policy of the DOE, and you should not assume endorsement by the Federal Government.